Gravelly Springs is a quiet community now. They say that during that cold winter of 1865, all the trees were cut and buildings, tents, and stables went on as far as the eye could see. Here, young U.S. Army Major General Wilson trained 22,000 cavalrymen for the planned spring invasion of Alabama and Georgia.
You can find additional information about this camp in Civil War Tales of the Tennessee Valley by William Lindsey McDonald, in addition to other Civil War history books.
I wonder if the troops had time or inclination to see the beauty of these limestone cliffs and water flowing in natural springs, or if they were concentrating on staying warm and finding enough to eat.
One hundred and fifty years later, the land has recovered, and there are no visible scars of that terrible time.
Gravelly Springs is located on Highway 14 (Waterloo Road) about 16 miles Northwest of Florence, just past the Natchez Trace Parkway intersection.
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