The drive has been uneventful so far. What has been unexpected are the temperatures for last night, today (Monday) and most definitely for tonight. It will be in the high teens tonight. Today we had a few snow flurries and lots of wind which caused us to lay over a day here at the Cape. It was a good day, nonetheless, and I'm glad we did it. We used the day to see this area.
Cape Girardeau is the site of a Civil War battle, and we decided to do the drive, right in town, that is a tour of battlefield sites. This is a very hilly town which is not surprising because it is on the banks of the Mississippi River. The Union Army held much of the high ground, on the east side of the battlefield. The Confederate Army seemed to have been at a disadvantage on lower terrain. In any event, the Union Army captured Cape Girardeau and its strategic site on the Mississippi as the result of the battle on April 26, 1863. The Union held this area through the end of the war.
As Civil War battlefields go, there is very little to see because the town has been built on the sites. There are a few plaques, and one or two historic buildings. Nothing like Gettysburg or Antietam or Shiloh or others we have visited.
Along the line of the battle. This area was held by the Union Army.
The Minton House, used during the war as a smallpox hospital. Near here is the cemetery where a number of Civil War soldiers are buried, many in unmarked graves.
There were several forts in this area. This one, Fort D, is the only one where visitors can see the restored earthworks and the terrain as it might have looked. This fort was not involved in any battle. In 1936 the site was purchased by the American Legion post, and this small stone building was built on what was probably the site of the powder house. It was cold and windy so we didn't venture around much. Yes, my Minnesota friends, it was really COLD - very bone chilling wind!
Cape Girardeau was recently the scene of flooding, but we didn't see any damage. We did see this huge wall along the river that is supposed to protect the old town which is right at river level.
The wall. There is a very large gate that can be closed to keep out the water.
View of the river, looking at the bridge that goes over to East Cape Girardeau, IL.
We braved the wind and walked around the campus of Southeastern Missouri University. Very pretty campus and some interesting old buildings on the original campus.
Campus photos.
From the old downtown, you can see the old courthouse, called the Common Pleas Courthouse. Built in 1854, it housed the headquarters of the Union Army, and the basement served as a dungeon for Confederate soldiers. Grant commanded the army.
We continued our drive by crossing the bridge over into Illinois, and drove down to Cairo. I have no photos. I had no idea what to expect. This town sits at the confluence of the Ohio and the Mississippi, and would have been an extremely strategic location in former days. Wikipedia says that it was a once prosperous town. However, the town is now in a very sorry state, due to a steady decline. There are empty buildings and crumbling neighborhoods everywhere. The historic downtown has been largely abandoned. There are a couple of noteworthy old buildings that look to be in pretty good shape, but there isn't much else. We drove on a few miles south of town to Fort Defiance, which is right at the confluence of the rivers. We wanted to get to a viewpoint, but access was closed due to the residual flooding of the area. So we headed on back. I need to read the entire Wikipedia article about Cairo, IL.
Being in an RV is not necessarily the warmest place one can be in cold weather. We have heaters and the furnaces running and are staying pretty warm. We head out tomorrow traveling further south. Maybe we will find some warmer weather soon, but probably not for another few days!!
