Saturday, October 24th, 2026
$110 per person
In the cold that followed the Battle of Stone’s River, where the two sides suffered greatly to no certain gain, the Federals licked their wounds in Nashville and the Confederates in the lands to the south…
Thompson’s Station: Now, imagine. An un-blooded Federal brigade arriving at Nashville and within a day being ordered to conduct a reconnaissance in force. It is augmented with units whose officers have never met. Where authority relies only on rank because there has been no time to build trust before combat. What transpired was an operation where the commander of the operation had never seen the terrain, one that saw gallantry in a meeting engagement, and was graced by the brilliance of Nathan Bedford Forrest. In this story, there is insubordination, a withdrawal against orders stopped by the commander and then resumed as soon as the commander rode away. There was a capitulation, a hellish march to prison, and let’s not forget two courts martial. This is Thompson’s Station.
Spring Hill: After the melodrama of Thompson’s Station, it seems proper to visit Spring Hill where, a couple of years later, Hood’s army inexplicably allowed twenty-thousand Federals and eight-hundred wagons to withdraw up a major road within easy earshot of Confederate positions. Hood attempts to block the retreat but every attempt that day fails. The Confederates ultimately stop just short of the road and beds down, listening to the Federal army pass by. Many Federals, straying from the road, are captured while approaching Confederate campfires to light their pipes. That army of escaping Federals would go on to fortify Franklin by the next morning, setting the stage for one of the great slaughters of the War and guaranteeing the end of Confederate aspirations in Tennessee. Why? How did it happen?
General John Scales (USA, Ret) will present these battles on our 24 October 2026 staff ride hosted by the Tennessee Valley Civil War Round Table. The trip will be by luxury motor coach. General Scales will provide context during the drive to Thompson’s Station and Spring Hill. We will examine the ground to provide a true sense of the battles.
Logistics:
Price per ticket is $110.00 if paying in person at our monthly meetings. Tickets are $114 each when buying online because of the added handling fees. We need thirty people to sign-up for this tour by 15 September 2026. Guests are welcome. Non-members are welcome. We have a fifty-five passenger motor coach. Priority will be given to members until 15 August 2026, but we do not anticipate having to turn anyone away. We will depart from the parking lot of the Starbucks at Mid-City (1085 Mid City Drive, Huntsville, AL, 35806). Departure time is 7 AM sharp.
Participants should pack a lunch as there will be limited time and little opportunity to purchase anything. The Round Table will make water available on the bus.
Members: Please see your July newsletter for the link to purchase your ticket.
Nonmembers: Registration will open to the general public on August 15th. Check back here for that link when it becomes active for nonmembers.
