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Clarkson Covered Bridge

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NiteOwlTX
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3 out of 5
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1
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Clarkson Covered Bridge

  • March 15, 2006
  • Rated 3 of 5 by NiteOwlTX from LaPlace, Louisiana
Clarkson Covered Bridge

After months of skirmishes from Gadsden to Cullman, on April 30, 1863, General William Bedford Forrest of the Confederate army surprised Colonel Streight's raiders. As legend has it, Forrest had three horses shot out from under him in the battle before he eventually sent the Union army running with Forrest in relentless pursuit.

Moviegoers will know the name William Bedford Forrest as the name-sake for Forrest Gump. As discretely as they did it, you might have also picked up that he was the founder of what we now call the Klu Klux Klan.

Anyway, while he was here, he was a Confederate soldier, who used guerrilla warfare to harass the Union armies that occupied northern Alabama during the war.

The Forrest-Streight trail with it's climax here at the battle of Hog Mountain represents the only Civil War campaign in northern Alabama. With pro-Union sentiment throughout the area, once the federal army took control of this area, there were no real battles in northern Alabama.

Now commemorated by a covered bridge, the battle of Hog Mountain stands as the states largest contribution to Civil War history.

Except for those that already know the history of the continual skirmishes between Bedford Forrest and Colonel Streight, there is not much for average people to do here. If you are interested in Civil War history, this would be the big site on a tour of northern Alabama. Otherwise, it makes for an interesting stop on the road out of Cullman to Hamilton and Florence.

I recommend this attraction for anyone interested in history, specifically Civil War history. Also, I recommend this as a place for families with children still learning about the Civil War, as the site offers room to play combined with historical value.

From journal Obscurity in the Middle of Alabama

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