Monday, August 22, 2016

Battle of Blue Springs Map Compared with the Other Blue Springs: Coincidental Resemblance!

In comparing the two place names of Blue Springs, Tennessee, I became confused as to the location and identification of the place and its relation to a historical map.

"My" Blue Springs (the place that is relevant to my project) is a mineral spring, or watering place (resort) near Cleveland, Bradley County, Tennessee. In Official Records, it is identified as being five miles from Cleveland, Tennessee, between Cleveland (Tenn.) and Dalton, Georgia. The Federals are there on April 30, 1864.

The other Blue Springs was in Greene County, Tennessee, and is now a town called Mosheim, Tennessee. There was a battle at that place in October 1863. Poe was in that battle.

When I found a map sketched by Poe, I thought I had a map of the Bradley County site, and started to make comparisons. Oddly, it fits very closely to the modern-day satellite view of the Blue Springs that is near Red Clay State Historic Park. Apparently, the likeness is just a fluke! Look at the comparison:

Google Satellite image still, of Red Clay State Historic Park. 
North of it is the probable location of Blue Springs
1864 camp. Image © 2016 Google Imagery

Above are the historic drawing (1863 Blue Springs Tennessee map from Library of Congress) and a still shot of the Google Satellite map of today (© 2016 Google Imagery), cropped for comparison.

Citation for Google Satellite Still Image:
Google Imagery, "Google Satellite Image Still" (screenshot), © 2016 Google Imagery, Google Maps (accessed Aug. 22, 2016).

Citation for 1863 Blue Springs Map/Drawing:
Orlando Metcalfe Poe and Orlando B. Willcox. [Blue Springs: Tennessee]. [1863] Map/Drawing. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/86691125/. (Accessed August 22, 2016.)

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