Strawberry Plains Rail Road Bridge Dec. 1863

[blev3ntn]

Dec. 1863 Rail Road bridge at Strawberry Plains, Tennessee (Note the Fortifications near the top right of the photo)

[Mac232]

Is this in Tellico ?

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Strawberry Plains is about 18 miles NE of Knoxville; this is a bridge over the Holston River and today the Norfolk Southern Railroad bridge sits next to the site of the 1860's bridge; you can still see some of the old stone supports.

[dances for eels]

I was reading through some old news accounts tonight and found this story from the Nashville Daily Gazette, dated November 17, 1861: Skirmish at Strawberry Plains-----
A correspondent of the Knoxville Register thus describes a visit he lately made to James Keelan, the man who so nobly defended the bridge at Strawberry Plains against an attack upon the property of Union men. He was shot in three places- the back, thigh and elbow. His hand was severed at the wrist. Many gashes are found upon his person. Twenty attempts were made to cut his throat. When i saw him he was perfectly calm and sensible, bearing his pains with patience and fortitude. He will probably recover. He is a poor man with a large family depending on his labor for the subsistence of life. He fought 16 men, probably killing their leader whilst in the act of firing the bridge and finally drove the enemy away without them accomplishing their fiendish purpose. He did all that a human could. "they have killed me, but i saved the bridge". He is a hero and has physically done more for the welfare of his country than any man in the Confederacy.