This letter was sent to the Battle of Nashville Board and Membership in the aftermath of widespread damage caused by a “generational” ice storm that paralyzed and devastated parts of the City of Nashville. Bobby Whitson inventoried the destruction on Shy’s Hill, but also put it in perspective, honoring the men who fought here and withstood these conditions 161 years ago:

“I took some time yesterday to make the hike up Shy’s Hill to assess the damage from the ice storm. I sent the pictures to Tom to share online. With only a couple of trees uprooted and hundreds of large and small branches on the ground, I feel like we were lucky given the amount and severity of damage across Nashville. That said, we’re going to need a lot of tree work done and a lot of debris hauled off.

“Like most mid-state families, we were without power for six days and completely dependent upon small generator power. It was cold, the no matter what you did you can’t get warm kind of cold.

“Yes, the Civil War nerd in me emerged at some point, and I started thinking about the suffering of the soldiers from December 1864. Huddled underground in a dry basement around a heater made me realize how first world our current challenges really are and how horrible the conditions must have been for those soldiers exposed the sub-zero temperatures, snow, and ice huddled in dugouts without much firewood, food, blankets, or even shoes. For some of those soldiers, they had just experienced some of the worst fighting in the war at Franklin on November 30th followed by more, serious fighting at Murfreesboro on December 7th. Then, they would suffer the snow, ice, and bitter cold from the 8th through 12th that gave way to cold rain leading up to the fighting on the 15th and 16th . Contemplating that helped me realize just how strong and tough those soldiers of 1864 really were and just how privileged all of us are living in today’s world.

“I’m not saying that we couldn’t have handled it back then, but I am saying that my respect for what they endured simply continues to grow with time and greater understanding of the realities that they faced. All of that makes me that much more determined to do the work necessary to make sure that we continue to honor all of those that served here by raising more funds, acquiring more battlefield land, and interpreting it so that future generations understand what happened here and why it is important to honor all of those that served and sacrificed here.

“I trust that you and your families are safe and warm. Please let me know if you need any help. Much peace and love to you all, Whit”