August, 2024

POINT OF VIEW: THE NASHVILLE BATTLEFIELD FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF AN ARTILLERY SHELL

Civil War blogger, author and historian John Banks has a new hobby which is giving battlefield terrain a new look – from 399 feet above.

Aerial view of Shy’s Hill summit in August, 2024. Click image to see video. Images by John Banks

Click image above to see aerial view video of Shy’s Hill. Images by John Banks

Or at least, that’s the maximum birds-eye-view that his Ruko F11 Pro drone can fly, and one of his first flights took its camera over Shy’s for a view never before seen (by humans) of this Battle of Nashville landmark. Think of it as what a Union Hotchkiss shell may have seen on Dec. 16, 1864. To watch his flight over the Hill below as you imagine what it must have looked like in late, misty afternoon of Dec. 16, 1864, click either image above.

He has since added the hawks-eye-view to photos of BONT’s other signature property, Confederate Redoubt No. 1, as seen in mid-August, 2024.

Above and below, aerial views of Redoubt No. 1 in August, 2024. Images by John Banks

And finally, to cap off his fly-overs, he added a few aerial still photos and video of Fort Negley depicting its classic star design and proximity to the city of Nashville. To see the video, click on the photo below.

Aerial view of Ft. Negley in August, 2024. Click on photo to see video. Images by John Banks

In conjunction with his postings on John Banks Civil War Blog, he is expanding his sky-lens views to other historic locations related to the Civil War, including Ashwood Hall, site of Polk brothers’ mansion destroyed by fire in 1874; Bethel Place plantation near Columbia in Maury County, TN; and Fort Granger in Franklin.