The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-05-20
TENNESSEE SCENERY.
View From Lockout Mountain---The
Natural Cemetery Lookout Noun
tain as Summer Resort, Etc.
Correspondence of the Star.

the Rhine, but where is one around whose
crags and ruined castles, the glamor of his
tory and romance have woven so fair a
charm? Our American scenery much of if
is magnificent beyond comparison, but the
tourist in former years has complained thai
it had no tradition, no history of desperate
battles to surround its scenes with the mys
terry of romantic story. But come tc
Chattanooga, and the evidences of the
stern realities of war are still about us
uneffaced.
On Cameron's Hill are yawning yet the
trenches where batteries were placed dur.
ing our late civil conflict. To the eastward
stands Fort Woods, with its batteries
scarcely yet disturbed. To the southwark
of the town the rife pits are driven over
day after day by passing vehicles and hard
ly receive passing thought. 1onder, east
and southeast of the city, is Mission Ridge,
where desperate battle was fought and to
the west of it frowns Lookout Mountain,
one of the most interesting souvenirs OF the
war and where the view is grand beyond
anything in this or any other country.
On the point where our soldiers CLIMBED
to plant the standard so dear to-day to
those who then resisted 1T Is one OF the
grandest views in any place or country un-
der the sun. To the north, across the wal
den Hills, blue and almost indistinct in the
distance, may be seen the SUBMITS OF the
Cumberland Mountains Of Kentucky. To
the northeast, film upon the sky when
the day is clear, is seen the Cumberland
Gap and the mountains OF Virginia 10
the east the North Carolina mountains are
plainly seen. and farther south, across the
crests of Mission Ridge, the mountains of
South Carolina and of Georgia. Southwest
is Alabama, while about us is unrolled the
most magnificent of panoramas ever seen
this beautiful landscape through which the
Tennessee winds for miles amidst her plains
and rocky headlands.
Out of the northwestern hills she comes
sweeping in curves more majesticaliy beau-
tiful than ever Hogarth with his lines OF
beauty dreamed, and winding through the
valley she meanders to the feet or this
grandest OF grand old mountains where we
stand, then turning abruptly northward
she forms moccasin in the plain as per
feet as though some Titan foot was enclosed
within it. Below us crawl the trains of
the Alabama e. Great Southern and OF the
Nashville & CHATTANOOGA Railroads.
To the northwest we see the tracks OF
the Western g. Atlantic, the Cincinnati
Southern and the Tennessee & Virginia
Railroads. Southward, beyond our view,
across the hills are the desperate fields of
Chickamauga and Resaca. In the build
ings along the river are yet visible the
marks of shot and shell of those sad days
that Union and Confederate are so rapidly
forgetting. Out yonder on the rising
Ground of the plain, where the flag is "a ying
brightly on it's staff, lie II, 956 of our SOL
diers in the National Cemetery. with neat,
white marble headstones marking
their resting place. Thick as
sheaves in an autumn field tine
graves are strewn. Trees are planted and
graveled drives wind amid the places of io-
terment flowers bloom, and people come
uncovered to read the name and rank and
State craven on the fair, white headstones
where the soldier slumbers below.
Th:sseemetery contains 60 acres of land.
ToDle archwaY serves as entrance to the
lot, and around the whole is a simple but
substantial fence of limestone, some four
feet in height. with neat Gaping at the
ton. and within lined with a well kept
hedge of the glossy-leaved Usage orange.
The tall flagstaff stands in the center of
grass plat four or five hundred feet in di-'
smeter. An avenue 30 feet wide surrounds
this circle, while two Others wind around
the summit and are connected with cross
drives and walks. Nineteen sections are
used for interment, occupying about one
half the land. The graves are ranged IN
curved lines amid the trees upon the
gentle slopes of the ground, and are marked
by white marble head-stones about one
foot square aid perhaps six inches in
thick ness -r..-e 81.
The graves fiat with the earth are all
turfed over, and the place has an air of
neatness that is pleasant to see. There are
\ limited number of the graves that have
Dnly wooden board TO mark the spot, but
we presume these will yet be supplied with
marble stones to correspond with the rest.
Some forty of the graves have monuments
Of more imposing form and some displaying
considerable elegance.
The ride to I1ooko out Mountain from Chat
tanoosa is some five or six miles along a
pleasant read that is a continuous village
TO the foot of the hill, and on the way we
cross the Chattanooga Greek, a stream less
important than its name would imply
Around at the foot of the hili the road
winds ND rather steep grade formed in
the side of the mountain amid enormous
bowlders and with an occasional glimpse
THROUGH the forest trees out intO the valley
that is magnificent.
At the top is the Lookout Mountain Ho-
tel, a place of limited accommodation, bnt
having the finest of mountain views a
fountai of crystal water sparkling at the
door. and the most delicious of mountain
air that can be found upon the con sneut.
1t is perhaps q mile from here to the brow
or north point of Lookout where our flag
was planted during the famous battle oil
Lookout Mountain; but once arrived there
the panorama is unexcelled upon the con-
tipent. The view from the Catskill Noun
tain House when the ar Is clear Is hne, but
this is infinitely timer.
The view from Asheville, No1 tn Carolina,
which h as twice the altitude of this fine
Lookout is superb. but yet not nearly so
interesting as this. The Alps have many
views more sublime. and SO have the
Rocky Mountains, but here the eye ean
look within the horizons circuit into seven
different States; the panorama below IN.
rolls scene of peaceful industry and con-
tentnent. The smoke Of the foundrIes and
rolling mills, and shops and factories, and
the busy city witt, its hum Of industry is
ali below The river blue or shining like
silver, winds away to the distant horizon,
appearing and disappearing like lakes be-
hind the wooden bills Railway trnins
shoot like shnrties in loom through the
valley with their precious freight and hur.
rying passengers, and the city that is to
draw to itself the enterprise of the South
Atlantic and Gulf States and develop inte
a great mart of commerce and manufac
ture, is lying at our feet.
Tie river rolls fourteen hundred feet be
low us, coursing forever and forever to the
sea. What more can the heart desire te
complete a perfect picture? A journey
across a continent wonld be cheap to look
on such a scene, and if Chattanooga does
not not become hereafter one OF the "
nous places for tourists to visit it will bt
indeed surprising.