In covering the countryside of France in the region where elements of the American Expeditionary Force took part in the Second Battle of the Marne on a corps level, I ran across two Italian military cemeteries. Certainly, the appearance of these cemeteries came as a surprise to me. The story of how the Italians got here and their battles do not show up in many histories of the war. So, here is a quick rundown of Italy in France.
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The second deadliest battle of the American Civil War, Chickamauga is nowhere near as well-known as other battles such as Gettysburg, Antietam, or Vicksburg. The first two were fought by the Army of the Potomac, the main Federal army fighting in the eastern theater of the war centered on Virginia. If this army had been destroyed, the Federal cause would have been defeated. Neither Gettysburg nor Antietam were large-scale Federal victories. They both were emphatic ending notes to the two invasions of the Northern States in 1862 and 1863 by General Robert E. Lee and his Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Vicksburg meant the Confederate States were split into two as Federal control over the Mississippi came into being.
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A three-day affair to end 1862 and begin the new year, the Battle of Stones River – also known as the Battle of Murfreesboro – resulted in the highest percentage of casualties of any major battle of the American Civil War. 32.7% of the 78,400 who fought died, became wounded or went missing or captured after the battle’s end. Four brigadier generals died either outright or from mortal wounds from the battle – two on each side. Braxton Bragg’s newly renamed Army of Tennessee moved first on the morning of 31 December rolling through the Federal lines. But true to his nature, Bragg would find a way to turn victory into a tactical defeat. Much of Tennessee remained under Federal control as 1863 began.
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Cantharellus – cibarius in Europe and formosus here in the Pacific Northwest – the Golden Chanterelles, holds down one of the top three spots among edible mushrooms to be foraged from the forest duff. Along with porcini, morels and maybe matsutake, the chanterelle remains one of the most sought-after mushrooms for those seeking additions to their dining tables. There are certainly more than waterfalls awaiting you out in the forests of the Northwest.
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In 2018, as part of centenary observances of World War 1, a monument unveiled at Fiume Road Graveyard in Budapest. This became the first national memorial erected commemorating the efforts Hungarians undertook during the Great War. Government officials noted the memorial was in line with a fundamental theme of the nation: to restore historical continuity broken during the Nazi and Communist occupations.
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Ravelnik and Čelo are two open-air museums allowing visitors a chance to visit spaces where soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army defended the Bovec basin from invading Italian troops from the end of May 1915 until the end of October 1917. The two sites restored by locals and the Slovene government are different in what they offer as well as their original purpose with regard to their roles in holding off the Italians.
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Lincoln County is home to the Central Oregon Coast. If you can get away from the beach, magnificent Drift Creek Falls awaits deep in the woods. A couple other waterfalls are better visited on the way to the central Oregon Coast or on the way home. By no means a conclusive list of waterfalls, but here are three worth your time.
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Stuck away on the east side of multiple train tracks at the train station in Trieste is a small monument. It stands forlornly nest to a like sized monument dedicated to rail workers who died in World War 2. The monument in question reads: “In riccordo di cittadini del littoral Austriaco partiti da questi binary nell’agosta del 1914 per lontani cmapi di battaglia” – “In memory of citizens of the Austrian Littoral who left from these tracks in August 1914 for battlefields far away.” The sign is fixed on a large stone on which also is placed, a cap design for the Imperial and Royal – Kaiserliche und Königliche (K. und K.) – Infantry Regiment 97. The K. und K. Infantrie Regiment 97 entrained from here to the battlefields of Galicia from which many of the men, locals from Trieste and the surrounding region, would never return.
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Recently, I made my fourth trip to Panama. Each trip, a short visit to the Canal in one form or another, gets included in the itinerary. To understate the importance of the Canal to Panama and the World from an economic point of view is not possible. The Canal gives Panama money to do things many other countries in Latin America – especially in Central America – can only dream about. Large freeways, light rail, subways, and a seemingly burgeoning economy from a casual tourist outlook reflect success in the heat, humidity, and constant drip – or sudden deluge – from the skies here in Panama. One factor hiding from plain sight today are the former huge efforts made in defense of the Canal.
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Tillamook County, well-known for beaches, wild headlands, sand dunes,
fishing and dairies. Hidden away in the rugged mountains are several waterfall
gems. There are others, so keep looking.