Kelley's Point Battlefield

Planning a trip to Nashville, I looked forward to hitting some caches on the return part of my trip. Being that I already have my Golden Ammo can, I am not concerned about the numbers and wanted something special to find. After loading my PQ's onto nRoute, I browsed the caches. Hesitated, I looked at the area of Exit 201. I had been there before when I had a legend without maps and vowed never to return. Being that I cache much of my time during the week, I face the traffic in busy areas of Nashville, Jackson and Memphis.....alone! My previous cache trip to Exit 201 was horrible, I steer away from Cracker Barrel caches during busy times and found myself having to make left turns just to find a skirt lifter. I gave up and went home.

Browsing, I saw Kelley's Point Battlefield, a cache now maintained by JoGPS. Reading the cache page, it had my interest. However, I was very concerned about the recent DNF's. I called JoGPS and he assured me the cache was there and gave me an additional hint.

After my visit in Nashville, I made a beeline towards Kelley's Point Battlefield. I had used Google Maps aerial image prior to my trip and saw the parking area. I normally don't use the aerial images since the resolution in Northwest Tennessee is terrible. Found the parking area and read the information of the Battle of Nashville in this part of Davidson County. Proceeded onto the cache, just a short hike taking a little less than 10 minutes. Stopped at the overlook and read more about the Confederate Cavalry stopping the US Navy on the Cumberland River. Using concealed artillery and constantly moving the guns, the CSA forces were able to stop traffic on the important waterway. With my military experience, I looked at the position and could see how the Confederates used the position to their advantage. A bend in the river prevented the bigger guns from the naval vessels from using their longer range to their advantage. The bluff, while not towering, gave the Confederates a height advantage. Also, moving the guns from one fortified and concealed position to another, prevented the US Navy gunners from finding their targets.

The cache proved be difficult to find, I had to call the cache owner to find it. With persistence, I did find it. To my surprise, this cache, while in close proximity of I-40, has well less than 100 finds, while nearby park and grabs have well over 100 finds. This cache proved to be one of the best in Nashville.