Battle of Nashville's Peach Orchard Hill ... and peppers?

Sloping terrain near the crest of Peach Orchard Hill.

Are there Civil War relics in this ground?

Lifelong Nashvillian Jim Cooper, who used to be an avid relic hunter, examines the ground.

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I spent part of Thursday afternoon examining terrain in a neighborhood near the crest of steep Peach Orchard Hill, where regiments of U.S. Colored Troops fought courageously in their first battle of the war on Dec. 16, 1864 — the second day of the Battle of Nashville. Somewhere up here Confederates fought from behind their works.

Rick Allen briefly searched his property.

Now you must bring your imagination when you visit this site, located in a gated community. Sadly, all of Peach Orchard Hill — also known as Overton Hill — was developed for housing long ago. But if you can blot out the drone of nearby traffic, you can almost see men like former slave James Thomas of the 13th U.S.C.T. advancing up this slope.

Bonus from my visit: Gracious host Rick Allen introduced me to his uncle, Jim Cooper, a lifelong Nashvillian. He’s knows this battle. Back in the day, he found quite a few artifacts in Nashvile while relic hunting around the city, which looked before development exploded. Today's Nashville features a lot of find neighborhood restaurants ... and construction cranes.

(Double bonus: Rick gave me peppers from his garden. He warned me they are hot ... and for the record, I’d like to confirm his scouting report.)

Rick briefly brought out a borrowed metal detector to see what he could find in his yard. Nothing ... yet. Let’s keep history alive.

Warning: These peppers are HOT!

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