Times of sunrise, sunset and twilight at McLemore Cove, Georgia; September 10,1863.
McLemore Cove Latitude = 34 degrees 47 minutes N. Lat.*
for August 15**
| Latitude | B.M.N.T. | RISE | SET | E.E.N.T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 4:20 | 5:19 | 6:49 | 7:48 |
| 30 | 4:32 | 5:27 | 6:42 | 7:37 |
for September 14
| Latitude | B.M.N.T. | RISE | SET | E.E.N.T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 4:46 | 5:41 | 6:10 | 7:05 |
| 30 | 4:51 | 5:42 | 6:08 | 7:00 |
for September 10***
| Latitude | B.M.N.T. | RISE | SET | E.E.N.T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 4:43 | 5:39 | 6:14 | 7:10 |
| 30 | 4:49 | 5:40 | 6:12 | 7:04 |
for September 10 at 34 degrees 47 minutes N. Lat.
| Latitude | B.M.N.T. | RISE | SET | E.E.N.T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34.47 | 4:44 | 5:39 | 6:14 | 7:09 |
B.M.N.T.; Beginning Morning Nautical Twilight
E.E.N.T.; End Evening Nautical Twilight
Nautical Twilight is the time before sunrise where troops can see objects at a range of 400 yards; well enough for active combat. (Boatner, p.821)
Our conclusion is that beginning at about a quarter ‘til 5am on Thursday, September 10, 1863 at McLemore Cove, Georgia; there would have been adequate visibility to conduct military movements. Also, that by a few minutes after 7:00pm it would have become so dark to significantly impede any subsequent actions by troops. Further, that sunrise was just after 5:30am and sunset was at about a quarter after 6pm. (note: all times are local times)
*Note: McLemore Cove is about 15 miles south of the Tennessee-Georgia state line. The state line runs along the 35-degree north latitude. At 35-degree north latitude, one degree of latitude is about 69 miles. One-minute of latitude is then about 1.15 miles. We take 15 miles divide by 1.15 mile per minute, which gives about 13.06 minutes. Take 13 minutes from 35-degrees gives 34d47m N. as the latitude for McLemore Cove.
** Boatner, Mark M.; Civil War Dictionary, The; 1959, David McKay Co. New York
*** All figures interpolated for September 10 is the work of the author.
M. Collie