Chariots for Hire

Frustration! 

We are at a campground that has very poor wifi and virtually no Verizon.  I was able to do yesterday's blog thanks to Starbucks where we had stopped to download the pictures before we came home.  Tonight, I spent 2 hours trying to download pictures but instead, everything froze up.  We will go to a Starbucks tomorrow and then we will be back in business!

The only picture that downloaded  This was a bus that was parked at Chatham House in Fredericksburg.  I like the name.

Fredericksburg

Today was a travel day, but we travelled just a short drive down I-95 to Fredericksburg. After unhitching we drove to the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center in downtown Fredericksburg.  Within a radius of 17 miles, four horrendous battles were fought - Fredericksburg (December 11-13, 1862); Chancellorsville (April 27 - May 6, 1863); The Wilderness (May 5-6, 1864); and, Spotsylvania Court House (May 8-21, 1864). These sites make this the most contested ground in America and the bloodiest landscape on the continent. Located midway between the Confederate capital of Richmond and the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C., the Rapidan and Rappahannock rivers offered the Confederates opportunities for defense and posed a major obstacle to advancing Union armies. 

On December 11, 1862, Union troops bombarded Fredericksburg from the east, then crossed the river on pontoon bridges to confront Robert E. Lee's Confederates holding fortified high ground to the west of the city. On December 13, Ambrose E. Burnside's (Rhode Island connection) Union troops launched a two-pronged attack. On the south end of the line they achieved a brief-but-bloody breakthrough against Stonewall Jackson's corps at Prospect Hill. To the north, behind town, waves of Union attackers struggled against the powerful Confederate defenses on Marye's (pronounced Marie's)Heights and in the Sunken Road. The result was a resounding Confederate victory that left the fields around Fredericksburg blanketed with Union dead and wounded.

The battle dealt a painful blow to the Union war effort, discouraging Union soldiers and intensifying public debate about the war and the wisdom of emancipation. For the Confederates, the triumph helped establish both Lee and his army as the Confederacy's greatest hope for ultimate victory.  

Smiling, gentle Mike, a volunteer, who explained the four battle for us.

There is a walking tour of the area of heavy combat on the Sunken Road that culminated in the Fredericksburg National Cemetery.  

A view up Marye's Hill.

Ranger Becky was at the start of the walking tour.  She talked to us about Burnside's actions, deplorable, and Lee's generalship. She is a big fan of Stonewall Jackson and feels that he was the great military tactician, not Lee. She said that Lee suffered from heart problems that he hid from his troops and family. I'll have to read the new book about Lee.

Statue erected in memory of the heroism and humanity of Richard Kirkland , a Confederate soldier who crossed the Confederate lines to bring water to wounded Union soldiers on the field in front of the Sunken Road.

The Sunken Road at the base of Marye's Hill that provided natural fortifications for the Confederate troops.

A huge holly tree along the walk.

When the Civil War ended, the people of Fredericksburg set about the task of restoring shell -damaged buildings and war-torn lives. But the evidence of the war lingered on, in the trench-scarred hillsides and crude cemetery plots scattered haphazardly across the nearby battlefields. Thousands of soldiers who had died in battle lay under stark mounds of earth with little, if anything, to identify them. In April 1866, nine months after the war's end, Congress directed the Secretary of War to establish a system of national cemeteries for the burial of soldiers who had died in defense of the Union. At Fredericksburg, the Government constructed a cemetery on Marye's Heights, the formidable ridge that had defied repeated Union assaults during the Battle of Fredericksburg. 

Panoramic picture of a portion of the Fredericksburg National Cemetery. 

Among the last and nearly successful of the many charges made against Marye's Heights was that made by General Andrew A. Humphreys' Pennsylvania Division. Surging forward at dusk, Humphreys' men got within 100 yards of this ridge before being driven back by the fire of Confederate riflemen located in the Sunken Road below. In 1908 the State of Pennsylvania erected this monument to honor the more than one thousand soldiers of Humphreys' division who were casualties in that attack.

Tomorrow we plan on visiting the other three sites - Chancellorsville, The Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House.

Siege

Just south of Richmond is the City of Petersburg and before today I knew nothing of its history. In 1860, Petersburg was the second largest city in Virginia and the 11 largest in the South. It was a major economic and transportation center located on the Appomattox and James Rivers. Like Richmond, there were five railroads that emanated from the center of the city and it was the major supplier of materials to Lee's army and Richmond. It was an obvious target during the course of the war and by 1864 it was the center of the conflict in the East between Generals Lee and Grant. Grant saw Petersburg as the key to taking Richmond, the Capital of the Confederacy, and thus ending the War.

Petersburg's five railroad lines and key roadways made it an important target. If Grant's troops cut these transportation routes, Petersburg could no longer provide Richmond and Lee's army with much-needed supplies and equipment. Grant's forces arrived on the eastern edge of Petersburg in mid-June 1864. After several clashes, and a disastrous Union defeat at Cold Harbor, Grant abandoned plans to capture Richmond and concentrated his forces on Petersburg's eastern front.

In a nearly 10-month struggle - the longest siege on American soil - Grant's army gradually but relentlessly isolated Petersburg and cut Lee's supply lines from the south. The two armies dug elaborate defensive positions from which they fought - sometimes only yards apart. Throughout the siege, Petersburg's residents endured the danger of daily shelling and the pain of hunger as supplies slowed to a trickle.

In late 1864 and early 1865, a series of battles forced Lee to extend his thinly-manned lines for 37 miles in an arc below Petersburg. As he crept south and west, Grant gained possession of all the key rail lines except the South Side Railroad.

On April 1, 1865, Union General Sheridan smashed the Confederate forces under General George Pickett (yes, the same Pickett of "Pickett's Charge" at Gettysburg) during the Battle of Five Forks in what became know as "The Waterloo of the Confederacy."

On April 2, Grant ordered an all-out assault and Lee's right flank crumbled. On the night of April 2, Lee's army evacuated Petersburg by slipping north across the Appomattox River. That same night Jefferson Davis fled Richmond and one week later Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, 90 miles to the west of Petersburg.

This morning we visited Petersburg and our first stop was the Petersburg Visitors Center. To me, the Petersburg historic area is the most authentic appearing of any of the Civil War era places we have been.  The Visitors Center is housed in one of the oldest surviving bank buildings in the nation. The 1817 Farmers Bank has been restored and Isobel gave us a tour. She said that only men visited the bank and it was also used as a social gathering place for the men.  The "Cashier" who ran the bank was more of a bank president than what we think of by "cashier." He had living quarters above the bank, a separate kitchen building and garden and two slaves were provided by the bank for his convenience. The bank was allowed to print money as long as it held assets of comparable value, either in gold or commodities. We were not allowed to take pictures in this historic building, but when I asked Isobel if I could take her picture, she posed for me by the money printing press.

Isobel by the bank's money printing press.

From the outside, the bank, on the right, and the kitchen building in the center with the red roof, and the slave quarters in the brick building to the left.  

Historic train station about a block from the bank.  This site, and others in Petersburg, were used by Stephen Speilberg for the filming of the movie, "Lincoln."

Great old street, one of many, in the Petersburg historic district. Note the cobblestone streets which are difficult to walk and drive on.

A charming home just up the street from the train station.

Remains of warehouse buildings by the Appomattox River.

After leaving the bank and the Visitor's Center, we went to the Siege Museum to learn what life was like for civilians who lived through the 10-month Siege of Petersburg. Artifacts, photographs and a film, narrated by Joseph Cotten (famous actor from the 40s & 50s who was born and raised in Petersburg) showed the harsh conditions of this siege. 

No pictures allowed, but - Rhode Island connection - Vernon, the Museum interpreter, a tall, stately, African-American man, got his Master's degree at URI. He married a women from RI, but she was anxious to leave RI, so they moved to New York before relocating to Petersburg. 

Leaving Petersburg, we travelled the route that Lee and his troupes took after evacuating Petersburg. They travelled west and hoped to turn south to meet up with other troops in North Carolina, but Grant's forces in pursuit overtook them and on April 9, 1865, Lee surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House. It took us almost two hours to complete the drive.

To my surprise, Appomattox Court House is the name of a small community that was called that because the county courthouse was located in the village.  The National Historic Park Headquarters in located in the old courthouse, but the actual "surrender" took place in the McLean House, the finest house in the village. You can tour a number of buildings that are being resorted in the village, but we got there too late in the afternoon to do much more that visit the Park Headquarters, the book shop, and the McLean House.

The Tavern in the village.

Panorama view of a portion of the village.

Exterior of the McLean House.

Parlor where Lee andGrant met.

Master bedroom right across the hall from the parlor.

Children's bedroom up the stairs.  There were six children in the house at the time.

Lower level dining room.

Kitchen on the lower level, across the hall from the dining room.

McLean slave quarters on the left. Corner of the back of the McLean house (red brick). The building on the right with two chimneys is the kitchen.  McLean made his money in the commodities trading business.  He hoarded sugar and made money when it became scarce.

This year is the 150 anniversary of the beginning of the Siege of Petersburg.  We are actually two weeks early for the official beginning of the commemoration. 

Courtesies

Colonial Williamsburg is immense; maybe a little bit overwhelming. This was my first visit so I didn't really know what to expect. Since I am used to Old Sturbridge Village I thought Williamsburg would just be bigger.  I didn't realize that it would be 15xs bigger!

We arrived fairly early; got to park in the first row of parking lot A.  We purchased a single day ticket and opted to walk to the Historic Area instead of taking the shuttle. This way we were able to walk past Great Hope Plantation that operates on the outskirts of Colonial Williamsburg.

Fountain in front of the ticketing building.  Mary, the plaques on the wall record million dollar donors.  There was one plaque that recorded quite a few $20M donors; one for $10M donors; one for $5M donors; and, five filled with names of those who have given over $1 million.

Huge, blooming, magnolia tree along the walk-way.

Colonial chicken that lives at Great Hope Plantation.  I always like to take pictures of chickens I meet, reminds me of my childhood.

Walkway past the Plantation.  It was a lovely day.

Colonial overpass.

Our first stop was the Governor's Palace.  In Colonial Williamsburg, if it is morning, the focus is on the year 1775 and the lead-up to the Revolutionary War.  In the afternoon, the time period is during the War. At the Governor's Palace, our tour guide, Bill, told us all about Governor Murray, Fourth Earl of Dunmore, who lived as Governor, here in 1775.  He was disliked and not trusted by the residents of Virginia, but his wife was admired.

Front gates and entrance to Lord Dunmore's Governor's Palace.

Our tour guide, Bill.

The front hall of the Palace during Lord Dunmore's time.  The guns and swords are meant to impress the enemy or, as is said in "The Matrix" movie, "Guns, lots of guns."

He had two teen-aged daughters.  They had to share this room.

Ornate stove in the parlor.

Gardens behind the house.

Leaving the Governor's Palace we walked down the Palace Green toward the Duke of Gloucester Street. At the juncture we entered Geddy House for another tour.  The Geddys were middle class. The first generation were gunsmiths and had a foundry and the second generation were silversmiths and had their store adjacent to their home.

Carriage driving by along the Palace Green.

Vegetable and flower garden behind the Geddy house.

Colonial picnic table behind the Geddy House.

My favorite picture of the day - Frederick learning to show his "courtesies." For women it is easy, put your heels together, make a "V" with your feet, then, for two counts, bend your knees and say "Good Day". Men had to keep the front leg straight out in front, bend the back knee, doff their hats and not fall over.  Frederick was the best of any of the men who tried.

Fireplace with original dental work from the 1770s. This is one of the original houses in Williamsburg.

We then walked down the Duke of Gloucester Street towards the Capitol.

Market Square.  It looked like a Colonial flea Market.

The Magazine, right in the middle of town.

This interpreter is in the Courthouse.

Right next to the Courthouse were the pillories.  No one I know!

As we neared the Capitol building, there was a crowd of people gathering in the Capitol Circle, right in the front of the building. It was 1 p.m., a time for the reading of the Declaration of Independence. My favorite part, in addition to listening to the full reading (15 minutes) of this sacred document, was the reaction by the costumed interpreters.  At the appropriate parts they would shout out, "Tyranny!" or "Never!","For shame!", just as they would have reacted hearing it read for the first time on July 25, 1776. After the reading we entered the Capitol for another tour.

Reading the Declaration of Independence on the Capitol steps.

Citizen of Williamsburg listening and reacting to the reading.

Cupola atop the Capital with the Queen's Coat of Arms "Semper Eadem" - always the same, constant. 

Sitting in the House of Burgesses listening to the issues of the day presented by our guide, Edward.

Committee Room.

Edward discussing changes in the Virginia Charter to fit the newly independent state of Virginia.

The more ornate Council Chamber.

After all that work it was time for our lunch.  After lunch we drove the Colonial Parkway 10 miles to Historic Jamestown and Colonial National Historical Park - Jamestown.  

See if you can find the three turtles that were in the pond along side the footbridge to Old Towne.

Tercentenary Monument - that's 300 years!

Pocahontas statue.

Oh boy! Another fort!

Barracks inside the fort.

And, another cannon!

Wattle and daub to enclose the walls of the barracks.

John Smith statue.

Burial site of 30 colonists who died during the summer of 1608. These crosses mark the excavated sites.

Scale model of the fort at Jamestown.

Historic church tower that was first build in the 1670s.