My first stop was Manassas.
Manassas Battlefield on Henry Hill.
Stonewall Jackson Statue at Manassas
The Stone Bridge at Manassas
Looking from Henry Hill to Matthew's Hill
Confederate Cemetery on Manassas BattlefieldFredericksburg, Virginia
Chatham Manor-Used as Union Burnside's Headquarters
The Stone Wall at Fredericksburg
Chancellorsville, Virginia
Catherine's Furnace-Jackson passed by this on his Flank attack march.
Looking from Hazel Grove to Fairview on the Chancellorsville Battlefield
Union Cannon Entrenchment at Fairview
Jackson was shot by his own men in this thicket of woods at Chancellorsville
Ellwood Home
Guinea Station where Stonewall Jackson died
Wilderness Battlefield
Saunder's Field--the beginning of the battle happened here.
Longstreet trench line at the Tapp Farm Field
As the Confederate Right was about to be overrun by Hancock's men, Hood's Texans appeared. Lee wanted to lead them against Hancock but they yelled, "Lee to the Rear! We won't go unless you go back." Lee did move to the rear. The Texans stopped Hancock's men.
Spotsylvania, Virginia
Confederate Earthworks at the salient.
Hancock's men came across this field when attacking the angle.
6th Corps Sedgwick monument where the General was killed.
Confederate Cemetery at Spotsylvania
Cold harbor Battlefield and earthworks
Malvern Hill Battlefield
Petersburg, Virginia
Rebuilt earthworks at Petersburg Battlefield
Fort Steadman at Petersburg: John Gordon made Lee's last full out offensive of the war by taking this fort, but Gordon could not hold it and had to retreat.
Tunnel entrance and crater at Petersburg Battlefield.
Pamplin Historic Park
At Pamplin Park
Site of first breakthrough on April 2nd, 1865 at Petersburg by Union Soldiers.
Appomattox Court House, Virginia
McClean House Where Lee surrendered to Grant
White House of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia
Jamestown, Virginia
The wall pieces represent where the fort stood 400 years ago.
Jamestown Church
John Smith and Pocahontas Statues
Jamestown Settlement
Ships at Jamestown Settlement
Susan Constance
Powatan Indian Village at Jamestown Settlement
James Fort
Monticello, Virginia
Thomas Jefferson's Home
Inside the home
The Kitchen
Mulberry Row at Monticello
Jefferson's Grave site.
July 8 Dad took me up to the airport at about 6 a.m. My flight left at ten to seven in the morning. I flew through Chicago and on to Richmond. I got into Richmond at about 4:30 p.m., got my rental car and drove directly to Williamsburg. I had decided to go to an evening program that night because everything around Fredericksburg closed at 5 p.m. every day. I got into Williamsburg and was very hungry. So, I stopped at a Cracker Barrel and had some dinner. From there, I continued to the Williamsburg Visitor's Center to get my ticket for the program. Tonight it was The Legends, Ghosts, Mysteries and Myths tour. I heard three stories. The first one was a Legend about Indian Ghosts in North Carolina by a lake that lets off fog. The second story was about a man named William Maher who was accused of killing a man outside of Williamsburg in the 17th Century. It turned out he didn't kill the man and the real killers were found. The third story was about the capture of Blackbeard the Pirate. I really enjoyed these stories. When the program was done at about 8 p.m. I left Williamsburg and drove the 1 1/2 hour drive to Fredericksburg. I got to Fredericksburg at a little before 10:30 p.m., went to my hotel and went to bed.
July 9 This morning I got up early, had breakfast at the hotel (it was free) and drove to Manassas. I got to the battlefield at about 9:30 a.m. and went straight to the Visitor's Center. They had a Ranger led tour of Henry Hill at 10:15, so first I went to the bookstore and got a driving tour CD of the battlefield. I then waited on Henry Hill for the tour.
The tour guide walked us a little ways around Henry Hill and told us about the high points of the battle of First Manassas. The tour lasted about forty-five minutes. I then took the self-guided walking tour of Henry Hill. This took me about 45 min. I saw where Jackson stood "like a stone wall," Jackson's cannon lines and also how First Manassas progressed. I really enjoyed walking there.
I then decided to take the auto tour of Second Manassas. I did stop at the railroad cut and walked from the cut to the main road and back. While on the trail, I saw a fox. That was very neat. It was already the early afternoon and I was worried about traffic leaving the D.C. area 30 miles north. I really wanted to take the walk to the deep cut, but the trail along the rest of the railroad cut had taken me almost 1 1/2 hours. I decided not to to take the deep cut trail. I must say that now I wish I had. Oh well. There's always next time (hopefully). After going along the railroad cut, I drove over to the stone house and went through it. There wasn't much in there. This is where General Pope had his headquarters at Second Manassas. Then I went over to the Stone Bridge and took a few pictures. From there I drove back out to I-95 and started back to Fredericksburg. This was a Friday, so the traffic was at a standstill going south. I even got on the freeway at about 3:45 p.m., but it was gridlock already. What would've normally taken me 45 minutes took me two hours to get back to Fredericksburg.
When I got back to Fredericksburg, I decided to drive to the downtown area. I stopped at the visitor's center to see what there was to offer. I picked up two pamphlets about the battle of Fredericksburg--the downtown fighting and the fighting at Mayre's Heights. I decided to take the downtown walk. I walked along the streets where the most fighting took place between Barksdale's Brigade and the Union Regiments. I also saw where the upper pontoon bridge was put out over the Rappahannock River. While I was walking I decided to stop for dinner. I stopped at a place called Sammy T's and had crab cakes. They were delicious.
When I was done downtown, I drove to the Fredericksburg Visitor's Center. It was already closed, which I knew it would be, but I wanted to see where it was. As I left and drove by the cemetery on Mayre's Heights, I noticed a group there with a ranger. I figured it was a private group and went ahead and went to the hotel. I found out the next day that it was a ranger tour of the cemetery. Next time I'll make sure to stop and ask what's going on. But, it was a fantastic day. I absolutely loved Manassas.
July 10 After getting cleaned up this morning and having breakfast, I drove to the Fredericksburg Visitor's Center. I paid for my admission and then drove across the Rappahannock to Stafford Heights and Chatham Manor. This is where Burnside had has headquarters during the Battle of Fredericksburg. Only the first floor was open. There was a small display in the house, but the view from Stafford Heights to Fredericksburg was worth going up there for. I went out the back of the house and saw where Hunt fired his cannons from during the battle.
When I was finished at Chatham, I drove back to the visitor's center on The Sunken Road. I took the Sunken Road tour. It was actually an intern that did the tour. He took us down the Sunken Road to the original section of the wall that is still standing. He also showed us the swell in the ground where the Union soldiers laid down to avoid being shot. I enjoyed the tour and it was worth seeing the wall, but unfortunately, there's not much to see there.
When I was done at Fredericksburg, I drove out to the Chancellorsville Visitor's Center. I knew that there wasn't a tour right then, but I did want to go out there and see what was at the Visitor's Center. I bought a few postcards and the driving tour of Chancellorsville, The Wilderness, and Spotsylvania. I then returned to Fredericksburg and took the Bloody Angle walking tour. I honestly think this was one of the best tours I had while I was in Virginia. The Ranger walked us along the salient and pointed out the earthworks and former traverses. I learned why Hancock's men were so successful in their attacks. Lee had pulled the cannons out. Also, there were two large dips in the ground in front of the Confederate earthworks. Therefore, when the Confederates fired, they shot over Hancock's men. The ranger pointed out the actual angle which I took a picture of. During the battle it was all mud because it had been raining so much. He also told us about the hand-to-hand fighting at the angle. I must say that it was like being at Pickett's Field on the High Water mark all over again. This is truly hallowed ground at the angle.
From Spotsylvania, I drove back to the Chancellorsville Visitor's Center and did the Jackson wounding tour. This was, like the Sunken Road, led by an intern. I did learn that Jackson had gotten between his own pickets and union cavalry and that's why the North Carolina Confederates shot at him: they mistook his group for Union Cavalry because there had been Union Cavalry in the area earlier. I was a little disappointed that the intern did not take us walking more, but I did enjoy hearing about the circumstances surrounding Jackson's wounding.
When I was done with this tour, I did the auto tour of Chancellorsville. I especially enjoyed driving the route of Jackson's flank attack trail past Catherine's Furnace over to the Orange Turnpike. I also saw the ruins for the Chancellor House where Hooker was shelled, Hazel Grove & Fairview. It was incredible to see the cannon pits that were still intact at Fairview. I felt like the auto tour of Chancellorsville was fantastic. I read after I got back to Utah that the park had actually opened up the area where Jackson started his attack against Howard's XI Corps. Oh well, next time I guess.
When I was done, I did the driving tour of the Wilderness Battlefield. It took me from Saunder's Field to the Widow Tapp Farm. I wanted to get out and walk, but it was getting late. I decided I'd come back to The Wilderness Battlefield on the 11th. However, I did stop and walk over Ewell's earthworks at Saunder's Field, and then stopped at the Texas Brigade Monument on the Tapp Field where the "Lee to the Rear" incident occurred. I decided I'd come back to the Tapp Field also on the 11th. From teh Wilderness Battlefield, I drove to Spotsylvania and did the Auto tour there. I did stop at Sedgwick's Monument where Gen. Sedgwick of the VI Corps was killed. I also stopped at the reconstructed earthworks on the south end of the battlefield. I thought about getting out again at the Bloody Angle and walking the route that Hancock's men took when attacking the angle, but it was getting dark already. I did stop at the Confederate Cemetery at Spotsylvania on my way back to Fredericksburg. I stopped to have some dinner at about 8 p.m. and then went back to the hotel and went to bed.
July 11 After getting cleaned up, packing my bag and having breakfast, since it was Sunday, I went to Sacrament Meeting in Fredericksburg first thing in the morning at 9 a.m. The chapel on the East end of the Rappahannock, so I had a little of a hard time finding it, but I did get there in time. When I was done, I went to the Wilderness Battlefield for the Ranger Tour. I really enjoed this tour. She took us out on Saunder's Field and told us about the opening phases of the battle and also took us on the route the 140 NY took in attacking Ewell's earthworks. They were the same group that was on Little Round Top at Gettysburg. Basically, they didn't know where Ewell's earthworks were and were going in blind. They were hit by enfilading fire and were trapped on Saunder's Field. They eventually made it to the other side of the field, but not before suffering massive casualties.
When I was done with the tour, I drove over to the Tapp Farm Field. I had thought about taking the Gordon Flank Attack Trail, but ended up not doing it. I don't know why. Oh well--another next time item to do. I did walk though on the Tapp Farm Field and took the thirty minute walk there which I really enjoyed. When I was done there, I decided to head to Richmond. In some senses I regret this because, as I said, I would've liked to have seen the Cemetery on Mayre's Heights as well as the Gordon Flank Attack Trail at the Wilderness Battlefield, but I had other things on my mind at the time. When I finished on the Tapp Field, it was about 2:30 p.m. I wanted to see the White House of the Confederacy where Jefferson Davis's family lived during the war. When I got to Richmond, I first went to the Civil War Visitor's Center at the Tredegar Iron works. This is where cannons were made during the war. I did find out there that Ranger Tours were offered daily at Gaines Mill and Cold Harbor. I was very excited about this. I then drove to the White House of the Confederacy. I got there at 4 p.m. The place closed a 5 p.m. so I had to choose the White House or the museum of the Confederacy. I chose the White House of the Confederacy. It was a very beautiful building. There was some original furniture in the building. Some other interesting items were: Gen. Johnston's gloves, vases from China (China was one of the few countries that recognized the Confederate Government), and a desk and chairs where Lee, Davis, and Jackson sat during a meeting.
When I was done at the White House of the Confederacy, I drove to my hotel. I got some dinner next door and took it back to the hotel to eat it.
July 12 Today I got up early, got cleaned up and had some breakfast so I could be at Monticello, Jefferson's home, by 9 a.m. The drive from Richmond to Charlottesville was over an hour. When I got to Monticello, I immediately took the house tour. I actually had to take a bus from the ticket area to the home, because it's on the top of not what I'd call a hill, but rather closer to a small scaled-down mountain. I was impressed in the home with what a scientific thinker Jefferson was. The home was very beautiful. All the prep work and house items were taken care of directly underneath the home. When I was done with the house tour, I went to the gift shop and bought some postcards. Then, I took a tour of "Slave Life of Mulberry Row" at Monticello. The guide told us about the work that was done on Mulberry Row and also talked about how slaves lived at Monticello. She did talk about Sally Hemmings which I was quite surprised about. I figured it was taboo to talk about her at Monticello, but I was wrong. When I was done with the hour long tour I took some pictures of the home and then walked down to Jefferson's grave site. I took a few pictures there and then continued the walk down to my car. I enjoyed seeing Monticello, but there's not a whole lot to see there. I was done by 12 p.m.
I figured out on my map how to get from Monticello to Appomattox, so that's where I drove to next. I took back roads there and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. It took about two hours to drive there. I got to the Visitor's Center at about 3 p.m. Appomattox is like a small living history museum. I noticed first off in the Visitor's Center that they had two living history programs that afternoon while I was there. The first one would be a man portraying a Confederate Soldier who was at Appomattox for the surrender and actually lived there with his family. This man talked about fighting at Appomattox Station and then being there when the surrender took place. He explained that this was not where the country "came back together" but rather where the Confederate Army was forced to put down their guns. This Confederate did not want to surrender. As you can see I really enjoyed this program. I also thought it was interesting that he called Robert E. Lee Mister Robert.
After the program I walked around the park and also over to the McLean House. I actually stood in the room where Lee surrendered to Grant. That was quite incredible. After this I went to the visitor's center and bought some postcards. It was then time for the next Living History program. This was at the same place. This time it was a man portraying a Union Soldier who witnessed what happened at Appomattox. This soldier had been a part of Butler's Army of The James before hooking up with Grant at Petersburg. I thought it was interesting that it rained while I was at these two programs, but not while I was out walking. I must say that I was very glad I got to go to Appomattox. I had a two hour drive ahead of me when I was done with the program at 5 p.m. so I started heading back to Richmond. I got to Richmond after 7:30 p.m. because the traffic was heavy around the downtown area. I had dinner that was two minutes from m hotel and then went to my hotel after 8:30 p.m.
July 13 Today I decided to go to Petersburg. First I drove to a place called Pamplin Park outside of Petersburg. This was supposed to be a Civil War Park. I felt it was O.K. but overpriced. The earthworks there were probably the most well preserved I had seen on my trip up to that point. When I got there, I first went to a gun loading demonstration. The demonstrator had an Enfield Rifle and showed us how to load and fire it. After this I took a guided tour of what the park calls as the breakthrough trail. This is where the first Union breakthrough occurred on April 2, 1864 against Lee's soldiers. Of course on that day is when Lee was forced to abandon Petersburg. Then, there was a cannon firing demonstration which I attended. At both the cannon firing and gun firing demonstrations, real gunpowder was used, so I got an idea of how loud these weapons can be. The demonstrators showed us how the cannon is loaded and then fired it. From there I went to the museum at Pamplin Park. This was interesting. You got to choose a soldier and hear about what they went through during the war inside the museum. I chose a man from the Texas Brigade, since they're one of the groups I find most intriguing during the war. The museum also had artifacts and covered all aspects of Civil War life and battles. I enjoyed this place, but I would not go back. I felt like it was a little too overpriced.
From the park, I drove to the Petersburg National Battlefield. I bought a driving tour CD and a few postcards. In the process, I found out that there was a ranger tour offered at four p.m. It was now about 2 p.m. I decided to take the first half of the audio tour and come back for the Ranger Tour. I stopped at Fort Steadman where Gordon made Lee's last full offensive of the war. I started taking the trail Gordon took, but discovered that the trail was blocked off because eagles were nesting in the area. I then drove to the Crater area of the battlefield. I couldn't find the Crater and actually thought a depression in the ground was the Crater. I was very glad I went back with the ranger later on because she showed us where the Crater actually was. When I was done at the Crater, I went back to the Petersburg Visitor's Center for the Ranger Tour. It was a "drive through the battlefield" tour. We stopped at certain areas. I really enjoyed the presentations at Fort Steadman and the Crater both. The tour took about 2 1/2 hours. I thought it was also very cool that they had reconstructed a trench area to show what it would've looked like during the Petersburg siege. After I was done with the Ranger tour I decided to continue the audio tour out to Five Forks. Unfortunately, I got lost and it was pouring rain. I managed to make my way to the freeway, but there was a gas leak on the freeway ahead of me. It took over 1 1/2 hours roughly to get back to Richmond. I stopped for dinner and then went back to the hotel and went to bed.
July 14 I think today was one of the hottest and most humid days I have ever experienced in my life. The heat was overwhelming. Nevertheless, I headed to Jamestown. When I got to Jamestown Island, I noticed that there was a living history program that would be starting shortly. A lady portraying a Mrs. Pierce told about what life was like at the Jamestown Settlement during the first half of the 17th Century. I never knew that the Jamestown Settlement was actually built on a swamp. Because of this, when the English first moved there, there was a lot of disease and sickness among the settlers. After this program, there was a tour given by an intern of the original fort site. He also told us about the roles that John Smith and Pocahontas in the Settlement. After this, I took some pictures and then headed for the Jamestown Settlement. This is like a them park. I saw the Indian Village, went on two of the ships and walked through the Fort. I did see at the Indian Village how they made cake-like bread on a hot stone which was interesting. I also enjoyed seeing the blacksmith at the Fort. It was so hot though that after watching the blacksmith, I headed back to the Settlement's Visitor's Center. I had some lunh there and then headed for Williamsburg.
When I got to Williamsburg, I noticed that there would be a program with "Thomas Jefferson" at 3 p.m. I thought this would be a perfect way to get out of the heat, so I got a ticket (it was free). Then I went to the Dewitt Wallace Museum. I thought it would be better than it actually was. Oh well. I then went to the Kimball Theater for the Thomas Jefferson program. It was a guy portraying Jefferson. I really enjoyed the program. He also answered questions after talking about his presidency. The program went for over an hour. Afterwards, I took the bus over to the Capitol stop and went through the gaol (jail). They were essentially single square rooms with a hole in one end to use the restroom. It was very interesting. When I was done, I had reservations at Christina Campbell's Tavern in Williamsburg for dinner. You guessed it--I had crab cakes. I was stuffed when I left. I then took the bus to the Magazine for my evening program I had scheduled. This was called In Defense of Our Liberty. We were trained like Continental Army Soldiers (How to move in line, how to march and different maneuvers infantry made during the Revolutionary War). I really enjoyed this program. When it was done at 8:30 p.m. I drove back to Richmond and went to bed.
July 15th Today was my last full day in Virginia and it was fantastic! I wanted to see the battlefields around Richmond, especially Cold Harbor. I started out by going to Fort Harrison. This was a fort that was taken by the Union in 1864 that had been part of Richmond's defenses. I took a walk around the fort and did the self-guided tour there. I was really impressed with how well preserved the fort is. This took me about thirty minutes.
From Fort Harrison, I drove to the Gaines Mill Battlefield. This is part of the 1862 Peninsular Campaign of McClellan. This battle involved Porter's V Corps and Hill's Division of Jackson's Corps. I had a personal tour of this battlefield by the ranger there since no one else showed up. We walked down the hill to where Porter's men were and walked back up the same way following in John Bell Hood's Texas Brigade's footsteps as they attacked Porter's men. Since Porter's men were running low on ammunition, their line broke and Hood's men stormed over the hill up to the Watt House. I learned from the ranger how important this battle was. Lee only had six inch Napoleons before the battle, but he captured some twelve inch ones at this battle and Tredegar subsequently was able to recreate them for Lee's army. The battle was also a Confederate Victory. Since this was McClellan's right flank, he was forced to fall back (or so he thought). Honestly, this was one of the highlights of my trip--having a personal tour of the battlefield. I learned so much as well. I really did not know the ins and outs of the Seven Days Battles at all before this tour.
After the tour I had some lunch. When I was done, I drove to the Cold Harbor Battlefield for the 1 p.m. tour. I could not believe it! There I also got a personal tour. No one else was there for the tour. The ranger took me on the hour long looping trail and explained the fighting that led up to the Union charge and slaughter on June 3, 1864 that Grant had ordered. The earthworks at the battlefield are in excellent condition. I really enjoyed this tour as well.
From Cold Harbor, I drove down to Malvern Hill. I guess I expected something more than what I saw. Malvern Hill is the site of the last battle from the Seven Days Battles. As you can see from the picture I took, it is a field. At the end of the field are cannons that were manned by Union artillery soldiers. Basically, the Union guns destroyed the charging Confederate infantrymen. There was no tour at Malvern Hill. I left Malvern Hill and drove once again down to Williamsburg for Cry Witch, the evening program I had bought a ticket for. Before going to the Colonial area, I stopped to have some dinner.
Cry Witch was great! It was a recreation in the Capitol of a Witch trial that was held in Williamsburg during the 17th Century. The ticket holders actually got to vote at the end whether she was guilty or innocent of being a witch. I voted innocent, but most everyone else voted guilty. I really enjoyed this program. I then drove back to my hotel in Richmond and went to bed.
July 16 This morning I was wrestling between going to Hollywood Cemetery for a tour or returning to Willamsburg for the "Other Half Tour" about slave life there. I returned to Williamsburg and took the 10 a.m. tour. It was O.K. but I definitely should have gone to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond--another oh well. I left Williamsburg before the tour ended and headed back to the Richmond airport to catch my flight home. Jut a few thoughts about my flight and then I'll finish u. I flew United through Chicago. This was a mistake. We ended up flying over Lake Michigan for an hour so my flight was late getting into Chicago. There was a big storm going through there. It turned out that my flight from Chicago to home was cancelled. I was put on a later flight, but I managed to get a standby ticket on a flight that left 30 minutes earlier than the one I was put on. I ended up getting home five hours late. I am going to try not to fly through Chicago again unless I absoluetely have to.
This was an incredible vacation for me. I saw and did so much. I saw battlefield that I had read about and dreamed about seeing. If you love learning about The Civil War like me, this would the vacation for you. I can't wait to go back to see and do the things I missed.
Catherine's Furnace-Jackson passed by this on his Flank attack march.
Looking from Hazel Grove to Fairview on the Chancellorsville Battlefield
Union Cannon Entrenchment at Fairview
Jackson was shot by his own men in this thicket of woods at Chancellorsville
Ellwood Home
Guinea Station where Stonewall Jackson diedWilderness Battlefield
Saunder's Field--the beginning of the battle happened here.
Longstreet trench line at the Tapp Farm Field
As the Confederate Right was about to be overrun by Hancock's men, Hood's Texans appeared. Lee wanted to lead them against Hancock but they yelled, "Lee to the Rear! We won't go unless you go back." Lee did move to the rear. The Texans stopped Hancock's men.Spotsylvania, Virginia
Confederate Earthworks at the salient.
Hancock's men came across this field when attacking the angle.
6th Corps Sedgwick monument where the General was killed.
Confederate Cemetery at Spotsylvania
Cold harbor Battlefield and earthworks
Malvern Hill BattlefieldPetersburg, Virginia
Rebuilt earthworks at Petersburg Battlefield
Fort Steadman at Petersburg: John Gordon made Lee's last full out offensive of the war by taking this fort, but Gordon could not hold it and had to retreat.
Tunnel entrance and crater at Petersburg Battlefield.Pamplin Historic Park
At Pamplin Park
Site of first breakthrough on April 2nd, 1865 at Petersburg by Union Soldiers.Appomattox Court House, Virginia
McClean House Where Lee surrendered to Grant
White House of the Confederacy in Richmond, VirginiaJamestown, Virginia
The wall pieces represent where the fort stood 400 years ago.
Jamestown Church
John Smith and Pocahontas StatuesJamestown Settlement
Ships at Jamestown Settlement
Susan Constance
Powatan Indian Village at Jamestown Settlement
James FortMonticello, Virginia
Thomas Jefferson's Home
Inside the home
The Kitchen
Mulberry Row at Monticello
Jefferson's Grave site.July 8 Dad took me up to the airport at about 6 a.m. My flight left at ten to seven in the morning. I flew through Chicago and on to Richmond. I got into Richmond at about 4:30 p.m., got my rental car and drove directly to Williamsburg. I had decided to go to an evening program that night because everything around Fredericksburg closed at 5 p.m. every day. I got into Williamsburg and was very hungry. So, I stopped at a Cracker Barrel and had some dinner. From there, I continued to the Williamsburg Visitor's Center to get my ticket for the program. Tonight it was The Legends, Ghosts, Mysteries and Myths tour. I heard three stories. The first one was a Legend about Indian Ghosts in North Carolina by a lake that lets off fog. The second story was about a man named William Maher who was accused of killing a man outside of Williamsburg in the 17th Century. It turned out he didn't kill the man and the real killers were found. The third story was about the capture of Blackbeard the Pirate. I really enjoyed these stories. When the program was done at about 8 p.m. I left Williamsburg and drove the 1 1/2 hour drive to Fredericksburg. I got to Fredericksburg at a little before 10:30 p.m., went to my hotel and went to bed.
July 9 This morning I got up early, had breakfast at the hotel (it was free) and drove to Manassas. I got to the battlefield at about 9:30 a.m. and went straight to the Visitor's Center. They had a Ranger led tour of Henry Hill at 10:15, so first I went to the bookstore and got a driving tour CD of the battlefield. I then waited on Henry Hill for the tour.
The tour guide walked us a little ways around Henry Hill and told us about the high points of the battle of First Manassas. The tour lasted about forty-five minutes. I then took the self-guided walking tour of Henry Hill. This took me about 45 min. I saw where Jackson stood "like a stone wall," Jackson's cannon lines and also how First Manassas progressed. I really enjoyed walking there.
I then decided to take the auto tour of Second Manassas. I did stop at the railroad cut and walked from the cut to the main road and back. While on the trail, I saw a fox. That was very neat. It was already the early afternoon and I was worried about traffic leaving the D.C. area 30 miles north. I really wanted to take the walk to the deep cut, but the trail along the rest of the railroad cut had taken me almost 1 1/2 hours. I decided not to to take the deep cut trail. I must say that now I wish I had. Oh well. There's always next time (hopefully). After going along the railroad cut, I drove over to the stone house and went through it. There wasn't much in there. This is where General Pope had his headquarters at Second Manassas. Then I went over to the Stone Bridge and took a few pictures. From there I drove back out to I-95 and started back to Fredericksburg. This was a Friday, so the traffic was at a standstill going south. I even got on the freeway at about 3:45 p.m., but it was gridlock already. What would've normally taken me 45 minutes took me two hours to get back to Fredericksburg.
When I got back to Fredericksburg, I decided to drive to the downtown area. I stopped at the visitor's center to see what there was to offer. I picked up two pamphlets about the battle of Fredericksburg--the downtown fighting and the fighting at Mayre's Heights. I decided to take the downtown walk. I walked along the streets where the most fighting took place between Barksdale's Brigade and the Union Regiments. I also saw where the upper pontoon bridge was put out over the Rappahannock River. While I was walking I decided to stop for dinner. I stopped at a place called Sammy T's and had crab cakes. They were delicious.
When I was done downtown, I drove to the Fredericksburg Visitor's Center. It was already closed, which I knew it would be, but I wanted to see where it was. As I left and drove by the cemetery on Mayre's Heights, I noticed a group there with a ranger. I figured it was a private group and went ahead and went to the hotel. I found out the next day that it was a ranger tour of the cemetery. Next time I'll make sure to stop and ask what's going on. But, it was a fantastic day. I absolutely loved Manassas.
July 10 After getting cleaned up this morning and having breakfast, I drove to the Fredericksburg Visitor's Center. I paid for my admission and then drove across the Rappahannock to Stafford Heights and Chatham Manor. This is where Burnside had has headquarters during the Battle of Fredericksburg. Only the first floor was open. There was a small display in the house, but the view from Stafford Heights to Fredericksburg was worth going up there for. I went out the back of the house and saw where Hunt fired his cannons from during the battle.
When I was finished at Chatham, I drove back to the visitor's center on The Sunken Road. I took the Sunken Road tour. It was actually an intern that did the tour. He took us down the Sunken Road to the original section of the wall that is still standing. He also showed us the swell in the ground where the Union soldiers laid down to avoid being shot. I enjoyed the tour and it was worth seeing the wall, but unfortunately, there's not much to see there.
When I was done at Fredericksburg, I drove out to the Chancellorsville Visitor's Center. I knew that there wasn't a tour right then, but I did want to go out there and see what was at the Visitor's Center. I bought a few postcards and the driving tour of Chancellorsville, The Wilderness, and Spotsylvania. I then returned to Fredericksburg and took the Bloody Angle walking tour. I honestly think this was one of the best tours I had while I was in Virginia. The Ranger walked us along the salient and pointed out the earthworks and former traverses. I learned why Hancock's men were so successful in their attacks. Lee had pulled the cannons out. Also, there were two large dips in the ground in front of the Confederate earthworks. Therefore, when the Confederates fired, they shot over Hancock's men. The ranger pointed out the actual angle which I took a picture of. During the battle it was all mud because it had been raining so much. He also told us about the hand-to-hand fighting at the angle. I must say that it was like being at Pickett's Field on the High Water mark all over again. This is truly hallowed ground at the angle.
From Spotsylvania, I drove back to the Chancellorsville Visitor's Center and did the Jackson wounding tour. This was, like the Sunken Road, led by an intern. I did learn that Jackson had gotten between his own pickets and union cavalry and that's why the North Carolina Confederates shot at him: they mistook his group for Union Cavalry because there had been Union Cavalry in the area earlier. I was a little disappointed that the intern did not take us walking more, but I did enjoy hearing about the circumstances surrounding Jackson's wounding.
When I was done with this tour, I did the auto tour of Chancellorsville. I especially enjoyed driving the route of Jackson's flank attack trail past Catherine's Furnace over to the Orange Turnpike. I also saw the ruins for the Chancellor House where Hooker was shelled, Hazel Grove & Fairview. It was incredible to see the cannon pits that were still intact at Fairview. I felt like the auto tour of Chancellorsville was fantastic. I read after I got back to Utah that the park had actually opened up the area where Jackson started his attack against Howard's XI Corps. Oh well, next time I guess.
When I was done, I did the driving tour of the Wilderness Battlefield. It took me from Saunder's Field to the Widow Tapp Farm. I wanted to get out and walk, but it was getting late. I decided I'd come back to The Wilderness Battlefield on the 11th. However, I did stop and walk over Ewell's earthworks at Saunder's Field, and then stopped at the Texas Brigade Monument on the Tapp Field where the "Lee to the Rear" incident occurred. I decided I'd come back to the Tapp Field also on the 11th. From teh Wilderness Battlefield, I drove to Spotsylvania and did the Auto tour there. I did stop at Sedgwick's Monument where Gen. Sedgwick of the VI Corps was killed. I also stopped at the reconstructed earthworks on the south end of the battlefield. I thought about getting out again at the Bloody Angle and walking the route that Hancock's men took when attacking the angle, but it was getting dark already. I did stop at the Confederate Cemetery at Spotsylvania on my way back to Fredericksburg. I stopped to have some dinner at about 8 p.m. and then went back to the hotel and went to bed.
July 11 After getting cleaned up, packing my bag and having breakfast, since it was Sunday, I went to Sacrament Meeting in Fredericksburg first thing in the morning at 9 a.m. The chapel on the East end of the Rappahannock, so I had a little of a hard time finding it, but I did get there in time. When I was done, I went to the Wilderness Battlefield for the Ranger Tour. I really enjoed this tour. She took us out on Saunder's Field and told us about the opening phases of the battle and also took us on the route the 140 NY took in attacking Ewell's earthworks. They were the same group that was on Little Round Top at Gettysburg. Basically, they didn't know where Ewell's earthworks were and were going in blind. They were hit by enfilading fire and were trapped on Saunder's Field. They eventually made it to the other side of the field, but not before suffering massive casualties.
When I was done with the tour, I drove over to the Tapp Farm Field. I had thought about taking the Gordon Flank Attack Trail, but ended up not doing it. I don't know why. Oh well--another next time item to do. I did walk though on the Tapp Farm Field and took the thirty minute walk there which I really enjoyed. When I was done there, I decided to head to Richmond. In some senses I regret this because, as I said, I would've liked to have seen the Cemetery on Mayre's Heights as well as the Gordon Flank Attack Trail at the Wilderness Battlefield, but I had other things on my mind at the time. When I finished on the Tapp Field, it was about 2:30 p.m. I wanted to see the White House of the Confederacy where Jefferson Davis's family lived during the war. When I got to Richmond, I first went to the Civil War Visitor's Center at the Tredegar Iron works. This is where cannons were made during the war. I did find out there that Ranger Tours were offered daily at Gaines Mill and Cold Harbor. I was very excited about this. I then drove to the White House of the Confederacy. I got there at 4 p.m. The place closed a 5 p.m. so I had to choose the White House or the museum of the Confederacy. I chose the White House of the Confederacy. It was a very beautiful building. There was some original furniture in the building. Some other interesting items were: Gen. Johnston's gloves, vases from China (China was one of the few countries that recognized the Confederate Government), and a desk and chairs where Lee, Davis, and Jackson sat during a meeting.
When I was done at the White House of the Confederacy, I drove to my hotel. I got some dinner next door and took it back to the hotel to eat it.
July 12 Today I got up early, got cleaned up and had some breakfast so I could be at Monticello, Jefferson's home, by 9 a.m. The drive from Richmond to Charlottesville was over an hour. When I got to Monticello, I immediately took the house tour. I actually had to take a bus from the ticket area to the home, because it's on the top of not what I'd call a hill, but rather closer to a small scaled-down mountain. I was impressed in the home with what a scientific thinker Jefferson was. The home was very beautiful. All the prep work and house items were taken care of directly underneath the home. When I was done with the house tour, I went to the gift shop and bought some postcards. Then, I took a tour of "Slave Life of Mulberry Row" at Monticello. The guide told us about the work that was done on Mulberry Row and also talked about how slaves lived at Monticello. She did talk about Sally Hemmings which I was quite surprised about. I figured it was taboo to talk about her at Monticello, but I was wrong. When I was done with the hour long tour I took some pictures of the home and then walked down to Jefferson's grave site. I took a few pictures there and then continued the walk down to my car. I enjoyed seeing Monticello, but there's not a whole lot to see there. I was done by 12 p.m.
I figured out on my map how to get from Monticello to Appomattox, so that's where I drove to next. I took back roads there and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. It took about two hours to drive there. I got to the Visitor's Center at about 3 p.m. Appomattox is like a small living history museum. I noticed first off in the Visitor's Center that they had two living history programs that afternoon while I was there. The first one would be a man portraying a Confederate Soldier who was at Appomattox for the surrender and actually lived there with his family. This man talked about fighting at Appomattox Station and then being there when the surrender took place. He explained that this was not where the country "came back together" but rather where the Confederate Army was forced to put down their guns. This Confederate did not want to surrender. As you can see I really enjoyed this program. I also thought it was interesting that he called Robert E. Lee Mister Robert.
After the program I walked around the park and also over to the McLean House. I actually stood in the room where Lee surrendered to Grant. That was quite incredible. After this I went to the visitor's center and bought some postcards. It was then time for the next Living History program. This was at the same place. This time it was a man portraying a Union Soldier who witnessed what happened at Appomattox. This soldier had been a part of Butler's Army of The James before hooking up with Grant at Petersburg. I thought it was interesting that it rained while I was at these two programs, but not while I was out walking. I must say that I was very glad I got to go to Appomattox. I had a two hour drive ahead of me when I was done with the program at 5 p.m. so I started heading back to Richmond. I got to Richmond after 7:30 p.m. because the traffic was heavy around the downtown area. I had dinner that was two minutes from m hotel and then went to my hotel after 8:30 p.m.
July 13 Today I decided to go to Petersburg. First I drove to a place called Pamplin Park outside of Petersburg. This was supposed to be a Civil War Park. I felt it was O.K. but overpriced. The earthworks there were probably the most well preserved I had seen on my trip up to that point. When I got there, I first went to a gun loading demonstration. The demonstrator had an Enfield Rifle and showed us how to load and fire it. After this I took a guided tour of what the park calls as the breakthrough trail. This is where the first Union breakthrough occurred on April 2, 1864 against Lee's soldiers. Of course on that day is when Lee was forced to abandon Petersburg. Then, there was a cannon firing demonstration which I attended. At both the cannon firing and gun firing demonstrations, real gunpowder was used, so I got an idea of how loud these weapons can be. The demonstrators showed us how the cannon is loaded and then fired it. From there I went to the museum at Pamplin Park. This was interesting. You got to choose a soldier and hear about what they went through during the war inside the museum. I chose a man from the Texas Brigade, since they're one of the groups I find most intriguing during the war. The museum also had artifacts and covered all aspects of Civil War life and battles. I enjoyed this place, but I would not go back. I felt like it was a little too overpriced.
From the park, I drove to the Petersburg National Battlefield. I bought a driving tour CD and a few postcards. In the process, I found out that there was a ranger tour offered at four p.m. It was now about 2 p.m. I decided to take the first half of the audio tour and come back for the Ranger Tour. I stopped at Fort Steadman where Gordon made Lee's last full offensive of the war. I started taking the trail Gordon took, but discovered that the trail was blocked off because eagles were nesting in the area. I then drove to the Crater area of the battlefield. I couldn't find the Crater and actually thought a depression in the ground was the Crater. I was very glad I went back with the ranger later on because she showed us where the Crater actually was. When I was done at the Crater, I went back to the Petersburg Visitor's Center for the Ranger Tour. It was a "drive through the battlefield" tour. We stopped at certain areas. I really enjoyed the presentations at Fort Steadman and the Crater both. The tour took about 2 1/2 hours. I thought it was also very cool that they had reconstructed a trench area to show what it would've looked like during the Petersburg siege. After I was done with the Ranger tour I decided to continue the audio tour out to Five Forks. Unfortunately, I got lost and it was pouring rain. I managed to make my way to the freeway, but there was a gas leak on the freeway ahead of me. It took over 1 1/2 hours roughly to get back to Richmond. I stopped for dinner and then went back to the hotel and went to bed.
July 14 I think today was one of the hottest and most humid days I have ever experienced in my life. The heat was overwhelming. Nevertheless, I headed to Jamestown. When I got to Jamestown Island, I noticed that there was a living history program that would be starting shortly. A lady portraying a Mrs. Pierce told about what life was like at the Jamestown Settlement during the first half of the 17th Century. I never knew that the Jamestown Settlement was actually built on a swamp. Because of this, when the English first moved there, there was a lot of disease and sickness among the settlers. After this program, there was a tour given by an intern of the original fort site. He also told us about the roles that John Smith and Pocahontas in the Settlement. After this, I took some pictures and then headed for the Jamestown Settlement. This is like a them park. I saw the Indian Village, went on two of the ships and walked through the Fort. I did see at the Indian Village how they made cake-like bread on a hot stone which was interesting. I also enjoyed seeing the blacksmith at the Fort. It was so hot though that after watching the blacksmith, I headed back to the Settlement's Visitor's Center. I had some lunh there and then headed for Williamsburg.
When I got to Williamsburg, I noticed that there would be a program with "Thomas Jefferson" at 3 p.m. I thought this would be a perfect way to get out of the heat, so I got a ticket (it was free). Then I went to the Dewitt Wallace Museum. I thought it would be better than it actually was. Oh well. I then went to the Kimball Theater for the Thomas Jefferson program. It was a guy portraying Jefferson. I really enjoyed the program. He also answered questions after talking about his presidency. The program went for over an hour. Afterwards, I took the bus over to the Capitol stop and went through the gaol (jail). They were essentially single square rooms with a hole in one end to use the restroom. It was very interesting. When I was done, I had reservations at Christina Campbell's Tavern in Williamsburg for dinner. You guessed it--I had crab cakes. I was stuffed when I left. I then took the bus to the Magazine for my evening program I had scheduled. This was called In Defense of Our Liberty. We were trained like Continental Army Soldiers (How to move in line, how to march and different maneuvers infantry made during the Revolutionary War). I really enjoyed this program. When it was done at 8:30 p.m. I drove back to Richmond and went to bed.
July 15th Today was my last full day in Virginia and it was fantastic! I wanted to see the battlefields around Richmond, especially Cold Harbor. I started out by going to Fort Harrison. This was a fort that was taken by the Union in 1864 that had been part of Richmond's defenses. I took a walk around the fort and did the self-guided tour there. I was really impressed with how well preserved the fort is. This took me about thirty minutes.
From Fort Harrison, I drove to the Gaines Mill Battlefield. This is part of the 1862 Peninsular Campaign of McClellan. This battle involved Porter's V Corps and Hill's Division of Jackson's Corps. I had a personal tour of this battlefield by the ranger there since no one else showed up. We walked down the hill to where Porter's men were and walked back up the same way following in John Bell Hood's Texas Brigade's footsteps as they attacked Porter's men. Since Porter's men were running low on ammunition, their line broke and Hood's men stormed over the hill up to the Watt House. I learned from the ranger how important this battle was. Lee only had six inch Napoleons before the battle, but he captured some twelve inch ones at this battle and Tredegar subsequently was able to recreate them for Lee's army. The battle was also a Confederate Victory. Since this was McClellan's right flank, he was forced to fall back (or so he thought). Honestly, this was one of the highlights of my trip--having a personal tour of the battlefield. I learned so much as well. I really did not know the ins and outs of the Seven Days Battles at all before this tour.
After the tour I had some lunch. When I was done, I drove to the Cold Harbor Battlefield for the 1 p.m. tour. I could not believe it! There I also got a personal tour. No one else was there for the tour. The ranger took me on the hour long looping trail and explained the fighting that led up to the Union charge and slaughter on June 3, 1864 that Grant had ordered. The earthworks at the battlefield are in excellent condition. I really enjoyed this tour as well.
From Cold Harbor, I drove down to Malvern Hill. I guess I expected something more than what I saw. Malvern Hill is the site of the last battle from the Seven Days Battles. As you can see from the picture I took, it is a field. At the end of the field are cannons that were manned by Union artillery soldiers. Basically, the Union guns destroyed the charging Confederate infantrymen. There was no tour at Malvern Hill. I left Malvern Hill and drove once again down to Williamsburg for Cry Witch, the evening program I had bought a ticket for. Before going to the Colonial area, I stopped to have some dinner.
Cry Witch was great! It was a recreation in the Capitol of a Witch trial that was held in Williamsburg during the 17th Century. The ticket holders actually got to vote at the end whether she was guilty or innocent of being a witch. I voted innocent, but most everyone else voted guilty. I really enjoyed this program. I then drove back to my hotel in Richmond and went to bed.
July 16 This morning I was wrestling between going to Hollywood Cemetery for a tour or returning to Willamsburg for the "Other Half Tour" about slave life there. I returned to Williamsburg and took the 10 a.m. tour. It was O.K. but I definitely should have gone to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond--another oh well. I left Williamsburg before the tour ended and headed back to the Richmond airport to catch my flight home. Jut a few thoughts about my flight and then I'll finish u. I flew United through Chicago. This was a mistake. We ended up flying over Lake Michigan for an hour so my flight was late getting into Chicago. There was a big storm going through there. It turned out that my flight from Chicago to home was cancelled. I was put on a later flight, but I managed to get a standby ticket on a flight that left 30 minutes earlier than the one I was put on. I ended up getting home five hours late. I am going to try not to fly through Chicago again unless I absoluetely have to.
This was an incredible vacation for me. I saw and did so much. I saw battlefield that I had read about and dreamed about seeing. If you love learning about The Civil War like me, this would the vacation for you. I can't wait to go back to see and do the things I missed.
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