Visiting Richmond and Petersburg National Battlefields (Virginia)

We left Brunswick Family Campground in Maryland at 9:30 a.m. thinking we would miss some traffic around the 495 Beltway.  Sadly, we were mistaken, and it took an hour longer than anticipated to reach our next destination: Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield, Virginia.

Pocahontas State Park is a fantastic facility!  Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), it was operated originally by the National Park Service as Prince William Forest Park before it was transferred to the State of Virginia.  A pull-through site with water/electric hookups and easy access to a dump station cost us $44/night, and that included entry to the day-use swimming pool.  There is a laundry facility, playground for children, Nature Center, and tons of trails for hiking and biking.  Pocahontas State Park was the perfect place to celebrate the start of our 13^th year of full-time RVing and to facilitate our visits to Richmond and Petersburg National Battlefield Parks.

Our site was walking distance to the laundry room.

These specimens are stuffed like I am!

There is a CCC Museum on site, but it is only open on weekends.  Rats!  I would have liked to visit.

This dragonfly was enjoying Pocahontas State Park, too!

Please remember, yours truly is a bit cotton-brained and in no way a Civil War expert.  Nor do I want to cause you to nod off while reading this blog.  Therefore, I am offering an abridged account of these Civil War battles.

Richmond was the scene of the Seven Days’ Battle of 1862.  It represented several attacks against Union General George McClellan by Confederate General Robert E. Lee (who had replaced Joseph Johnston as Confederate Army Commander when Johnston was wounded a few weeks earlier at the Battle of Seven Pines).  Lee’s aggressiveness was successful in pushing Federal troops away from Richmond and saving the Confederacy.

Richmond came into play again as part of Union General Ulysses Grant’s 1864 Overland Campaign.  Fighting began at Totopotomoy Creek on May 29, 1864, near Rural Plains, the home of the Shelton Family.  The family took refuge in the basement as the battle transpired.  But the Battle of Totopotomoy Creek offered no conclusive victor.  So, Grant moved his Union troops to Cold Harbor (named for a local tavern), the last location with access to Richmond.  He hoped to drive the Confederates into the Chickahominy River.  However, the Confederates had built nearly 7 miles of entrenchments, successfully blocking Grant’s path to Richmond.  The Union suffered severe casualties (more than 6,000), most of which occurred within the first hour of fighting on June 3, 1864.  Grant became frustrated with his failure to take Richmond during this 2-week battle, and shortly thereafter, he left and headed to Petersburg.

Built in 1723, Rural Plains remained in the Shelton family for 275 years before the building and 125 of their 1,000 acres of land were entrusted to the National Park Service.  The wedding of Sarah Shelton to Revolutionary War patriot and orator Patrick Henry took place here in 1754.

A replica of typical slave quarters stands on the property of Rural Plains.  What a contrast to the spacious home of the Sheltons.

Tobacco was a major crop on plantations during the Civil War.

  

We spent 2 days driving along the 80-miles of roads within the Park to visit all the battle locations and hike the many trails.   Interestingly, the Confederate entrenchments/fortifications were so well constructed, it proved too difficult to tear them down or bring properties back to their original states.  Hence, we have so many fine examples to view.

Hiking to view some of the entrenchments/fortifications...

...along the Cold Harbor Battlefield.

Another fine example of entrenchments/fortifications.

A chimney is the only reminder of the home that once stood on this property in 1864.

We visited several historic structures, too, like the Garthright House, which served as a hospital, first for the Union, then for the Confederates.  At the time of the Civil War, some sections of the home were already 100 years old!

The right portion of the Garthright home pre-dated the Civil War by 100 years!

 

We also visited the site of Chimborazo, the largest Confederate field hospital in continuous operation from October 1861 through April 1865.  At its peak, it contained more than 100 buildings (including a bakery, stable, well, even a bath house).  It served more than 75,000 troops, 80% of which recovered and were released.  Interestingly, sickness killed twice as many soldiers as enemy bullets. 

 

The site of Chimborazo, now a city park, sits on a bluff above the James River.

Speaking of bullets, I learned that soldiers did not have to bite any during amputations.  Instead, they were heavily drugged with alcohol (stimulant), morphine (narcotic), and ether/chloroform (anesthetic).  Yes, I would say with that combo, they were comfortably numb during the 5-minute procedure to amputate an extremity.

 

But the highlight of our Richmond tour was visiting Hollywood Cemetery.  Located along the James River, this cemetery is the resting place for many Virginia elites, including Presidents James Monroe and John Tyler, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and Fitzhugh Lee, nephew of Robert E. Lee and one-time Virginia governor.  I admired the unique grave markers/monuments/statues throughout the Cemetery.   It is also where area Confederates are buried under a 90-foot granite pyramid inscribed with the Latin phrase that translates to, “They stood for God and Country.”  Erected in 1869, the engineer who designed the monument for the Confederate States of America is buried right below the inscription.  Furthermore, many Confederate soldiers who perished at Gettysburg were reinterred here.

 

Hollywood Cemetery Chapel. 

Gravesite of President James Monroe.

 

Headstone on the grave of President John Tyler.

Burial site of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

Brothers and Confederate Officers John and William Pegram were both killed in action at Petersburg in 1865. 

I captured a sun beam shining down on this grave.

A statue of the family dog stands outside the grave of this young girl.

This statue of a grieving wife atop the gravesite of her husband moved me to tears.

Gravesites overlooking the James River are expensive real estate.

A 90-foot granite pyramid is surrounded by the graves of Confederate soldiers, including those whose identities are unkown.

Men of all economic, religious, and educational backgrounds served together for  their common cause.

We spent a full day at Petersburg National Battlefield.  Union General Grant believed (and Confederate General Lee was fully aware) that if Petersburg fell, so would Richmond, putting an end to the War and the Confederacy. With 4 railroads and 2 roads, Petersburg was a major supply hub.  So, the Union began a nearly 10-month assault and siege on Petersburg, from June 1864 to April 1865.  Petersburg represented the longest battle of the Civil War, with 70,000 casualties (though most were from infection and disease).

 

"The Dictator" could launch 200+ pound shells for a distance of 2.5 miles.

I wondered how far "The Dictator" could launch me!

This photo was taken during the Civil War...

...and this is what you see today.

There were lots of sites with varying outcomes where fighting occurred in Petersburg, so I will just give you some highlights of what I, your humble stuffed Rambling RV Rat, considered the most interesting.

 

The Battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864, comes in at #1.  It was a bold plan by the Union to build a 500-foot tunnel underneath a Confederate stronghold and fill it with 8,000 pounds of gunpowder.  The detonation created a huge crater and caused great losses.  Ironically, the Union experienced more casualties than did the Confederates, leading Grant to frustration and feelings of failure.

 

The tunnel from which the Union detonated 8,000 pounds of gunpowder.

The result of the detonation was this huge crater and great losses.  

While we are on the topic of explosions, the Confederates pulled off one of their own on August 9, 1864, on a wharf at City Point (where Union General Grant had set up headquarters), destroying $2 million of Union supplies.  Tit for tat, the Union impeded Confederate supplies just weeks later at the Battle of Weldon Railroad.

It was on the grounds of Appomattox Plantation in City Point...

...that Grant set up his headquarters in a rustic cabin.

A view of the confluence of the James and Appomattox Rivers, not far from the site of the wharf explosion.

It was in September 1864 that General Grant directed some Union troops back to Richmond for battle while fighting simultaneously in Petersburg.   The Union gained some ground, but the Confederates still held both cities. 

 

It was a harsh winter for the Confederates.  There was constant trench warfare.  And General Grant’s ability to disrupt some Confederate supply lines created a lack of food.

 

We stumbled upon the site of the Battle of Hatcher’s Run, which occurred February 5-7, 1865.  (This site is not maintained by the National Park Service but instead preserved by the American Battlefield Trust.)  The Union attempted for the 7^th time to capture Confederate supply lines.  But the outnumbered Confederate forces were able to defend their lines.  Confederate Brigadier General John Pegram was killed in action here.

 

General Lee’s last offensive at Petersburg is an early morning attack on the Union’s Fort Steadman on March 25, 1865.   But it is not a success, and he loses 2,000 of his dwindling forces.  

The remains of Fort Steadman.

On April 1, 1865, The Confederates, under the leadership of General George Pickett (known for his ill-fated charge at Gettysburg), are overtaken at Five Forks intersection.  This put Southside Railroad, the Confederates’ only remaining supply line in Petersburg, in jeopardy.  It was here that 23-year-old Colonel William Pegram (brother of John Pegram who perished at Hatcher’s Run 2 months earlier), was mortally wounded just 5 miles from his ancestral home and after fighting in nearly every major battle of the Civil War with the Army of Northern Virginia.

The end is near for the Confederates.  Lee sends word to Confederate President Jefferson Davis that Richmond should evacuate.  On April 3, 1865, both Richmond and Petersburg are captured by the Union.

 

We didn’t do extensive touring of the City of Richmond, having visited there previously on a motorcycle trip.  But we took a quick stroll around the city of Petersburg.  Suffice to say, Petersburg’s economic importance since the Civil War has dwindled significantly.  Hopefully, the 2022 partnership established between the City and the State of Virginia will assist with much needed revitalization.

We did, however, visit Poplar Grove National Cemetery, where Union veterans from the Petersburg Campaign (and a few from wars thereafter through the Korean War) are interred.  Of the 6,188 bodies buried here, the identities of only 2,139 are known.

 

I expanded my Civil War battlefield knowledge and achieved 2 more Junior Ranger badges.  Sadly, the more I learn about the American Civil War, the more I pray we will never see one again.  The shattered families, destruction of property, and, most importantly, the sacrifice of human life is simply heart wrenching.

My gal pal, Mademoiselle Rochelle, is so proud of my Junior Ranger accomplishments!

Well, time for me to sign off.  Talk to you again soon! 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

Continuing our Civil War Battlefield Tour - Harpers Ferry, Antietam/Sharpsburg, Monocacy

We had a peaceful drive to Brunswick Family Campground in Brunswick, Maryland--a small and quaint river town along the Potomac.   That is until the road from which we needed to make a right turn just ¼ mile away was closed.  We were relieved when we finally found an alternate route to our destination through the narrow, hilly, side streets, some of which had weight limits, roundabouts/traffic circles, and even passing trains.

 

Brunswick Family Campground’s location in Maryland is within 10 miles of the Virginia and West Virginia borders.  It is an older, no frills riverfront campground.  But at $54/night, it provided an extra-long, easily accessible pull-through site with water/electric hookups and a dump station (which would be a bit precarious for us to access, but we had no worries having arrived with empty waste tanks).  In addition to being located on the banks of the Potomac River, this camping area sits along the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Towpath.  Built for the canal transport system in operation from 1831 to 1924 (used primarily for coal from the Allegheny Mountains), the Towpath runs for 185 miles between Cumberland, Maryland and Washington, D.C.  We hiked or e-biked here several times during our week-long visit, weather permitting.  You see, we experienced tremendous amounts of rain during our stay, causing road flooding and the Potomac to rise high enough to cover the boat launch and docks at the campground.

Before the torrential rain...

...and after, when all the docks were underwater.

We headed out one morning to Harpers Ferry Historical Park.  We perused the Visitor Center and grounds before embarking onto the shuttle bus that transported us to Harpers Ferry of yesteryear, complete with pre-civil war buildings, many set up for the type of businesses they were during the antebellum:  mercantile, boarding house, tavern, etc. 

 

Harpers Ferry sits on a bluff overlooking the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers.  Wooded areas were once home to many American Indians.  Then European settlers arrived, and a primitive ferry system was established in 1733 by Peter Stephens, who sold it to Robert Harper (hence, the town’s name) in 1747.  George Washington built an armory here in 1799, and explorers Lewis and Clark stopped there for supplies in 1805.  The first bridge across the Potomac was built in Harpers Ferry in 1824, followed by the C&O canal system, and then the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad (1834), making Harpers Ferry a major transportation hub prior to the Civil War. Harnessing the River water for their trades, industrialized businesses thrived.  In fact, the first interchangeable gun parts were manufactured here, revolutionizing hand-held weapons.  But the aftermath of the Civil War, the floods of 1889, 1924, and 1936 as well as The Great Depression took a toll on Harpers Ferry.  So, in 1940 the U.S. government took over the town and transformed it into a National Historic Park.

 

View from "The Point", where the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers meet.

The remains of the Shenandoah Pulp Mill, circa 1888.

The Appalachian Trail goes right through Harpers Ferry.  We hiked a total of 3 miles along several portions, which was no easy feat for a stuffed rat with stubby legs.

 

The rock steps in the background lead to St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church.  We continued further to hike along the Appalachian Trail.

We hiked up the Appalachian Trail to see Jefferson Rock, where our former President stood on October 25, 1783, admiring the view.

We hiked up to Camp Hill, home to Storer College (formerly known as Storer Normal School), which was dedicated to educating Black Americans.  It operated from 1867 to 1955.  The first meeting of The Niagara Movement, predecessor to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was held at Storer College in 1906.

We also visited nearby Harper Cemetery.

The arsenal established by George Washington at Harpers Ferry was the site of the John Brown Rebellion of 1859, an event considered a catalyst for the Civil War.  As a staunch abolitionist, John Brown planned, sought financial assistance, and provided military training to create an uprising to liberate slaves.  John Brown’s Raiders took prominent citizens as hostages, like Lewis Washington (great, great grandson of George).  But things did not go according to Brown’s plan.  The droves of Black freedmen and slaves he thought would join his movement never arrived.   His “army” consisted of less than 2 dozen men, 2/3 of which were Caucasian.  Long story short, the Raiders abandoned their fort and made a run for the River, where things did not end well.   Now here is the irony of this event:  it was Robert E. Lee, representing the United States Military, who put an end to Brown’s uprising.  And Brown, after being found guilty by a jury of his peers, was hanged for his “rebellious” actions to stop slavery.

 

And now for the Rambling RV Rat recap of the Battle of Harpers Ferry on September 12-15, 1862.  Confederate General Robert E. Lee wanted to force President Abraham Lincoln to the negotiation table.  He planned to accomplish this by taking the fight into a Union State.  But he could not accomplish that until he established new supply and communication routes, which he determined would be best in the Shenendoah Valley.  Hence, it was imperative to remove U.S. troops from Harpers Ferry.  Lee devised Special Orders #191 as part of his Maryland Campaign.  This plan, meticulously timed for September 10-12, 1862, consisted of splitting his 70,000 troops into 4 columns.  The first column, comprised of ½ his troops, was to proceed to Hagerstown, Maryland.  The other 3 columns were to attack Harpers Ferry from the North (Boliver Heights), South (Murphy’s Farm), and West (Schoolhouse Ridge).  Lee expected little resistance from Union troops.  But the best laid plans went awry.  The timeline was delayed due to longer than anticipated river/mountain crossings.  Furthermore, the Union troops under Colonel Dixon Miles were required to “fight to the last extremity” under orders from D.C., giving the Confederates a run for their money.  But the Confederates proved successful in the end, thanks to General Stonewall Jackson disobeying General Lee’s orders to retreat.  Instead, Jackson launched a bombardment on Union troops that continued through the next morning, at which time Union General Miles and his 12,520 soldiers surrendered.  Just a few days later General Miles died from wounds sustained in battle, and a second “lost” copy of Lee’s Special Orders #191 is found by Union troops, wrapped around 2 cigars.  This event will severely impact the outcome of Lee’s Maryland Campaign.  As for Harpers Ferry, it would change between Union and Confederacy control 8 times during the Civil War.  With loyalties being difficult to ascertain, citizens lived often under martial law.

 

We hiked the trails at Boliver Heights...

...Murphy's Farm...

...and Schoolhouse Ridge...

...retracing the Battle of Harpers Ferry.

It was a gloomy, overcast day with fog in the mountaintops as we toured Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Maryland. 

 

Antietam National Battlefield requires an entrance fee, which we satisfied with our America the Beautiful Pass.  We were amazed at the number of Rangers working here, especially since the Volunteers handled most of the tasks.

After the Battles of Manassas, Union General John Pope had been removed from service in the Civil War’s Eastern Theater, and George McClennan was assigned as Union General for the second time within President Lincoln’s revolving door of leadership.  Britain and France were willing to recognize the Confederacy and lend support but not until the Confederacy was able to achieve 1 more major victory.  President Lincoln, anxious to issue his Emancipation Proclamation and end the War, needed and wanted a Union victory.

 

From Dunker Church to the West Woods, from Sunken Farm Road (also known as Bloody Lane) to Burnside’s Lower Bridge, the farms, cornfields, and woods in the area became bloody battlegrounds on September 17, 1862. The Battle of Antietam represented the bloodiest 1-day battle in American history.  Of 100,000 troops involved, there were 23,000 casualties, of which 4,000 were deaths.  Most historians consider Antietam a draw militarily because lines of battle had not changed dramatically over the course of the day.  However, Lincoln claimed it as a Union victory, warning of his impending issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.  And yet, the War raged on for another 18 months, reflective of the Confederacy’s determination and conviction.

 

Dunker Church (in the background) is so named because its German religious sect believed in full water immersion baptism.  The Battle of Antietam began near this church on September 17, 1862.

We hiked within cornfields that saw bloodshed and carnage during the Battle of Antietam.

Sunken Farm Road, also known as Bloody Lane, was the site of horrific fighting and excessive war casualties.

Scenes of the Antietam battlefields...

...from the Sunken Farm Road/Bloody Lane Observation Tower, built 1896.

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A "witness tree" still sits along Burnside's Lower Bridge.  Oh, the war stories it could tell!

Antietam National Cemetery.

Confederate soldiers torched this home belonging to the Mumma family so Union sharpshooters could not profit from its location.  The home was rebuilt in 1863.

On another day we visited Monocacy National Battlefield, 6 miles outside Fredericksburg, Maryland.  The Battle of Monocacy on July 9, 1864, represented the last major Confederate invasion into the North.  For the Battles of Petersburg and Richmond, Union General Grant diverted troops from the Capital, leaving Washington D.C. less protected and, therefore, a target for the Confederates. With Union forces outnumbered 3-1 at Monocacy, the priority of Union General Lew Wallace (who interestingly wrote Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ, a 19^th century best-selling novel) was only to buy time for reinforcements to return to D.C.  Though Monocacy is considered a military victory for the Confederacy, the Union was successful in delaying Confederates from reaching D.C. before Union troops were repositioned there.   Ultimately, the Confederates were forced to retreat to Virginia.  Therefore, Monocacy is dubbed, “The Battle That Saved Washington D.C.”

6-year-old Glenn Worthington watched heavy fighting from a gap in a boarded up basement window at his family home.

View of the Best Farm, another area where Union and Confederate soldiers engaged in battle.

Flooding of the hiking trail along the Monocacy River...

...caused us to alter our route and surprise a few cows. 

Though not part of our battlefield tour, I could not resist taking a photo of this bucolic property in Monocacy.

One day we drove to Leesburg, Virginia to visit Ball’s Bluff Battlefield Regional Park.  But the torrential rain (and resulting mud) prohibited us from hiking the interpretive trail and visiting the third smallest National Cemetery.  So, we filled our time visiting the Village Pickle, a wonderful new indoor pickleball club in the Village at Leesburg, a “town center” mixed use community.  Though the Village Pickle club sells memberships, it offers 2-hour “drop in” sessions for $10/person.  We met some wonderful, welcoming pickleball enthusiasts who provided us with a great workout and competitive play.

 

Well, its been fun touring this area.  I learned much and earned 3 more Junior Ranger badges.  But it is time for us to hit the road again. Talk to you again soon!