The End of the Line for Lee (But Not For Me!)

We left Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield, Virginia, traversing on narrow, uneven, winding rural roads. I was white knuckled sitting next to Mom in the Rambling RV Rat Pack Rubicon. Ironically, it was not because of Mom’s driving skills, but instead from watching the rear tire of our 5^th wheel Suite Retreat get caught in the non-existent shoulder while Dad was driving through a series of S-turns with oncoming traffic. Dad was able to straighten out, but it looked like the RV was going to tip right over! Though we arrived safely at Paradise Lake Family Campground in Spout Spring, Virginia, I discovered we had quite a shake up inside the rig from the incident. Thankfully, we experienced no permanent damage.

 

Our theater seats, freezer, and TV all shifted, and contents of some cupboards spilled out.

Paradise Lake Family Campground is an older, but well-maintained gated facility. For $62/night, we had a full hook up pull-through site that was easy to access and large enough for Big Boomer (our medium duty truck) and the Jeep to fit with Suite Retreat on our assigned site. While my parents sat on the patio deck behind the office taking in the lovely views of Paradise Lake, I enjoyed the nearby game room/arcade. The Campground offers free WI-FI, laundry area, and seasonal pool, too. Plus, it is a convenient location to access our next Civil War site, Appomattox Court House National Historical Park.

 

Me playing Ms. Pac-man.

 

Here is an abridged Civil War history lesson about Appomattox from your cotton-brained and simplistic stuffed Rambling RV Rat.

 

After Richmond (the Capital of the Confederacy) was abandoned, Confederate General Lee was in retreat, trying to join General Joseph Johnston’s forces in North Carolina. However, the Union was hot on his heels. On April 6, 1865, Lee’s calvary, to their credit, kept Union forces at bay near Farmville by burning the High Bridge behind them. However, on April 7, the Union successfully cut off 3 Corps of Lee’s forces at the Battle of Saylor’s (also known as Sailor’s) Creek. Nearly 1/4 of Lee’s army (7,700 men) were taken as prisoners. The situation was bleak for the Confederacy. On April 8, Union General George Custer captured and burned several Confederate supply trains at Appomattox Station, striking the final blow to Confederate forces.

 

On April 9, 1865, General Lee and his Confederate troops surrendered at Appomattox Court House, a small rural town with a population of 100. Lee’s aide, Lt. Colonel Charles Marshall, chose the parlor of the McLean House as the surrender site. It took more than 2 days thereafter for the Confederate soldiers to relinquish all their arms.

 

The McClean House, site of Lee's surrender.

The parlor of the McClean House, where the terms of surrender were signed.  Robert T. Lincoln, brother of Abe, was among those present. So, he gave the President a first-hand account of the proceedings.

One of the bedrooms within the McLean House.

Slave quarters on the McLean property...

...offered slave families stark accommodations.

President Lincoln wanted no more bloodshed. He did not want the South humiliated, but instead treated with respect and courtesy. Therefore, after pledging not to take up arms, all Confederate soldiers were paroled and sent home to their families.  They were allowed to keep their horses, and they even were given rations from the Union to facilitate their travels.  (Sadly, after Lincoln's assassination, his successor Andrew Johnson tried to renege on the surrender terms.  He wanted Confederate soldiers tried for treason.  It was General Grant who intervened and insisted the government honor the surrender agreement).

 

Presses were set up in Clover Hill Tavern to print the parole forms for the Confederates.

We toured the Historical Park and its structures, hiking trails, and Confederate Cemetery, which contains the gravesites of 18 Confederates (10 of which are not identified) and one unknown Union soldier.

Confederate cannons fired their final shots at Appomattox from outside this home of the Peers family.

The restored Court House now serves as the Visitor Center for the Historical Park.

Meeks General Store sold everything from gunpowder to cheese!  Next door was the Law office of John Woodson, who practiced from this location from 1856 to his death in 1864.

We viewed the Raine family gravesite as we hiked along Grant's Approach Trail. The Raines were the builders and original occupants of the McLean House where Lee surrendered.

Interestingly, the only battlefield monument within the Historical Park commemorates the efforts of the North Carolinians, who fired the last organized volley of the Confederates during the Appomattox Campaign.

A picturesque vista from the Stage Road Trail.

The Confederate Cemetery contains the grave of one unidentified Union soldier.

Since my Mom’s ancestor made and sold stringed musical instruments (banjos, mandolins, guitars), I was fascinated to learn that the banjo originated in West Africa as a crude, gourd instrument. When slaves came to America, they made banjos out of wood and hides in addition to gourds. Local musician Joel Sweeney was taught by slaves to play the banjo, and he further refined the instrument to today’s 5-string version.

The Cabin of Sam Sweeney, Joel's brother and fellow banjo player.

I expanded my Civil War knowledge and earned myself a Junior Ranger badge at Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park.

Me showing my parole form and latest Junior Ranger badge to my gal pal Mademoiselle Rochelle.  

We also explored today’s small town of Appomattox, which encompasses 2 square miles and is comprised of approximately 1,800 residents. Its Visitor Information Center now stands at the Southside Railroad depot where the Battle of Appomattox Station occurred.

 

On another day we took a ride to Bedford, Virginia, to visit the National D-Day Memorial. The Memorial commemorates June 6, 1944, when Allied Forces landed on the beachfronts of Normandy, France during World War II to end the occupation of France by Nazi Germany.

 

Using the code name “Operation Overlord" and with Dwight Eisenhower as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, D-Day was the largest air, land, and sea invasion in history. It involved 5,000+ ships, 11,000+ aircraft, and 150,000 troops from the United States and its Allies.

 

I learned D-Day was planned for December 5 based on tides, moon, etc. However, the worst storm in 50 years delayed it until the following day. To keep logistics secret, a map was produced as a jigsaw puzzle, with pieces assembled by Chad Toy Company.

 

Though the mission was successful in liberating France, 2,500+ Americans along with almost 2,000 members of our Allies’ forces were killed that day.

 

Among those fatalities were "The Bedford Boys", 20 young soldiers from the town of Bedford, Virginia. As a means of earning $1 during the Great Depression, these young men joined the National Guard. All served together in the same Company A, and for most, D-Day represented their first combat experience. The town of Bedford holds the sad distinction of having the highest per capita D-Day loss.

 

Our guided tour was terrific ($15/person), and the Memorial is truly spectacular. Situated on 55 acres with the Peaks of Otter (within the Blue Ridge Mountains) in the backdrop, the Memorial is meticulously detailed, rich in symbolism, and poignant.

The back of the monument with the Peaks of Otter in the background.

The figures within the sculpture depict fidelity, valor, and sacrifice.

The realism conveyed at the Memorial evokes many emotions.

 The busts represent the leaders of the Allies, while Dwight D. Eisenhower is in the center pavilion as Supreme Commander. 

The pavilion roof contains a mosaic map detailing the invasion plan. 

Gold Star Families' Monument.

We popped into the nearby Bedford Visitor Center, which offers full hook-up sites for $25 on a first-come-first-served basis. RVs must arrive before 4:30 p.m. when the Visitor Center closes, but it is a good option to facilitate a visit to this wonderful National D-Day Memorial.

 

Well, Appomattox Court House may have been the end of the line for Lee, but it certainly isn’t for me!  We are taking off tomorrow for more adventures!   Talk to you again soon!    

Four More Civil War Battlefields in Virginia Under Our Belts (Fredericksburg/Chancellorsville/The Wilderness/Spotsylvania Court House

While staying at Pocahantas State Park in Chesterfield, Virginia, we toured the sites of 4 more Civil War battles, starting with Fredericksburg. Here is my cotton-brained account of events:

 

The Union’s line of attack was to destroy the Southern economy even if unable to destroy the Army of the Confederate States of America. Hence, on December 11, 1862, the Union, under General Burnside (Lincoln’s replacement for General George McClellan), began to bombard the town of Fredericksburg, strategically located halfway between the Union (Washington, D.C.) and Confederate (Richmond, Virginia) capitals. Buildings were destroyed and burned, and Union pillaging ensued. But, thanks to General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, the Confederates were able to hold the line at Prospect Hill. And the Union’s plan for a diversion at Sunken Road and Marye’s Heights turned into a 7-hour blood bath for the Union. On December 15, the Union retreated, and the Confederates celebrated a victory by reoccupying Fredericksburg.

 

Prospect Hill.

The Innis house is a testament to the Battle of Fredericksburg.  When you get up close, you can still see bullet holes that penetrated its exterior.

The Sunken Road.

This is the only original portion of the wall along the Sunken Road.
.

The wall of this family cemetery that dates back to the late 1700s provided shelter for injured Confederate soldiers on Marye's Heights.

View of Innis House from Marye's Heights.

Confederate Richard Kirkland from South Carolina was known as "The Angel of Marye's Heights" for the compassion he exhibited to his enemy.  He provided water to injured Confederate AND Union soldiers.

We visited Chatham in Stafford Heights, a 250-year-old plantation home which served as Union headquarters and a field hospital during the Battle of Fredericksburg. More than 100 slaves toiled here, whether by farming the land, cooking, cleaning, or grooming horses.

 

The grounds of Chatham overlook the Rappahannock River and offer a wonderful view of Fredericksburg. 

The grounds also contain a replica of a pontoon bridge used by Union forces to cross the Rappahannock River to Fredericksburg.
                                                                      

While in the area, we did a walking tour of the city, admiring some of its historic structures. Fredericksburg’s Town Hall building from 1816 to 1982 now houses the Fredericksburg Area Museum (FAM), an interesting, diversified exhibit hall which contains the auction block where slaves were sold to the highest bidder. It also showcased Gladys West. Gladys is a Black woman who broke both racial and gender barriers during the turbulent times of racism and segregation to earn a Master of Mathematics degree and work for the Naval Surface Warfare Center (one of only 4 Black employees). She has a long litany of work accomplishments during her rich lifetime of 94 years, including her work with algorithms and applications that are used in our contemporary global positioning systems (GPS). What an inspiration! I also learned about Sylvania, an innovative company that manufactured cellophane.  Established in Fredericksburg in 1930, Sylvania  created 500 jobs during the Great Depression. At its peak in 1960, Sylvania employed 2,500 people. Unfortunately, it closed its doors in 1978. 

Most of these Fredericksburg structures pre-date the Civil War.

The slave auction block--a stark reminder of the dark and inhumane times of slavery. 

The Sylvania Company of Fredericksburg was the maker of an innovative product known as cellophane.

The Museum had an extensive collection of Civil War rifles, too.

Couldn't resist perusing this specialty shop within Fredericksburg.  It featured my fellow rodentia!  From houses to campers, these mice live a life of luxury--just like me, the Rambling RV Rat!

We viewed historic homes on Caroline Street.  Then we strolled along the greenways of the Washington Street Historic District, viewing the statues/monuments and lovely homes, several of which date back to the 1890s. This quaint residential area once represented the fields of Kenmore Plantation, the 1752 estate of Colonel Fielding Lewis and his wife, Betty, sister of George Washington. The gravesite of Mary Washington, beloved mother to George, is also nearby. We visited both the Confederate Cemetery and the National Cemetery, paying our respects to all who sacrificed their lives for their convictions.

A Caroline Street antebellum gem, built circa 1855 in Greek Revival style.

Several of these Washington Street homes are from the 1890s.

A beautiful 1906 Victorian home on Washington Street.

What remains of Kenmore Plantation, one-time estate of the sister and brother-in-law of George Washington .

Gravesite of Mary Washington, beloved mother of George.

Horace Lacy, the owner of Chatham Plantation, was instrumental in raising funds for this gate/wall for the Confederate Cemetery.

Confederate soldier graves, many of their identities unknown.

Fredericksburg National Cemetery.

We went on to learn about the Battle of Chancellorsville, which occurred April 27-May 6, 1863. Chancellorsville was not a town, but instead the plantation of the Chancellor family. Union General Joseph Hooker planned to squeeze the Confederates, advancing from both the North and South, and establishing a strong defensive line. But the Confederates, under General Stonewall Jackson, found a weak link, and obliterated Hooker’s right flank during a surprise attack on May 2. The Confederates continued to pound the Union with cannon fire at Hazel Grove, and some of the fiercest infantry fighting and cannon fire took place at Fairview. The Battle of Chancellorsville was a huge victory for General Lee and the Confederates—but it came at a tremendous cost. One-third of Lee’s army were killed or wounded. More importantly, he lost his right-hand man. You see, Stonewall Jackson was hit by friendly fire. We drove along the route the ambulance took to transport Jackson to the hospital where his arm was amputated. (Mom admonished Dad—he was driving so fast along this winding 14-mile road, you would think he was the one transporting Jackson!). Sadly, Jackson died 7 days later from pneumonia.

The foundations of the buildings at the plantation of the Chancellor Family.

Hard to believe that this lush field of Chancellor Plantation...

 

...was once the scene of so much carnage.

This monument marks the location where Stonewall Jackson was wounded by friendly fire.

The hospital where Stonewall Jackson's arm was amputated...

...and where he died from pneumonia 1 week later.

Next up was the Battle of the Wilderness on May 5-6, 1864. President Lincoln’s obsession to stomp this war quickly and reunite the country resulted in him changing commanders frequently. Hence, he put Ulysses Grant in charge of all Union forces. The Battle of the Wilderness was the first direct match between Grant and Confederate General Lee.

 

Though battle sites included Saunders Field, Chewning Farm, and Tapp Farm, to name a few, most of the fighting took place in dense forests. With smoke from artillery fire, it was difficult to discern the enemy. Although the Union had twice as many troops as the Confederates (120,000 vs 60,000 respectively), it could not claim victory. Tactically, the Battle of the Wilderness was considered a draw. But Lee suffered a loss of key personnel in this battle with the injury of his second-in-command, General James Longstreet.

Dense forests like this one were the scene...

...of most of the fighting during the Battle of the Wilderness.

Confederate General James Longstreet was injured on nearby Plank Road.

I learned that Ellwood Manor was owned by the Lacy family (who also owned Chatham). Ellwood Manor served as Union Headquarters during this battle. Though caught in the crossfires of the Battle of the Wilderness, Ellwood Manor is the only original home still standing on the battlefield.   

With the Battle of the Wilderness concluding without a victory for the Union, General Grant moved to Spotsylvania Court House to get between Confederate troops and Richmond, the Capital of the Confederate States of America. But General Lee, anticipating Grant’s plan, arrived minutes earlier, and began attacking Union troops at Laurel Hill on May 8, 1864. The Union made two attempts to charge and break Confederate lines on Laurel Hill, but each time it was a failure, resulting in 5,000 Union casualties, including the mortal wounding of Union General John Sedgwick by a sharpshooter’s bullet.

 

Fighting for Confederate earthworks known as the Bloody Angle took place on May 12, 1864. Close range fighting continued for 20 hours in the rain, creating a combined casualty count of 17,000. While the Union fought to win, the Confederates fought to survive—and survive they did.  On May 21, 1864, recognizing the battle as a stalemate, Grant left Spotsylvania Court House, setting his sights on Richmond.

 

Monument commemorating the location where Union General Sedgwick perished during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. 

These earthworks became known as the Bloody Angle.

Wow, my head is spinning from all I learned about these battles! But I am thrilled to report that I earned 4 more Junior Ranger badges and even a set of patches!  Time to get a Junior Ranger vest (in addition to my hat) to display all my achievements!

 

I earned badges AND patches for these battles!

Well, I'll sign off now. Talk to you again soon!