A View from across the Pond

Blockaderunner · #1 10-25-2006, 08:30 PM

I am new to the board, and have joined following a recent (last week) visit to Virginia. This was actually my third visit to the US, and the best yet. I flew to Dulles, stayed three nights in Fredericksburg, two nights in Richmond, then drove across to the Blue Ridge and up to Winchester. This trip was made purely to visit Civil War places of interest. I will give you my opinion on what I found.

Fredericksburg Battlefield - I followed a taped driving tour of the battlefield. Despite the modern development of the town this was excellent. I followed taped tours of other battlefields, but this was probably the best. The staff at the visitor centre and shop were extremely friendly and old Fredericksburg is a very nice little town.

Chancellorsville - My 'favourite' Civil War battle. Again I followed a taped tour. Being out of town, navigation around the area was easier. My only gripe is that most of the roads through the battlefield are public roads and not park roads. This means fast moving traffic while you are driving slowly looking for landmarks. Again the visitor centre is excellent.

Wilderness and Spotsylvannia - Taped tour again. I really enjoyed this tour. There are a number of walking trails, most of which I followed. Many of the roads are battlefield park roads, which makes a visit much easier. The Wilderness is usually described as 'a confused battle in dense thickets'. This tour makes the way the battle developed very clear and is highly recommended. A highlight for me was standing on the spot where Lee tried to lead the Texans in a charge.

Museum of the Confederacy - This includes a tour of the White House. The tour guide was fantastic. An unbelievably enthusiastic ex US Army Sergeant Major lead the tour. Despite his youthfull looks he was well into his fifties and had met R E Lees grandaughter as a boy. What made his enthusiasum for all things confederate more remarkable was that this fine gentleman was black. After the White House I visited the museum. The staff on the front desk welcomed me to Virginia, as did the lady in the gift shop. I was especially lucky in that the museum was holding a special exhibition on the Confederate Navy. The naval war, especially commerce raiders and blockade runners is a particular interest of mine. The museum is very good but probably would be dull for youngsters.

Petersburg - I made a brief visit to the eastern Petersburg battlefield. The main point of interest being the crater. The crater has all but gone, although there is still a clear depression in the ground. Again, this site is on park roads, which is good.

Richmond Battlefield - This includes the Seven Days battles and Cold Harbour. I followed the course of the Seven Days simply by following a road map and looking at historical markers. These battles seem to be largely ignored by many visitors. Despite doing my tour on a warm Saturday, I saw very few visitors. The reason may be that there is very little to see. The exception is Malvern Hill. I knew very little about this battle, but I had a very enjoyable hike around the fields. The pure futility of the Confederate attack is incredible. The hike took me through a patch of woods where a marker informs the visitor that the mounds beside the track are probably Confederate graves. In the fading light I have to admit that walk was a pretty creepy experience.
Cold Harbour is well worth a visit. All students of the Civil War know of the massive doomed Union assault. What is also interesting, is the trench warfare that followed. A hiking trail includes stretches of what must be the best preserved earthworks from the war. The only problem with the battlefield is that the areas where the Union assault was most heavily beaten are private property.

Saylers Creek - Almost completely undeveloped, and probably very close in appearance to 1865. At 10.30 in the morning, I think I was the first visitor. Two Park Rangers were on site, and both greeted me as if I was a long lost friend. This is something I have found regularly in the Southern States (although I feel sure you Yankees would be the same). I was given a tour of the Hillsman House by a very pleasant young lady Park Ranger. Again something I have found is the enthusiasum of those who staff all Civil War sites.

Appomatox Court House - Preserved or restored to 1865. I was there on a Sunday afternoon and there were easily close to 100 visitors, so even in October this site must be popular. Costumed staff give excellent talks on Lees surrender. I was given all the details by a Private from Pennsylvannia who was a member of the Provost Guard.

Blue Ridge Parkway - Not a Civil War site, but a must see. Not just if you are visiting from abroad.

Winchester - Flying visit, as I only had the morning before returning the hire car to Dulles. I visited Stonewall Jacksons HQ. As I had come to expect by now, the staff were fantastic. I recieved a personal tour from the volunteer who was actually British. He gave me a good insite not only to the HQ, but to Winchester during the war. I was a little suprised to find that artifacts keep turning up in peoples garden. He showed me piece of Hotchkiss shell that turned up in his flower bed only last year.

All in all this was a fantastic visit. The only negatives were the busy roads which pass through battlefields, and possibly the signposting could be improved. The people of Virginia were a credit to their state if not their country. To anyone from Europe who intends to visit, just do it.

gary · #2 10-25-2006, 09:07 PM

Thank you for sharing a foreigner's view of our battlefields. I never thought of taking a tape tour of other battlefields. I did one of Gettysburg and attended every single ranger talk I could (thank you Troy Harmon).

As for Fredericksburg, it is so developed but the Old Town is excellent as it gives you an idea of the tough street fighting that took place between Barksdale's Mississippians and the 20th Massachussetts (and 7th Michigan, 89th New York) and other units. Also Marye's Heights really gives you a commanding view of the town below. Thank you National Park Service (and Ranger Don Pfanz).

Blockaderunner · #3 10-26-2006, 02:17 PM

Gary, the tape tours are excellent. Use a portable player, as many of the battlefield descriptions are designed to be listened to after you have left your car. The tapes all follow the same format and come with a basic map. They start with the strategic movements that lead to the battle then give road directions to the first stop. At each stop they point out landmarks to look for, and give a detailed description of events. They include quotations from participants which are relevant to each stop. The tapes conclude with the events that followed each battle.

Blockaderunner · #4 10-27-2006, 07:32 PM

There is one thing about the battlefields worth a mention. If you visit any field, there are older grey historical markers at various points. I asked about these at Chancellorsville visitor centre. They date from the 1930's and were part of a huge public works project to create employment during the depression. I was also told that during the work, many trenches and earthworks were re-dug to make them clearer! Does anyone know if this is true?

johan_steele · #5 10-27-2006, 09:53 PM

That is true, an effort of the CCC many of them men who redug trenches & earthworks were WWI veterans... so it was not a difficult thing for them to imagine those trenches being used.

gary · #6 10-28-2006, 11:36 AM

Yep, CCC did a lot of "restoration" work, including the British defenses at Yorktown. Last time I visited, I didn't see any of those concrete frise protruding from the earthworks. Modernly, we could use plastics. Gee, then our battlefields would look like huge Marx Toys play sets.

Blockaderunner · #7 10-31-2006, 07:01 PM

This has got me thinking. If some of the battlefields have been 'restored', and others swallowed up by modern development. Then which fields are closest to their wartime appearance? Of those I have visited, Saylers Creek is least developed. I have read that Sharpsburg is also close to its 1862 appearance. Any others?

ole · #8 11-01-2006, 10:17 AM

Quote:

I have read that Sharpsburg is also close to its 1862 appearance. Any others?

Sharpsburg is unique in that many of the locations of the original farm buildings are still there, although still privately owned you can stand on the hill where Hood was and gaze at the cornfield -- it is actually planted in corn periodically -- and there, at the far end of it, is the farm. The Piper farm location is still there as are others. The entire battlefield is viewable if not accessible. Equivalents? Shiloh and Perryville.

Very few areas at Shiloh are privately owned and inaccessible. The meeting house is privately owned but the Church has generously allowed free access to the property. If you were of a mind to do some powerful walking, you could start at Fraley Field and walk the path of every assault on Union lines at very close to both right and left extremes. The NPS has done a creditable job in keeping the "fields" open and approximating their original shapes and sizes. Unfortunately, none of the original farm buildings nor their locations have been preserved, and the fields are uncultivated -- thereby lacking the specifics of Antietam.

Although not an NPS property, Kentucky has done a marvellous job in acquiring and preserving most of the Perryville battlefield area. Another heap of walking. When I was there (2003) the county was dry and lunch was a choice between Marathon and Standard gas stations. (Both were good.)

I know of no other major battlefields where as much of the original has been so well perserved. Others, no doubt, will have more to add.
Ole

Blockaderunner · #9 04-02-2007, 04:36 PM

I am starting to plan my next visit which will probably be some time later this year. I have visited Virginia twice, Gettysburg, Georgia and Chattanooga, and have three possible trips planned. The first would be to concentrate on the Shenandoah Valley, travelling from Sharpsburg down to Lexington with detours to the Blue Ridge. Another possibility would be New Orleans to Vicksburg, maybe travelling by river. The third would be Nashville, Franklin and Shiloh. I would have about ten days and I do not mind which airport I arrive at, although price wise Dulles is the cheapest option. Does anyone have any other ideas?

gary · #10 04-02-2007, 10:18 PM

Sharpsburg is pretty close but they'd have to get rid of the tower, the paved roads and the parking spaces. Not complaining about the tower or the paved roads. They're great if you don't want to walk in the rain (yep, I'm old and soft). Still, it's far above Fredericksburg or Franklin or Nashville.

If you go to Chickamauga, you should also go to Lookout Mountain, Kennesaw Mountain, Pickett's Mill (an excellent Georgia State Park), Southern Railroad & Civil War Museum (in Kennesaw) as it has "The General" steam engine locomotive. You might as well go north to Knoxville and visit the Bleak House (where Confederate sharpshooters shot Gen. William Saunders - not related to the KFC chick'un cunnel - from 750 to 800 yards distance) and then swing west towards Nashville. The Tennessee State Museum in Nashville should be seen and they've a lot of Civil War artifacts on display. It's separate from the War Museum (a block or so up in the State Capitol building). The Tennessee State Museum is in a State Building, which is an ordinary skyscraper. You might have to look it up in the phone book to get the address and a lot of people don't know its there (I asked a police officer and a park ranger and neither knew it was even in town - had to get the address from a man who ran the carousel).

Might as well take in Murfreesboro too before you head over to Nashville. Shiloh is an excellent battlefield and well worth the visit. Fort Donelsohn is also close to Nashville (a couple of hours).

One thing I do is to take my time and not to try to see everything on one trip. I've been to Kentucky and Tennessee many times and have yet to spend some time in Vicksburg or Port Hudson (Bad me! Naughty student! Lazy oaf!)