- Joined
- Jan 8, 2012
In 1934, the state of Virginia put this historical marker near the road to Chester Gap, VA where we own a small piece of land on top of the mountain. At the very bottom it reads, “Write for literature to Commission on Conservation and Development, Richmond, VA 1934.” I looked them up, and discovered that the Commission suspended the historical marker program during World War II because of rationing of metals, but managed to place 1,400 markers across the state. The Commission's direction to "write for literature" now seems like a quaint instruction from another age.
A more recent Civil War Trails marker is nearby and provides a much more detailed account of Chester Gap's involvement in the war: Chester Gap was used during the Antietam and Gettysburg campaigns, "intense skirmishing" took place there, two thirds of Lee's army passed through at one point, and 5,000 Union cavalry camped there in 1864 prior to a failed winter raid to disrupt the Virginia Central Railway.
What struck me about this 85-year old marker is that the war had only been over for 69 years when it was put up, and it's still there.
A more recent Civil War Trails marker is nearby and provides a much more detailed account of Chester Gap's involvement in the war: Chester Gap was used during the Antietam and Gettysburg campaigns, "intense skirmishing" took place there, two thirds of Lee's army passed through at one point, and 5,000 Union cavalry camped there in 1864 prior to a failed winter raid to disrupt the Virginia Central Railway.
What struck me about this 85-year old marker is that the war had only been over for 69 years when it was put up, and it's still there.
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