That one moment

[Quantrill's Missouri]

As you all have been to many different Civil War sites, can you recall that one moment that just captured you? That one certain place where you stood silent and went "Wow" where you were standing? That specific moment where the impact hit you? Not emotionally in tears, but where it all set in.

Mine was when I was a teenager and visited Pea Ridge. Standing in front of the Elkhorn Tavern and knowing the casualties laying all over the grounds there made me really stop, sigh and think "Wow." I could visualize the carnage and chaos and suffering.

The second was fully entering the chapel and standing inside it at the old Confederate Home and Cemetery in Higginsville, Missouri. I could see all the old vets milling about and getting ready for service. I felt like I was among them.

 

[bankerpapaw]

Mine was Ruggle's Battery at Shiloh. That was my first trip there. Tried to imagine those on the receiving end.

 

[Lampasas Bill]

Mine was my first visit to Shiloh in 1962. I had never been to a battlefield park before and I was overcome with the vast amount of information on the thousands of markers.

 

[UCVRelics]

Mine was the Mass CS graves at Shiloh.

 

[Sheltowee]

Not to make this a Shiloh thread- but the Hornet's Nest.

 

[archieclement]

Mine was Ruggle's Battery at Shiloh. That was my first trip there. Tried to imagine those on the receiving end.

Same, was closer range then I imagined from reading about it

 

[Bonny Blue Flag]

Two moments for me. The first time was at Iverson's Pits at G/burg. Thought about the soldiers freshly buried, their comrades getting ready for the next set of orders with these fresh graves where you couldn't help but see them. That would either fire me up to continue fighting or make me begin to doubt my resolve.

The second moment was at Pea Ridge where my ancestor, Robert Orlando Smith, PVT, Texas Cavalry (all the info I have) was assigned. Imagining him in the middle of everything happening. I thought to myself, "Keep your head down low!" as the song goes.

--BBF

 

[John Winn]

I've had several "moments" but the one where I really felt it was when I visited Spotsylvania and stood at the angle right where my gg grandfather's battery had been (which had been overtaken and then re-taken). I and my wife were the only people present which I found odd; had thought there'd be a crowd. So I just stood there with my map and tried to imagine what that place was like when grandpa was there. It was spooky in a way as it was so quiet and peaceful when I was there. When he was there I'd have probably been standing on dead bodies.

 

[Pollaco]

The whole Vicksburg Park was a "Wow" to me as it was me first real Civil War battlefield. Walking the Bloody Lane or sunken road at Antietam "wowed" me as in it was hair raising and goose bump experience.

 

[Bentonville]

Not to make this a Shiloh thread- but the Hornet's Nest.

Same. Family fought there. But really that whole field. It's very humbling.

 

[Dave D]

Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery - Columbus, Ohio. Over 2,000 POW graves; all that remains of the prisoner of war camp.

 

[TerryB]

My family visited a lot of battlefields when I was a kid, and Lookout Mountain stands out in my memory. But when I was in College, during one summer I took the bus to visit a friend who had relatives in Americus, Georgia. I was so moved by the Andersonville Cemetery that I wrote a poem about it. That's my standout memory of all the ACW sites I've been to before or since.

 

[Quantrill's Missouri]

Thanks to this site, I never knew places like Camp Chase Cemetery even existed. That's something to behold even on a picture.

 

[Pollaco]

Battlefields weren't meant to be but they've turned into "shrines". From Bunker Hill to Normandy beach and in between, plus we have the Alamo.

 

[steamboater]

Two moments for me. The first time was at Iverson's Pits at G/burg. Thought about the soldiers freshly buried, their comrades getting ready for the next set of orders with these fresh graves where you couldn't help but see them. That would either fire me up to continue fighting or make me begin to doubt my resolve.

The second moment was at Pea Ridge where my ancestor, Robert Orlando Smith, PVT, Texas Cavalry (all the info I have) was assigned. Imagining him in the middle of everything happening. I thought to myself, "Keep your head down low!" as the song goes.

--BBF

Having no one here at the moment to enforce honey-dos, I decided to take a peek in CWDATA for Tejas Cavalry under the name of Rob't O. Smith. Their listing is for 24 Robert Smith in Texas units, with six with no middle initial, all in a Cav unit. They also list a Robert O. Smith, residence unknown, a private in Company G, TX 32nd Cav. Estimated enlistment and muster 4-1-1862. Born 5-7-1835, died 6-25-1914 in Lamar County, buried in Antioch Cemetery, same county. Data sources; CMSR'S, and research by R. Ross Houston.

Any help?

 

[connecticut yankee]

Standing on Little Round Top at Gettysburg on a very cold December day about 10 years ago. Four of us arrived there just as the very orange sun was setting and it cast an unusual eerie type glow all over the landscape. There were about a dozen other visitors scattered there on the hill and everybody just stood in his one place and not a word was spoken by anyone the whole time we were there. I felt like I was in some kind of a church. It brought the whole Civil War experience home to me in a very special way.

 

[C. Cash]

Antietam was powerful: the Dunker Church and Sunken Road put hairs up. The wall at Mary's Heights at Fredericksburg. Standing at the Cavalry Angle at Pickett's Mill where my ggGrandfather's Confederate Cav. unit fought and held Hazen, preventing Cleburne from being flanked.

 

[hoosier]

When I first moved to central Pennsylvania, my aunt noted that I was going to be close to Gettysburg. She told me that her grandfather (my great-grandfather) had been at the Battle of Gettysburg. She even told me the name of his regiment - the 16th Vermont.

I'd heard a story one time about someone who was touring a battlefield and bragged about how his ancestor had served at that battle. He named the regiment in which his ancestor had served, and asked the tour guide where the regiment had been located. The tour guide said that the regiment had been guarding the supply trains and was probably several miles away from the field while the battle was going on.

Consequently, I wasn't going to brag too much about the fact that I had an ancestor at Gettysburg. I figured he might have been well away from any serious fighting.

Then I visited the battlefield. I stopped in the Cyclorama Center, which no longer stands. I found a set of maps of the battlefield, showing the positions of the troops at critical times on each of the three days of the battle. The third map showed the positions on the third day as Pickett's Charge approached the stone wall. There were little red bars labeled with the names of all the Confederate regiments approaching the wall, and little blue bars labeled with the names of all the Union regiments behind the wall.

But I saw that not all of the Union regiments were positioned behind the wall. Over on the Union left, there were two little blue bars sticking out in front of the wall, right next to all those red bars coming across the field. I learned later that these represented Stannard's maneuver to flank Pickett's right.

I thought, "Wow! Look at those guys who actually moved out in front of the wall like that."

Then I saw that the two little blue bars were labeled "13 VT" and "16 VT."

Double Wow! Then I knew that not only had my great-grandfather been there, he really had been in the thick of the action.

 

[jepridgen]

I probably have more than one, but the Dead Angle at Cheatham's Hill, Kennesaw Mountain really does it for me. You can really understand the point of view for both sides, and of course, I read about that very spot numerous time in "Co Aytch" when I was younger. If you can hit it between peak exercise hours or during off peak weekends, you can almost feel like you're there in 1864 from both sides (especially if you pick a nice hot June/July day).

I remember having similar feelings as a kid when I was able to do a family battlefield tour of the various VA/MD/PA battlefields, but I was a young teenager at the time. Can't remember exactly which ones "spoke" to me like that. I do remember the Bloody Lane at Sharpsburg in particular as leaving me in awe.

 

[Lusty Murfax]

As you all have been to many different Civil War sites, can you recall that one moment that just captured you? That one certain place where you stood silent and went "Wow" where you were standing? That specific moment where the impact hit you? Not emotionally in tears, but where it all set in.

Mine was when I was a teenager and visited Pea Ridge. Standing in front of the Elkhorn Tavern and knowing the casualties laying all over the grounds there made me really stop, sigh and think "Wow." I could visualize the carnage and chaos and suffering.

The second was fully entering the chapel and standing inside it at the old Confederate Home and Cemetery in Higginsville, Missouri. I could see all the old vets milling about and getting ready for service. I felt like I was among them.

One of my Grandmother's Uncles, Albert Pendleton lived out his last days at the Higginsville old soldiers home. After the War members of his family had migrated west to northwest Missouri. He is buried at the Osborn Cemetery.