Ami's SOA Touring Virginia - On the trails of ANV and AOTP

No, he actually didn't. One more reason to go back to the area one day!

Pickett's Buffet is on the list of places to try out. :smile:
(Croaker I am sure, @Zella ).
You do know the Kennedy Farm is just over the river close to the Douglas House, where John Brown aka Isaac Smith horded his pikes?
(@luinrina ).

Lubliner.
 
Does anyone know what kind of tree it is? I know it seems like an odd question, but Ive got a primary source account Im trying to match up to a location.


That witness tree is from the live Oak family. Some of the Oaks grow straight and tall, other short as this one and spread out you can usually tell by the thick bark. The wood is used for making furniture and also for ship building .
 
Yesterday I spent all day at the Gettysburg reeneactment. I was there when they opened the gates and walked around a little. I was grinnning from ear to ear, I was enjoying being there so much. I made my way across the field towards the Union camp because I saw the guys drilling.

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I didn't go too far though because I wanted to catch the 9 a.m. presentation of Union Generals talking in the main activity tent.

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The talk was basically a brief recap of what happened on Day 1 before they explained their individual actions on Day 2. Surprisingly, General Sherman came out and hang around! Someone later asked him why he wasn't in a blue uniform, instead wearing white, and his answer? "Because I can!" :giggle:

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After the Union Generals, General Lee and his wife Mary Anna spoke about their family life and Lee's connection to his children as a father. After that, General Longstreet came and he and Lee spoke about their Day 2 plans.

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I didn't hear it all for I left a bit early to catch good seating for the Cavalry battle at 11 a.m. They were reenacting "Hampton at Hunterstown - Custer's Charge". A LBG from Gettysburg provided commentary to what we saw.

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After the Cavalry Battle, I walked through the living history camp and listened to the one or other person talk. They had Longstreet's HQ tent, the Signal Corps, ladies presenting period women dresses and underwear, etc. I later discovered that John Bell Hood and Jubal Early had HQ tents there also. And, not to forget, General Forrest came out to Gettysburg as well!

At 1 p.m. I watched the Live Mortar Fire Demonstration. That was quite fun. I then grabbed me a bite to eat and went back to the living history. I didn't quite dare yet go down to the CSA camp to find @captaindrew . I eventually did though and after some asking around, the two of us met and talked a while. He showed me his tent and his equipment and then it was about time for him to gear up and get ready for the 4 p.m. battle.

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At that point I headed back to the main area and prepared to watch the battle, "Stemming the Tide - East Cemetery Hill." The LBG provided commentary again. It was great fun to watch. The CSA had 2 batteries with 4 cannons each on the faraway ridge, and the Union too had 2 batteries with 4 cannons each on the ridge and lower section near the left side of the bleachers. The boom was much more spectacular than with the Cavalry Battle where only the Union had cannons out, 1 battery with 3 cannons. It was difficult to actually see when the battle got most interesting as there was a tree in the middle of the field that blocked much of my view.

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Before the battle, President Lincoln came out and delivered his Gettysburg Address. I caught the entire speech on video, but have to convert the file before being able to post it. Will take a little longer for me to do that.

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After the battle, I was headed toward the Youth Activities Tent where President Lincoln was having a meet and greet. On my way there though I found @infomanpa and @Equestriangirl93 ! We chatted for a while, then broke up as rain clouds were rolling in. @Equestriangirl93 and I made our way to the CSA camp to find @captaindrew . When the storm hit, gentleman that he is, he provided us shelter in his tent where we weathered out the storm.

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When the rain let up a bit, we walked up to the Reenactors Camp Dance. And it was great! I didn't want to dance as I didn't know the dances, but @captaindrew talked me into the Virginia Reel. I got dizzy toward the end but I had a spectacular time! The 2nd North Carolina string band played, and their finale - Southern Soldier and Dixie - was awesome; everyone was singing and hollering along.

Getting back to my car in the darkness across a swampy farm field was a challenge, but with my cell's flashlight I managed to find it. I about fell dead into my bed that night; I had been up since 5 a.m. the catch the sunrise.

I'll be heading back out to the reeneactment in a bit and am looking forward to having another awesome day! :smile:
 
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Do you mind if I ask a question? What kind of camera are you using?
Not at all! I've been doing outside shots with a little digital camera, but some dark spots appeared on the lens a few days ago and I can't getting them cleaned away. Since then I'm taking pics with my cell with which I have been taking indoor pics and photos in darker places like in woods.
 
Not at all! I've been doing outside shots with a little digital camera, but some dark spots appeared on the lens a few days ago and I can't getting them cleaned away. Since then I'm taking pics with my cell with which I have been taking indoor pics and photos in darker places like in woods.


Thanks for your reply.. I have enjoyed riding along on you journey of Civil War Battlefields, places, cities photos of building etc. the breathing side of the country the hills, fields, the tree line of where the Battlefields were so long along go where Union& Conference soldiers fought and died where you have walked - Hollowed Ground..
 
Today was rather fully packed. First, I went to Salem Church since I didn't get it done yesterday anymore. After that I spent the morning at Spotsylvania. I followed the driving tour and hiked quite a bit around the battlefield (my feet are protesting, but they have much more walking lined up for tomorrow :laugh:). I also scared several grey coats into running. (But to be fair, the squirrels scared me just as much when jumping into or rushing through the dry leaves all of a sudden. :rolleyes:) To finish Spotsylvania off, I did the guided walking tour at the Bloody Angle and had the ranger to myself again. He was impressed how much I already knew and that I'd done my homework before visiting the battlefields. :D

I haven't seen much battlefields yet, but the Bloody Angle is my favorite so far. It's where I've felt the most peaceful, looking across the field of Union advance, from either end. Pity there aren't any benches; I could have sat there for hours. (Maybe that was a good thing as I wouldn't have gotten up again. LOL)

In the early afternoon I made it to the Confederate Cemetery in Spotsylvania Courthouse. There, somehow, I came undone. One panel especially touched me.
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After composing myself, I went to Massaponax Church before heading to the Jackson Shrine. At the latter, I had once again the staff to myself and could get a good look around.

Since it was still early enough and both rangers at Spotsylvania and the Jackson Shrine recommended it to me, I spontaneously made my way to the North Anna Battlefield Park. I hiked along A.P. Hill's position and got to see very well preserved earthworks as well as the ravine in which Ledlie's brigade tried to take cover before being attacked by the 12th Mississippi. Further down the trail I got a look down the heights toward the North Anna. Lee chose the position very well.

I'm now in Richmond and will be hitting the American Civil War Museum as well as a couple other sites in the city tomorrow. And for a real kicker: From my hotel window, I can look down into a little side road named Traveller's Alley. :D

And now some of today's pictures:

Salem Church
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Upton's view toward the Mule Shoe when he came out of the woods (May 10)
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And the Confederates' view toward Upton's advance
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Confederate trenches at the Bloody Angle
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Union view toward the Salient's tip. Over that field, Hancock attacked on May 12.
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Reconstructed trenches on Anderson's line
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Confederate Cemetery at Spotsylvania Courthouse
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Massaponax Church
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Jackson Shrine at Guinea Station. The intern told me that three items in Stonewall's death room where there when he was there: The bed, the clock on the mantelpiece, and the blanket folded at the foot of the bed was used to cover him. It was a strange feeling, hearing the clock ticking in the otherwise completely silent house.
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North Anna, trenches of A.P. Hill's line. They don't look much on the picture, but walking along them, man, they're really impressive. And so very well preserved.
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In Richmond there use to be a B & B I believe in Lee's old home. Was a restaurant called Travelers at one time if I remember correctly. It was 25 years ago when I was there last. I love your photos and your commentary. Be safe.
 
Sorry you didn't get any photos of your bear adventure. Here in Virginia if you hike at all you probably have seen a few. I love them and have even rescued a cub once. Here are a few photos of bears I have run into and those around my house. I love your photos and commentary especially the emotion that you instill in your written adventure. God Bless and Safe Travels.

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Yesterday I spent all day at the Gettysburg reeneactment. I was there when they opened the gates and walked around a little. I was grinnning from ear to ear, I was enjoying being there so much. I made my way across the field towards the Union camp because I saw the guys drilling.

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I didn't go too far though because I wanted to catch the 9 a.m. presentation of Union Generals talking in the main activity tent.

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The talk was basically a brief recap of what happened on Day 1 before they explained their individual actions on Day 2. Surprisingly, General Sherman came out and hang around! Someone later asked him why he wasn't a blue uniform, instead wearing white, and his answer? "Because I can!" :giggle:

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After the Union Generals, General Lee and his wife Mary Anna spoke about their family life and Lee's connection to his children as a father. After that, General Longstreet came and he and Lee spoke about their Day 2 plans.

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I didn't hear it all for I left a bit early to catch good seating for the Cavalry battle at 11 a.m. They were reenacting "Hampton at Hunterstown - Custer's Charge". A LBG from Gettysburg provided commentary to what we saw.

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After the Cavalry Battle, I walked through the living history camp and listened to the one or other person talk. They had Longstreet's HQ tent, the Signal Corps, ladies presenting period women dresses and underwear, etc. I later discovered that John Bell Hood and Jubal Early had HQ tents there also. And, not to forget, General Forrest came out to Gettysburg as well!

At 1 p.m. I watched the Live Mortar Fire Demonstration. That was quite fun. I then grabbed me a bite to eat and went back to the living history. I didn't quite dare yet go down to the CSA camp to find @captaindrew . I eventually did though and after some asking around, the two of us met and talked a while. He showed me his tent and his equipment and then it was about time for him to gear up and get ready for the 4 p.m. battle.

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At that point I headed back to the main area and prepared to watch the battle, "Stemming the Tide - East Cemetery Hill." The LBG provided commentary again. It was great fun to watch. The CSA had 2 batteries with 4 cannons each on the faraway ridge, and the Union too had 2 batteries with 4 cannons each on the ridge and lower section near the left side of the bleachers. The boom was much more spectacular than with the Cavalry Battle where only the Union had cannons out, 1 battery with 3 cannons. It was difficult to actually see when the battle got most interesting as there was a tree in the middle of the field that blocked much of my view.

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Before the battle, President Lincoln came out and delivered his Gettysburg Address. I caught the entire speech on video, but have to convert the file before being able to post it. Will take a little longer for me to do that.

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After the battle, I was headed toward the Youth Activities Tent where President Lincoln was having a meet and greet. On my way there though I found @infomanpa and @Equestriangirl93 ! We chatted for a while, then broke up as rain clouds were rolling in. @Equestriangirl93 and I made our way to the CSA camp to find @captaindrew . When the storm hit, gentleman that he is, he provided us shelter in his tent where we weathered out the storm.

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When the rain let up a bit, we walked up to the Reenactors Camp Dance. And it was great! I didn't want to dance as I didn't know the dances, but @captaindrew talked me into the Virginia Wheel. I got dizzy toward the end but I had a spectacular time! The 2nd North Carolina string band played, and their finale - Southern Soldier and Dixie - was awesome; everyone was singing and hollering along.

Getting back to my car in the darkness across a swampy farm field was a challenge, but with my cell's flashlight I managed to find it. I about fell dead into my bed that night; I had been up since 5 a.m. the catch the sunrise.

I'll be heading back out to the reeneactment in a bit and am looking forward to having another awesome day! :smile:

I had SO much fun yesterday!! And yes, @captaindrew is certainly a gentleman for providing us with shelter and refreshing drinks :smile:
 
I am impressed with your great commentary on your trip. I am in Central Virginia. If you are ever near any of the battlefields near Waynesboro I would love to buy you a cup of coffee. [email protected]
Thank you! But I'm not getting back down there on that trip. I drove by Waynesboro last Sunday, June 30, on my way up from Lexington to Cross Keys/Port Republic. Sadly, my trip is nearing its end. Two more days in Gettysburg to explore the battlefield, then I'm already headed back toward Washington, D.C. to see some of the Civil War defenses and visit Arlington. My flight leaves Thursday. :frown:

And wow, you certainly have a lot of bear pictures! :bear: I never even thought of taking out my camera to snap a shot!
 
Thank you! But I'm not getting back down there on that trip. I drove by Waynesboro last Sunday, June 30, on my way up from Lexington to Cross Keys/Port Republic. Sadly, my trip is nearing its end. Two more days in Gettysburg to explore the battlefield, then I'm already headed back toward Washington, D.C. to see some of the Civil War defenses and visit Arlington. My flight leaves Thursday. :frown:

And wow, you certainly have a lot of bear pictures! :bear: I never even thought of taking out my camera to snap a shot!
Well maybe next time. Have a safe trip home.
 
I headed back to the reenactment today. After yesterday's rain the fields were all nicely wet and muddy. :confused:

I watched the beginning of the Period Revival Church Services at 9 a.m., but soon decided to head out to the CSA Camp. @captaindrew had told me they would be drilling in the morning before the big heat hit. The morning was really nice, overcast and with some nice fresh breezes. But I never made it to the CSA Camp. I found a tent where they make period pictures. The lady described the process, I watched the photographer take pics of others, and after some pondering I had one done too.

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After that, it was about time for the Cavalry battle. Today they showed "Farnsworth's Fatal Charge". It was a bit like yesterday's cavalry battle, though they had one cannon less out. The Yankees made more than up for that, though, goading the Rebs into attacking - which they didn't. So the Yankees had to charge. :giggle:

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After the battle, I made my way over to the CSA Camp and met @captaindrew again. Many were in the process of packing up as it looked like rain was coming and packing wet stuff is no fun. We talked a bit but I soon headed back to grab a bite to eat and catch the talk "Confederates smell Victory in the Air." I missed the beginning but I was right in time to see J.E.B. Stuart arriving in Gettysburg! :D

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Speaking of Generals speaking: The Union generals were supposed to give a talk after the Cavalry battle. But that was cancelled as - how did the announcer say it - "there are no Union generals here anymore. After last night's rain, they figured the Confederates were washed out of their camp so they were no longer needed." :giggle:

Everyone was soon getting ready for the big battle, Pickett's Charge. To be honest, that one was a bit disappointing because you couldn't really see. The bleachers were built on top of a hill and the battlefield sloped down before rising up again to the faraway ridge where the Confederates positioned their cannons. They constructed a part of snake fence near the dale to symbolize the Angle. It was a nice touch, but it also meant that that Confederates would be attacking straight in our direction. The Union therefore set up two cannons behind that fence, the other six - three on each site - close to the bleachers. I got a spot near the middle, but had that darn tree in the middle of the field again that blocked part of the view. And as if that wasn't enough yet, the Yankee musicians took position in front of the center of the bleachers, thus blocking the view even more.

The artillery barrage before the Rebel attack was quite nice if there were more than one gun firing at a time. If all more or less needed to reload at the same time and silence rang across the field it was bit... meh, boring. At one point, the smoke was drifting right into the audience, letting us feel the fog of war. :D

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Before the battle, President Lincoln came out again and delivered the Gettysburg Address, but he had a greet and meet after the battle where I took a picture with him.

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And that was the reenactment. I headed back to the hotel to get rid of my binoculars and some other stuff. After a short period of rest and cooling down, I got back out and headed to the Diorama which was really great. So much detail! You could inspect it for an entire day and still not having seen everything. It's really amazing.

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After that, I continued on into town to meet up with @22ndGa . We were scheduled to meet for dinner at Farnsworth. :smile: Thank you for the great evening, sir! It was a pleasure to meet you and your wonderful son. Maybe we'll run into each other again over the next two days. :smile:

When we stepped out after dinner, it was pouring buckets again. The water in places stood ankle deep. I was more or less drenched when I arrived at my hotel, despite an umbrella. Oh well, it's just water and I'm not made out of sugar. :rolleyes:

Tomorrow I'll be having a tour of the Gettysburg battlefield with LBG Jim Miller. I'm looking forward to it! Keep your fingers crossed that it won't rain!
 
The South Mountain Inn was unfortunately closed so I couldn't get inside.

As for food experience: I'm having breakfasts at the hotels with either scrambled eggs and bacon or oatmeal (although yesterday and the day before yesterday I tried instant grits), so nothing out of the world. Dinner I'm most of the time getting take-out from McDonalds and the like. (Right now I'm munching a McD wrap and drinking unsweetened ice tea without ice. :laugh:) Lunch... doesn't really exist. I got me a package of apples that I might munch during the day when I get really hungry, and at Harpers Ferry after Maryland Heights I got me a late lunch/early dinner, but that's about it for food.

Regarding hotels: I'm staying in nothing fancy, just normal hotel chains like BestWestern. I've been looking rather for convenient locations to get started in the morning, not so much for historic hotels. The only exceptions are the hotels in Lexington and Winchester. The Winchester hotel was a recommendation by @Eleanor Rose and the hotel in Lexington was an alternative because Eleanor's recommendation was closed that weekend due to private events.

The alternative hotel in Lexington - the Hampton Inn in the historic town - I did choose because of its closeness to all the things I wanted to see. It is an old mansion, so the historic aspect was an unsought but nice side effect. Here are some pics I took:
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You're probably best served not eating lunch as hot as it has been and you're out in the heat hiking most afternoons. Not a good mix. better off just staying hydrated and something light like fruit or a protein bar or similar
 
I headed back to the reenactment today. After yesterday's rain the fields were all nicely wet and muddy. :confused:

I watched the beginning of the Period Revival Church Services at 9 a.m., but soon decided to head out to the CSA Camp. @captaindrew had told me they would be drilling in the morning before the big heat hit. The morning was really nice, overcast and with some nice fresh breezes. But I never made it to the CSA Camp. I found a tent where they make period pictures. The lady described the process, I watched the photographer take pics of others, and after some pondering I had one done too.

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After that, it was about time for the Cavalry battle. Today they showed "Farnsworth's Fatal Charge". It was a bit like yesterday's cavalry battle, though they had one cannon less out. The Yankees made more than up for that, though, goading the Rebs into attacking - which they didn't. So the Yankees had to charge. :giggle:

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After the battle, I made my way over to the CSA Camp and met @captaindrew again. Many were in the process of packing up as it looked like rain was coming and packing wet stuff is no fun. We talked a bit but I soon headed back to grab a bite to eat and catch the talk "Confederates smell Victory in the Air." I missed the beginning but I was right in time to see J.E.B. Stuart arriving in Gettysburg! :D

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Speaking of Generals speaking: The Union generals were supposed to give a talk after the Cavalry battle. But that was cancelled as - how did the announcer say it - "there are no Union generals here anymore. After last night's rain, they figured the Confederates were washed out of their camp so they were no longer needed." :giggle:

Everyone was soon getting ready for the big battle, Pickett's Charge. To be honest, that one was a bit disappointing because you couldn't really see. The bleachers were built on top of a hill and the battlefield sloped down before rising up again to the faraway ridge where the Confederates positioned their cannons. They constructed a part of snake fence near the dale to symbolize the Angle. It was a nice touch, but it also meant that that Confederates would be attacking straight in our direction. The Union therefore set up two cannons behind that fence, the other six - three on each site - close to the bleachers. I got a spot near the middle, but had that darn tree in the middle of the field again that blocked part of the view. And as if that wasn't enough yet, the Yankee musicians took position in front of the center of the bleachers, thus blocking the view even more.

The artillery barrage before the Rebel attack was quite nice if there were more than one gun firing at a time. If all more or less needed to reload at the same time and silence rang across the field it was bit... meh, boring. At one point, the smoke was drifting right into the audience, letting us feel the fog of war. :D

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Before the battle, President Lincoln came out again and delivered the Gettysburg Address, but he had a greet and meet after the battle where I took a picture with him.

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And that was the reenactment. I headed back to the hotel to get rid of my binoculars and some other stuff. After a short period of rest and cooling down, I got back out and headed to the Diorama which was really great. So much detail! You could inspect it for an entire day and still not having seen everything. It's really amazing.

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After that, I continued on into town to meet up with @22ndGa . We were scheduled to meet for dinner at Farnsworth. :smile: Thank you for the great evening, sir! It was a pleasure to meet you and your wonderful son. Maybe we'll run into each other again over the next two days. :smile:

When we stepped out after dinner, it was pouring buckets again. The water in places stood ankle deep. I was more or less drenched when I arrived at my hotel, despite an umbrella. Oh well, it's just water and I'm not made out of sugar. :rolleyes:

Tomorrow I'll be having a tour of the Gettysburg battlefield with LBG Jim Miller. I'm looking forward to it! Keep your fingers crossed that it won't rain!
Yes it was quite the rain, I didn't even think about a three peat of the proceeding days rains being a possibility. My son and I got drenched quite thoroughly in the short distance back to my house! But it was nice to meet you and enjoy a great meal at the Farnsworth tavern. My son was very impressed that you are from Germany!
 
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