Adventures in the South

Adventures in the South
October 2009

I was lucky enough to head south in Mid -October and during that time I visited many Civil War Sites.

Chatham House
I stopped here first, not because I had planned to but because there Fredericksburg Website sent me to Chatham Road and this mansion. I would love to visit this place in nice weather. The gardens must be beautiful. The staff here were excellent. Although the focus of this house is not the CW, Lincoln and Washington both are said to have slept here.
Chatham garden

Fredericksburg
The staff were awesome and the film about the battle was well done. Because of rain, I didn’t venture too far from the Visitor Center. I did drive along the car tour and was amazed how many trenches were still visible for miles. I think there was more digging then fighting in these parts! Kind of odd, but there is a pyramid in the park!
vistor's center

trenches
pyramid


Spotsylvania Courthouse
No Visitor center here. Again lots of trenches. At least the rain had stopped long enough for me to get out a walk some here. Though the wind made it mighty cold. Record breaking cold in the area that day.
Bloody Angle


Wilderness
No Visitor center here. There is no doubt in my mind about how hard it was to travel in the woods here. The underbrush is dense. I read that it was worse 150 years ago. Lots of trenches. I wanted to go here before Walmart built a new store outside the gates. I gotta tell you, there is enough stores at that intersection where Walmart won’t make it that much worse. Still, would rather Not have more buildings there.

Wilderness VT Monument


Chancellorsville
Again, great staff. I really liked the museum, though the film was a little dated. I visited the house that the area is named after.




Cedar Creek
Although I was on the battlefield for the 145th Anniversary Event, I never got to the plantation or the visitor center. I had planned to after the event on Monday. Although both places had posted they were open Mondays, neither were that day! Bummer.
On the Battlefield


Arlington House
OMG! I got a personalize tour of the building, despite it being under renovation. There was CW graffiti and ghost stories.





Arlington National Cemetery
I went to section 1 and the Confederate cemetery. Also saw the changing of the guard and a wreath laying cemetery. I didn’t realize the shear size of the place. There are 25 burials each day.



Manasses
I was honored with a tour of the Battlefield by the former Superintendent of the park. Bob is now the Chief Historian of the National Park Service. This man has an amazing knowledge of Manassas. We were privileged enough to visit areas of the park not open to the public, including visits to closed buildings. Bob also explained how and why the park is set up the way it is. We even drove to secluded areas of the park. The Visitor center has a great battle map and I recommend seeing the movie offered there (at an additional cost). I even got to see graffiti carved into the wood floor of Stone House by wounded men from the second battle.

graffiti