Richmond

You don't have to search very far on this blog or talk to me for very long to learn that I have a passion for Civil War History. I love reading about the generals, the presidents, the spy's, the war strategies, the battles and I absolutely can't get enough of dragging my family to as many Civil War sights as possible. As I have also mentioned on numerous occasions, Virginia is full of Civil War history. And Virginia was indisputably Southern.  A few weeks ago we spent the day in Richmond. I had been wanting to visit the capital of Virginia and the Confederacy for some time. Our first stop was the Museum of the Confederacy and Jefferson Davis' Southern White House.  These two places are smack dab in the city center and in the middle of VCU's campus.  It is a diverse neighborhood ethnically, economically and educationally. In fact, I am almost 100% sure I saw Uncle Si from Duck Dynasty chatting up a very distinguished looking doctor. Anyway,  I felt a little awkward going into the museum and the Davis' home.  I caught more than a few disgusted stares focused in our direction and it made me wonder if I was projecting some sort of tolerance for the worst that the Confederacy had believed in, in my own countenance.  The stares and whispers made me completely insecure about my choice to haul my children into such a place and a little embarrassed to tell people what we did with our free day.  I have been given strange looks and reprimanding lectures regarding visiting these places before. I've been teased a little-all in good fun- I think, but in the midst of all that good-natured-fun-poking,  I have essentially been called a racist for patronizing anything Confederate. I always thought that was a pretty big leap. Maybe I am wrong. With the exception of a few places in the deep south, I have felt like most of these landmarks have presented a straight-forward and unbiased look at both sides of the war, the ugliness of slavery, and the fact that racism existed on both sides of the Mason Dixon Line. I'm not really sure our schools have attempted to portray that same image.  Atley came home last year after studying Virginia history ashamed to be a Virginian. I was infuriated by the preferential way history was being presented to him. He was later given a state wide test that asked the question. "Who invented the Cotton Gin?"  Most of us would reply Eli Whitney. However, in an effort to promote equality there most be an equal number of African American answers as white American answers.  The answer to who invented the cotton gin was Eli Whitney's slave.  Apparently, watching him work tirelessly in the fields provided Whitney with the inspiration he needed to follow through with his plans. Therefore, the slave should be credited with the invention. Say what?  Am I crazy to think that is a totally bizarre and bogus concept. I want my children to see both sides of life in 1860's America and 2015 America. I think they will realize that with the exception of Slavery in the south, both sides had good points and terrible ones, righteous men and evil men.  I feel like those principles apply to any group, religious, ethnic or otherwise in today's society as well. Am I wrong? Is there something immoral about learning about and discussing the confederacy? Finding some redeeming qualities in some of its' best leaders?   Maybe so.  Anyhow, I'm certainly being made to feel that way.

 We also visited Hollywood Cemetery where President James Monroe and John Tyler are buried along with many famous Confederate Generals including JEB Stuart.  His grave is pictured above. Below is the graveside of Jefferson Davis and his family.  The cemetery is in a lovely spot overlooking the James River.

 

Ever notice that children during this time period always wore dresses and long hair regardless of sex.  On this trip, I learned that boys wore dresses until they were six years old. Above is Robert E. Lee. How did you tell the difference between a boy and girl? A girl's hair was parted down the middle while a boy's hair was always parted on the side.

If you want to read an excellent book on the Civil War and its influence on the lives of southerners both black and white, even in the present day, this is my favorite book on Civil War History.

If you want to learn a little, but mostly just want to be romanced by a young Patrick Swayze, you must watch the mini-series North & South! One of my favorite moves of all time.

A Birthday at Gettysburg

That title sounds pretty morbid, right?  Anyway, the first stop on Atley's birthday trip was Gettysburg.  Immediately, the boys chose opposing sides of the war dressing up like Johnny Reb and Billy Yank. I can imagine as young Virginian's in 1861, the boys may have made a similar choice.  Atley is a staunch federalist and Nash is always the rebel. As you can see in the pictures below, Johnny Reb had a bit too much fun with his sling-shot, even torturing Honest Abe and pretending to eliminate Yankee troops on the Cyclorama painting.

 After watching the film, visiting the museum and the cyclorama at the visitor's center we bought an audio tour from the gift shop and drove around the enormous battlefield ourselves.  I definitely recommend this option for anyone traveling with kids. You can make your tour as long (up to six hours) or as short as you need/want it to be.

Gettysburg is the world's largest statuary garden, with almost 1,400 monuments dedicated to different men and regiments. I took many pictures of monuments most more impressive than those above, but these were the kid's favorites. Top Left:  During the first day of the three day battle a large oak tree stood in that spot.  Receiving a direct cannon hit the tree was decapitated leaving behind only a tall stump.  When the top of the tree fell, a bird's nest also fell out of one of the branches with three baby birds.  In the middle of the battle a Union Soldier picked up the nest and put it on top of the stump.  Several minutes later the mother bird came back with worms for her babies, just like the battle around her wasn't even an issue. Top Right:  Atley standing at the spot where Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg address.  As a side note I had to memorize that address in third grade for hitting my teacher in the back with a spit wad.

Bottom:  Harley picking flowers to give to the puppy named Sally who died on the battlefield with the Pennsylvania Infantry.

When you read about the Battle of Gettysburg you read about the Peach Orchard and the Wheat Field and of course Big and Little Round Top.  Above the boys played on the rocks of Little Round top where the Union Troops dug in and had a significant geographical advantage over the confederates below.  

The National Cemetery at Gettysburg is a remarkably moving place. I felt fortunate and grateful to be there over Memorial Day weekend. My pictures do no justice to the amount of graves filled with unidentified soldiers. A few, mostly Union graves,  have names but most graves are simply numbers and with 51,000 casualties at Gettysburg the numbers grow larger and larger as you walk through each row.  Each section of the cemetery is marked by a section of poem called the Bivouac of the Dead. Four stanzas from the poem is pictured above. It reads:

The Muffled drum's sad roll has beat

The Soldier's last tattoo;

No more on life's parade shall meet

That Brave and fallen few

On Fame's eternal camping-ground

Their silent tents are spread,

And Glory guards, with solemn round

The bivouac of the dead.

Your own proud lands heroic soil

Must be your fitter grave

She claims from war his biggest spoil

The ashes of the Brave

Rest on Embalmed and Sainted Dead

Dear as the blood you gave

No impious footstep here shall tread

The herbage of your grave.

Arlington House

I owed Atley a day to skip school since his little brother had one several weeks ago and apparently we keep close track of who gets to miss more school and "it must be even."  I think my sons might be socialists.  Anyway, Atley had to settle for a half-day excursion.  We went to Arlington Cemetery to visit the home of Robert E. Lee.  It has been on his Civil War To-Do-List for a while.  I envision him as an old man spending his retirement participating in Civil War Battle Reenactments every weekend.

One of the most interesting things we have discovered about Virginia architecture is how they created  faux stone finishes. At Arlington House and Mt. Vernon, it looks like the structure is built of stone but it is actually planks of wood with a paint and sand mixture to create the look of stone. 

We learned that years after the sting of the Civil War was over the U.S. Government built the bridge you can see in the distant background.  It provided a straight line of sight from Robert E. Lee's home to the Lincoln Memorial to demonstrate how we became united as a nation once again.

Atley at JFK's grave trying to figure out the whole Eternal Flame thing!