Virginia – A Traveling Fool

January 3, 2021

Virginia: The Battle of New River Bridge, the Village of Newport and the Village of Appomattox Courthouse

In fall of 2017 I was invited out to Virginia to visit one of my cousins and his family. As part of my visit (since they know I love history) we visited the site of the American Civil War Battle of New River Bridge, the also nearby village of Newport, and took a drive to where the Civil War ended — Appomattox Courthouse.

Not far from where my cousin lives was the town of Radford, Virginia. Just outside of town, the Battle of New River Bridge was fought in May of 1864. Although called the New River, it is actually one of the oldest river systems in the world, coming in second to the Nile River in Egypt.

For strategic reasons, the Union decided it needed to burn the covered, wooden, railroad bridge spanning the New River. As the Federal troops approached, the outnumbered Confederates retreated across the river. An artillery battle took place for several hours while Union soldiers placed several rail cars containing hay inside of the covered bridge. During the artillery barrage, Captain Michael Egan of the 15^th West Virginia Infantry Regiment (which was on the side of the Union) swam out, climbed the piers of the bridge and set it on fire. Well over a hundred years later I photographed what was left.

Also near Blacksburg, was the village of Newport. They had a lovely covered road bridge, dating from 1916, as well as a very old, antebellum (pre-Civil War) church.

The tiny Virginia village of Appomattox Courthouse was the site of the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse and the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee (Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia) to Union General Ulysses S. Grant (Commander of the Army of the Potomac).

The village started out in roughly 1819 as Clover Hill, named after its tavern. By 1845, it was determined that it would be the county seat for Appomattox County and so the Appomattox Courthouse building was constructed across the road from the Clover Hill Tavern. A jail was built behind the courthouse.

After abandoning Richmond, General Lee hoped to meet up with some of the other Confederate troops. By the time he reached Appomattox Courthouse, he encountered Union troops commanded by General Philip Sheridan instead and found himself involved in the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse.

As more Federal troops arrived, Lee found his troops seriously outnumbered and trapped with no avenue for escape or retreat, he realized he was going to have to surrender. Brigadier General Joshua Chamberlain of Maine collected the Confederate arms, but the troops were allowed to keep their horses and other possessions and go home.

We began our visit at the Old Appomattox Courthouse, which held some exhibits, and had an introductory message regarding what we would be seeing. Then we headed for the Clover Hill Tavern to listen to a reenactor talk about his experience in the battle and during the surrender. It was a really hot day and we we gathered on the front porch to catch whatever breeze there was. Back in the day, the tavern had also been a stagecoach inn.

After listening to the reenactor, we went on to explore the rest of the village. This included a few houses, a law office and a general store. The other major structure was the McLean House (and outbuildings), where the formal surrender took place.

Wilmer McLean was a wholesale grocer (who made his living during the war as a sugar broker for the Confederacy) who originally lived near Manassas, Virginia. One of the first battles of the war (the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861) took place on his farm. Afterwards, he moved to Appomattox Courthouse to escape the war only to receive a knock on his door in 1865 asking him if his home could be used for the surrender. He said afterwards that, “The war began in my front yard and ended in my front parlor.”

The McLean House had been restored back in the 1940s and furnished with as many original pieces as could be found. The parlor was recreated to appear as it did at the time of the surrender, based upon a painting. There were also a separate cookhouse and slave quarters.

I found the entire village to be fascinating to explore. There was nothing modern there. It was all historic. There was a definite feeling of “stepping back in time”. I had visited a fair amount of Virginia before — Yorktown, Jamestown, Williamsburg, Alexandria, Mount Vernon, Richmond, Monticello, and Fredericksburg — some with Colonial connections, some with American Revolution connections, some with American Civil War connections and some with links to all three eras. So much history in Virginia.

Next time – since I didn’t have the opportunity to travel in 2018, 2019 or 2020, I am beginning a series on memorable experiences while traveling. I do have a trip booked for later in 2021, so will have new adventures to report on afterwards.

March 10, 2019March 10, 2019

Virginia: Richmond, Monticello & Shenandoah

The site of Richmond, Virginia was once a Powhatan Village. Some of the settlers from Jamestown moved up the river to join the Native Americans there in the early 1600s. By 1737, the village of Richmond was formed. During the American Revolution, it displaced Williamsburg (which had displaced Jamestown) as the capitol of Virginia.

It was in St John’s Church, where the House of Burgesses from Williamsburg was meeting after having been kicked out of Williamsburg by the Royal Governor, where Patrick Henry gave his famous “give me liberty, or give me death” speech. This church was built in 1741, replacing a couple of earlier churches. The first one was Henrico Parish Church, which had been built in 1611. This church was the first college in the American Colonies. It also educated the children of the Native Americans there.

Pocahantas was held captive nearby. But was baptized (taking the name “Rebecca”) at the Henrico Parish Church and married John Rolfe there. They established a plantation across the river. When the town of Henricus, along with the church, were destroyed in the Massacre of 1622 (and never rebuilt) a new church was built at the Rolfe Plantation. Once Richmond was founded, the present church was built in an area that became known as Church Hill.

It was during the Second Virginia Convention at St John’s Church, which was attended by all the important Virginia delegates, including Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Benjamin Harrison V, Thomas Mann Randolph, Richard Bland, Richard Henry Lee, Francis Lightfoot Lee, that Patrick Henry gave his historic speech. By the time of the Third Virginia Convention, Patrick Henry found himself elected as the first Governor of Virginia while George Washington was appointed as head of the American Army.

During the Revolution, Benedict Arnold housed his troops in St John’s Church. A signer of the Declaration of Independence, George Wythe, is buried in the churchyard. He was also the first law professor in the US and a delegate to the Continental Congress. Edgar Allan Poe’s mother was buried in the churchyard as well, but the location of her grave is not known.

I was moved to be in that church, which wasn’t a replica, but the actual site of such important US history. We had the time to walk around in the neighborhood next to the church, which was also authentic and dated back to the time when the church was built.

From there, we visited the Capitol Building, designed by Thomas Jefferson with the help of French architect, Charles-Louis Clerisseau. It was built at the summit of a hill and completed in 1788. The House of Burgesses moved in and became the Virginia General Assembly.

The building survived the Civil War, despite its role as the capitol of the Confederacy. But the gallery and floor of the large courtroom on the second floor collapsed in 1870. Instead of being demolished, the Capitol was repaired and two wings were added. A short distance from the Capitol, in Capitol Square, Is a large, equestrian monument to George Washington.

We had lunch in Charlottesville on our way to Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello. Designed by Jefferson himself and built in 1772, the house is one of the most interesting I have ever seen. He had so many inventions and contraptions all over the house that were way ahead of their time. I really liked his bedroom, which had a bed built in an alcove as part of the wall between two rooms – his bedroom and his study.

After coming in through the original main entrance, our group (there were a lot of people in the house) was taken into the library. I ended up at the very back of the room, next to a very old looking chair. We were pretty well packed in. This was one time when being short was a good thing. Because I couldn’t be seen, was behind everyone else, and didn’t need to bend down at all, I was able to caress the arm of the chair.

Later in the talk that the guide was giving, he mentioned the chair next to which I was standing as being one of Jefferson’s favorite chairs that he sat in often. Yay! Although I do usually stick to the rules and keep my hands off, this was one time it was just too tempting, especially since my hip was already up against the side of the arm in that very crowded room.

Even if photography had been allowed, there were so many people it wouldn’t have been possible to get a decent photo anyway. We could take photos of the kitchens and outbuildings.

Once we toured the inside of the house, we had free time to explore the grounds. I headed along Mulberry Row, which contained a lot of the service buildings and the slave quarters for the house slaves. Several gardens were also along the path to the family graveyard where Jefferson’s grave is located. Once again I hiked all over the area to see as much as I could, then finished up at the visitor’s center.

When I was a kid, I saw a film called “Shenandoah” starring Jimmy Stewart. In addition to its Civil War setting and its anti-war theme, I remember being impressed by the beauty of the scenery. Come to find out much later that it was filmed out in Oregon, not in Virginia. Oh, well. I was still really looking forward to taking the Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park. A very heavy thunderstorm hit shortly after we left Monticello and didn’t begin to clear until we reached the entrance of the park. That was a relief as visibility had been quite bad up to that point and I didn’t like the idea of driving along a road high up in the mountains in heavy rain.

We had quite a drive before we arrived at Skyland Lodge, our quarters for the night. The lodge was built in 1895, which was before the park existed. It had cabins and lodges scattered around the property. The lodge in which I was staying had beautiful views of the Shenandoah River Valley below. That was what I had been waiting to see and it was truly gorgeous.

It was a relatively short walk from my room to the building containing the dining room. I decided to just go simple and southern with fried chicken for dinner. Along with dinner, I sampled some Virginia bourbon with orange juice and lemonade. It was quite tasty, despite the fact that I tend to prefer vodka, rum or tequila in my cocktails. While perusing the menu a little further, I discovered that they offered moonshine. Since the Appalachians were where moonshine (a clear, unaged whiskey mostly made from corn mash) was mainly distilled, I figured I couldn’t not give it a try. So I had some moonshine with lemonade as an after dinner drink.

It went down smooth and was quite delicious. It had a higher alcoholic content than most other hard liquors, but didn’t taste like it – not at first. As time went on, however, the effects began to be felt. Then it sucker-punched me! Wow! I was glad that I wasn’t alone and walked back to the lodge I was in with others in my group whose rooms were nearby. My friends, Gaye and Judy, however, were in another part of the resort.

The effects just increased. By the time I got into my room, I was feeling might tipsy. So, I got ready for bed, set my alarm for the morning, and went to sleep. The next day, we continued along Skyline Drive to the north, stopping off at Hazel Mountain Overlook to take some photos and look at the spectacular views.

Next time – complete immersion in the Civil War at Harper’s Ferry and Gettysburg.

St John’s in Richmond
Grave of George Wythe
Inside St John’s
St John’s Interior
Where Patrick Henry gave his speech
Neighborhood of St John’s
Capitol Building at Richmond
Statue of George Washington
Monticello
Monticello – another view
Another angle of Monticello
Kitchen at Monticello
Mulberry Row at Monticello
Jefferson’s Grave
View from Skyland Lodge
View from Hazel Mountain Overlook

March 3, 2019March 3, 2019

Virginia: Alexandria, Mount Vernon, Yorktown, Jamestown & Williamsburg

Alexandria, Virginia – now basically a DC suburb – was a major slave trading port with one of the largest slave markets in the country. The building that housed the offices of a slave trading company is now a museum called Freedom House. Some of the auctions were held in front of the Town Hall. Our stop in Alexandria was brief — just long enough to see the Town Hall and a little of the Old Town.

The land on which Mount Vernon stands was acquired by George Washington’s great-grandfather in the 1600s. The view from the house across the Potomac River is gorgeous. What a lovely place to live! No wonder Washington was anxious to get home after he was President. We were able to tour most of the house (though not allowed to take photos other than in the kitchen). I walked around the property, looking at everything. Once I paid my respects at George and Martha’s graves, I went back to the porch and sat in one of the rocking chairs, taking in the views until it was time to leave.

We had lunch at Spotsylvania Courthouse, location of a Civil War battle in 1864. The 20 hour battle ended in a stalemate and three cemeteries full of bodies.

Our afternoon was spent at Yorktown. Founded in 1691 as a port town, Yorktown was the site of British General Cornwallis’ surrender to George Washington during the American Revolution in 1781. This was also the battle when Washington finally caved in to Alexander Hamilton and let him take command. One of the photos I have from there is of a redoubt where Hamilton fearlessly led the charge. In town were several buildings that were there at the time of the Revolution, including a house (the Nelson house) with a cannonball still imbedded in the wall. Down below the town, is a cave that Cornwallis used as his headquarters.

We spent the night in Williamsburg, not too far from the historic part of town. We could actually walk there. It would have been a long walk, but we could still walk there. Since I had walked all over Mount Vernon and Yorktown (I covered the entire battlefield as well as the town), I didn’t feel the need to walk all the way into town that evening. So I grabbed some food near the hotel and watched a movie in my room.

Jamestown was our first stop for the day. The first settlement there was begun in 1607 when the ships Susan Constant, Discovery, and Godspeed arrived in what later became Virginia. The settlement had a pretty rocky time. Its location was swampy with loads of mosquitos and brackish water. The settlers arrived in the middle of a major drought and too late in the year to plant anything. Most of the group were gentlemen and their servants, none of whom were used to manual labor. Seems that this idea was not too well thought out. In a few months, roughly 80% of the group was dead.

Although another group arrived in 1608, many of them ran off to join the Powhatan tribes, so the settlers were in dire straights by 1609. This was when the Sea Venture led several other ships to rescue Jamestown. Unfortunately, they encountered a hurricane and ended up stranded in Bermuda for nearly a year while they built new ships. They finally arrived at Jamestown in 1610.

1609 and 1610 are remembered as the Starving Time. There wasn’t much left of the settlement by the time the people from the Sea Venture finally arrived. But their arrival saved what was left of the colony. There is an interesting book about it titled The Shipwreck That Saved Jamestown. This story is also considered to have been the basis for Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest”.

My first ancestor to arrive in what eventually became the US (and my 11^th great grandfather on my paternal grandmother’s side) was on the Sea Venture, survived the hurricane, and arrived in Jamestown on the Deliverance in 1610. He stuck around for a couple years and headed back to London in 1612. In 1620, he decided to give it another try and sailed across again with his second wife and children from both his first and second wives. I’m descended from a daughter by his first wife.

I would have really liked to have seen the remains of the original settlement that is known as Historic Jamestown, but we were taken to the recreation of the colony known as Jamestown Settlement. A Powhatan village was been reconstructed just outside of the settlement. They also have replicas of the three original ships and of the settlement itself as it would have been in 1610 through 1614. It was very interesting to see. Sometime, though, I would still like to visit the actual settlement.

After spending the morning at Jamestown, we returned to Williamsburg for the remainder of the day. I had been to Williamsburg before on an earlier trip, but we ran out of time before we could tour the Governor’s Palace. So this time, immediately after lunch (which was at the same end of town as the Governor’s Palace) I made my way there first.

To try to keep from having too many people in the building at the same time, they gather groups in the courtyard. Then, when one group has pretty much exited, they let another in. Fortunately we did not need to stay with our group and gather around a tour guide. We could wander through at our own pace. There were placards to read and costumed guides who could answer question and would bring our attention to something they especially thought we should see or learn about. Since we had all afternoon, I took my time.

Making several stops along the way, I walked from the Governor’s Palace to the House of Burgesses at the other end of town and back again. I stopped in at the Brickyard (brick making), the Blacksmith shop and Armory (making horseshoes, tools, weapons and nails), the Joinery (finishing work on doors, windows, fireplace mantels), the Gunsmith shop (gun making), the Apothecary (pharmacy), the Bindery (book binding), the Coopers (barrel making), the cabinetmakers (furniture making), the Wheelwright (wheel making), the Foundry (creating objects in brass, bronze, pewter and silver), and a Shoemakers (making shoes and boots). I also visited some of the houses that were open to the public, such as the Everard House, the Geddy House, the Wythe House, and the Peyton Randolph House.

There were also several costumed interpreters portraying historical figures such as Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, James Madison, and George Washington, and others playing various townspeople, soldiers, and slaves. Had a nice chat with a housemaid at the Governor’s Palace, a soldier at the parade ground, a free black woman, and Thomas Jefferson, in addition to some of the people at the different shops and workshops. All in all, a fun day.

That evening, we went back into town to have dinner at the Shields Tavern, where we had an 18^th century style southern dinner accompanied by 18^th century music. We also had a few actors playing patriots who were doing a little rebel-rousing. After breakfast at the hotel, we had an interpreter give us information on the life of a slave at that time.

Next time – Richmond, Monticello and the Shenandoah National Park.