Petersberg and Richmond, Virginia

We made it to Virginia! I can't believe we have traveled this far! I really feel far away from home right now. Alex and I spent some time in Historic Petersberg. It was basically the Capital of the Confederate Nation during the Civil War. The town definitely has a very "old town" feel to it. There are lots of old brick buildings, some are preserved nicely and others need a little work done. The weather was nice while in Petersberg, sunny blue skies, not to hot or cold.

Historic Petersberg

Historic Petersberg

Old Train Station

Old Historical Building

The best part was driving/walking through Petersberg National battlefield. It is a really big area, I think 8 miles in length. The neat thing about the Battlefield was that both Union and Confederate armies occupied the battle field and were in very close proximity of each other for the last nine months of the war. Numerous battles were fought. The Confederates eventually surrendered and that was the end of the war.

Old Wagon at Petersberg Battlefield

Petersberg Battlefield

The Union Army shot this canon almost daily into Petersberg

This is where they kept the ammunition for the canon that blasted into the town of Petersburg

A soldiers cooking meal

What is left of a Union Fort

One particular battle that was fought in Petersberg was the Crater Hill Battle and it ended up being a Confederate victory which the South was very proud of. About half a dozen monuments were erected at the spot where the battle took place praising the Confederate Victory after the war was over. It's funny because I didn't see very many other monuments erected in the Petersburg Battlefield for the Union victories won there, which most of the battles there were Union Victories. The one significant battle that was won by the Confederates gets all the praise. Weird. Anyways, The Union forces built an underground tunnel and it ended right under the Confederate stronghold in Petersberg. The Unions packed the tunnel with dynamite and lit it ablast killing over 200 Confederates at the wee hours of the morning. It created a huge crater in the hill. The Union soldiers didn't have a plan of what they would do after the blast and many just stood there in amazement at the explosion. With the Union army just standing around staring in astonishment, it gave the Confederates just enough time to regroup and make a counter attack. The counter attack was pretty good because the Union army had to end up falling back due to the lack of planning. The tunnel took one month to dig and it was all for nothing. The numerous monuments around the site lets you know just how proud the Confederates were for that battle even though ultimately their war was lost.

The tunnel that lead to the Confederate Stronghold

We are in Richmond now. It is about 20 miles north of Petersberg. Richmond is the Capital of Virginia. It is a really big city and looks just as old as Petersberg. The condition is much the same, some nicely preserved buildings and others need work done. Alex and I went to the Virginia Historical Society Museum today. It was free and a total information overload. It is a really big museum and was full of all kinds of Virginia history. Virginia was the first permanently colonized British Colony. I don't even know where to start with what I learned there. Lots of stuff about the Civil War, Native American stuff, Slavery, Industrial Revolution, Civil Rights, Virginia economy, important political figures, Rich people in Virginia, and the list goes on. It was so much information that I think I forgot most of it. Funny how that works out. Learning all that history can be mentally exhausting.

Virginia State Capital Building

Writing a letter at the Musuem

Old Street Car

1830s Wagon Restored in the 1880s

Device to make Moonshine

This was a tiny lunch pail

I'm really excited about tomorrow because I get to see some of my family!!!!! My brother Micah and his wife Rachelle will be in Williamsburg and we are meeting them there. Williamsburg is near Jamestown. We will spend time with them there and then we are all going to drive to Washington DC on the 12th and spend a few more days with each other. Micah is a Combat Medic in the Army Reserves and is studying nursing. The major nursing training for the army is in DC, so he will spend the rest of his training there until I think next February. I am really looking forward to seeing them:D
It's such a good feeling to see familiar faces when traveling for such a long period.