Sunday, November 16, 2008

Gettysburg Semester: Richmond Trip (Appomattox Court House)

We headed out early for the final day of our Richmond weekend. Our only stop for the day was Appomattox Court House where Lee finally surrendered to Grant's Union forces. At the visitor center (located in the court house itself) we met our guide, Bert Dunkerly, who took us on a tour of the village. Many of the original buildings still stand and others are reconstructed. Unfortunately for us it had finally decided to feel like November and the wind was really cold. It didn't dampen our enthusiasm though.

Bert took us from one end of the village, where the battle was fought on April 9, to the other end, where Grant and Lee met a second time and also where the parade began in the surrender ceremony. In between we saw the McLean house where the surrender terms were drawn up and signed and the tavern where over 28,000 paroles were printed for the Confederate soldiers. When our tour was done we were let loose to explore the buildings and exhibits on our own. It was really awesome to be able to stand in the same room as Grant and Lee had stood. After lunch and a treat at Dairy Queen we boarded back into the van for the long ride back to Gettysburg.

The war may have ended for Generals Grant and Lee at Appomattox, but our journey is not over yet. After our break for Thanksgiving, we go to the nation's capital...Washington DC!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Gettysburg Semester: Richmond Trip (Cold Harbor & Petersburg)

Our first battlefield on the second day of our Richmond trip was Cold Harbor where we were led by our own Dr. Allen C. Guelzo. We quickly shed our coats in the unseasonable warm weather and followed him on a very nice trail through the woods that covered the former battlefield. Unfortunately, only a very small area of the battlefield remains and that is covered in thick woods. So, while it was nice to walk through the woods, it was very hard to see the battlefield. A good portion of the trenches were preserved in that area, however, so that helped a lot. Dr. Guelzo took us through the battles on June 1 and June 3 that constituted the third thrust of Grant in his Overland Campaign. After walking the trail where the II and VI Union Corps attacked, we headed down a bit farther to where the XVIII Corps attacked. Our final stop was at the only monument on the battlefield, that of the 2nd Connecticut Heavy Artillery which constituted the majority of the force attacking on June 1 and took heavy casualties.

After lunch we made our way to Petersburg to cover the final stop of the Overland Campaign. Here the two armies settled into a siege that lasted 9 months and 18 days and sounded the death knell for the Confederacy. At the visitor center we met up with our guide for the afternoon, Randy Watkins. The first thing he did was drill us on the 12-pounder Napoleon outside the visitor center door. We made a lot of mistakes the first time, but by the third try we were making progress! Then we headed to a reconstructed fortification where he drilled us with wooden muskets. It was confusing at first, but a lot of fun! That done we settled down to learn about the siege and its battles.

We went to three different forts along the Union line-Fort Stedman, Fort Wadsworth, and Fort Fisher where battles occurred at different times. The forts are only rows of grassy mounds now, but we could still get a sense of the life led during the siege. Probably the stop that we were all looking forward to most was the Crater. This is where the Union dug a 511-foot tunnel under the Confederate works, filled it with 8,000 pounds of gunpowder, and blew it up killing 318 Confederates and creating a huge crater in the ground. Even though we got stuck in a rainstorm at this stop we were excited to see the reconstructed entrance to the tunnel and then the Crater itself. It doesn't look like much now, just a big grassy depression, but it must have looked amazing when it first happened. Once darkness forced us off the field we said goodbye to Randy and headed off to dinner at the Brickhouse run in Petersburg.

Tomorrow is our last day of the three day tour and we are fittingly covering the last day of the eastern campaign.....Appomattox Court House.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Gettysburg Semester: Richmond Trip (Wilderness & Spotsylvania)

We started off bright and early for our three day weekend trip to the Richmond area in Virginia. We left the Appleford at 7:00 for the two-and-a-half hour drive to our first stop at the Wilderness. I slept the entire way down so getting stuck in traffic for an hour didn't bother me at all. We picked up our guide for the day, Don Phanz, at Chancellorsville and headed off to the Wilderness.

We began at Elwood where Don introduced us to the Union side of the battle and we paid tribute to Stonewall Jackson (even though that was technically connected to the Battle of Chancellorsville) by visiting the place where his amputated arm is buried. We talked about Warren a great deal here since this was his Headquarters in the Wilderness, and after Don said that he liked limericks Dr. Guelzo tried his hand at creating one about Warren himself. Then we went to Saunder's Field were the Battle of the Wilderness began. There Don covered the Confederate side of the campaign and the beginning of the battle. We followed the Confederate lines from the Orange Turnpike to the Orange Plank Road were we visited the Chewning and Widow Tapp's Farms. Heading down the Orange Plank Road we followed the path of Longstreet's advance and saw where he was accidently wounded by his own men. After covering the other end of the battle at the intersection of the Brock Road we headed towards Spotsylvania Courthouse for lunch.

After lunch at the Courthouse Café we headed to the location of Sedgwick's death to begin the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse. He was killed on the approach to Laurel Hill where the battle would begin, the Confederates having beaten the Federals to Spotsylvania Courthouse. Laurel Hill would form half of the battlefield where several Union assaults would occur over the days of the battle. Then we went to the famous "Mule Shoe" salient in the Confederate lines. Don took us first to the center of the salient where the first Union assault was led by Upton through the Confederate lines. He gave us an overview of the attacks there on May 10th and 12th and then we went to "Bloody Angle" where Union and Confederate troops fought hand-to-hand for 20 hours on May 12th. We got to go down behind a line of reconstructed earthworks that were the beginnings of the lines of gentle mounds that line the field today.

Our last stop was at Massaponax Church were O'Sullivan's famous picture was taken of Grant and Meade with their subordinates. Then we headed south for dinner and some well deserved rest. Tomorrow we go to Cold Harbor and Petersburg!

Friday, November 7, 2008

Gettysburg Semester: Gettysburg (Day 3)

Ranger John Heiser met us at the Appleford to begin our third and final tour of Gettysburg (at least with the Semester-I know this won't be my last time!). We started out with a drive around the battlefield looking at the Culp Farm, the Bushman Farm, and the Trostle Farm to understand the toll the battle took on local farmers. Then we headed back into town to learn about the impact on the town and its citizens. He took us through streets and alleys to see the railroad station, the GAR post, and several churches that had been used as hospitals. The impact of civilians was told through stories, such as the story of Sally Mires, a 20-year old schoolteacher who worked with the wounded for several days in St. Francis Xavier Church even though the first time she entered she had broken down and had to leave.


After a tasty lunch at O'Rorke's and ice cream at Kilwin's we met up with our second guide, Ranger Scott Hartwig, who would lead us through Pickett's Charge. We started at the Union lines where Scott got us oriented to where the battle stood on the morning of July 3rd and who the troops were that would defend the ridge against the famous assault of Pickett, Pettigrew, and Trimble. Then we walked over to the Confederate side to get that perspective of the day's battle. There Scott told us about the problems with command and communication the Confederates faced that day and how the charge was decided on and organized. Then we walked the path of Pickett's Division back to the Union line. This was made all the more realistic by our own walking casualty. Amy gamely walked, or should I say hobbled, the two miles on her bad ankle. The dedication of the Confederate men that made the original assault lives on!

We ended the day near the Angle and the Copse of Trees where Armistead broke through the Union lines and was repelled. Here I presented on my 69th Pennsylvania boys who single-handedly pushed the Confederates back! Ok, maybe I exaggerate, but they were crucial in the fighting that took place there.

The Battle of Gettysburg would end with the ill-fated charge of the Confederates. Pickett's Charge was also the end of our three day tour of Gettysburg. Fortunately, it does not mark the end of our field experience trips and next week we are going to the Richmond area for a three day tour!!