Week 38 Sept 16-22

The Civil War

You cannot go through Virginia without seeing history.  Virginia was the home of the first permanent settlement in America and basically where the Civil War was fought.  You can't go far on any road without passing some sort of historical marker.  Eight Presidents were from Virginia and some would argue nine.  (FYI they are: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henery Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, Woodrow Wilson, and the some would argue Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America.)  So, Jenny and I decided to take a ride to a Civil War Battlefield.

 

 

 

We went to visit Saylor Creek, which was one of the last, if not the last major battle of the Civil War.  It was about a 90 ride from our house in Midlothian, and a beautiful day I might add.  The interseting thing to me was to realize the lose of hope and fleeting of the the Confederates during this time.  Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy had fallen and the Confederate Government had all but disbanded.  Robert E. Lee was in retreat in hopes to join with the remainder of the Confederate Army and regroup to continue the war.

From the northern perspective, the history of the Civil War seems matter of fact.  We know that some of our families went to a war, and some came home.  But here in Virginia, the Civil War happened.  Regardless of the side you were on at the time, you were a victim.  It was sort of enlightening.

The rest of our ride was nice.  Aiden went with me and Jen because I promised to take him on a ride, while the girls stayed home.  It was also nice to become more familiar with the area around Richmond. 

Oh!!!! And another thing!!! We drove by Tobacco fields.  We have never seen Tobacco growing before.  It was really cool.  Taller than you would expect and really leafy.  Check out the photos.