Saturday - Appomattox & Lexington

Good first day of Civil War sightseeing. We got off to a rough start by visiting the Appomattox Visitors Center which makes you really, really not want to visit Appomattox.

We drove towards the Courthouse, but first stopped off to see Grant's headquarters which is nothing but a hill. 0 for 2.

We stopped at a graveyard next where 18 Confederates and one Union soldier were buried. Imagine being at the end of the war involved in a meaningless battle and being mortally wounded. There is a cool exhibit in the Appomattox museum about a guy writing about how he is going to die. So close to the finish line...

Finally we got to Appomattox Court House. The movie is a bit over-the-top in terms of how much the two sides loved and respected each other at the end of the war (though the war wasn't actually over). Apparently one guy saluted the American flag and said, "That is my flag now." Yeah right.

I really enjoyed the light bulb recreation of the final days from Petersburg to Appomattox. I love the Point Park light bulb show about how Chattanooga went down. It is like Lite Brite meets the Civil War. Win/win.

I learned a few tidbits to add to my lectures next year. I love the story of Ely Parker who was a Native American working for Grant at Lee's surrender. There was also some cool info about the paroles given to Confederates so they weren't shot or captured by Sherman's army in N.C. I even got my own parole card. Awesome.

I read that Appomattox has a bit of Colonial Williamsburg to it. It does. And it is cheesy. How does a grown man respond to a grown woman who asks if I have kin in these parts? Ryan and I dodged them the best we could.

The McLean House, where the formal surrender took place, was neat. The McLeans had nowhere to go while the two armies hung out in their front yard, so they just went upstairs. The house itself was taken apart to put on display in D.C. and then just left to looters or to rot. Weird.

We drove a miserably windy road from Appomattox to Lexington, VA. Ryan found a great bistro for lunch in a charming downtown. The crab cake sandwich I had was delicious. We then walked to the Stonewall House which wasn't worth the walk ($8 for a tour? Really?) We talked to the bookstore worker and moved over to VMI to see the Stonewall Jackson stuff.

I cannot imagine sending my kid to a military school like VMI. It looks like a prison and couldn't be less inviting. I'm sure it turns out good people (I know one VMI guy and he's solid), but I think I'd be terrified dropping my kid off there for college there. I've never really gotten over The Lords of Discipline from junior year summer reading either.

The Stonewall stuff at VMI was really cool. He was a professor there (not really loved from my understanding) before fighting for the Rebels. The VMI museum features his raincoat he was wearing at Chancellorsville when he was shot. The bullet hole in his left arm (amputated successfully before pneumonia got him) is clearly visible. Outside the museum are three cool statues - one of Jackson, one of VMI graduate George Marshall and one of "Virginia Mourning Her Dead" which recognizes VMI students who died serving the CSA (which apparently didn't want kids that young fighting and dying in the war). VMI was later burned by the Union army for no good reason. Damn Yankees.

We jogged over to Washington & Lee (and its weird swastika-looking symbol) to see Lee's Chapel. The chapel itself is underwhelming until you get back to sarcophagus of Robert E. Lee (who served as president after the end of the CSA). No photos allowed which is unfortunate. The museum downstairs is the home of Lee's grave as well as a good bookstore where I picked up a much-needed stuffed Robert E. Lee doll. Finally, we ventured outside to see Traveller's grave. I meant to bring an apple or carrot, but we ended up there before we went to a market. Oh well. Ryan offered some change to the grave.

From Lexington we drove to Frederick, MD. I entered West Virginia for the first time in my life which turned out to be much prettier than I imagined. We crossed the Potomac into Maryland before getting to Frederick. After a delicious pizza from Brewer's Alley, we are back at the hotel (which has a miniature golf course in the lobby?) getting ready for Gettysburg tomorrow.

Today was a nice warm-up, but the next two days at Gettysburg and Antietam are the main events. As Bart Scott would say, "Can't wait."

CC