Civil War Memory

Jackson Park

Just returned from a relatively short bike ride through town.  I took a few photographs of the area around Court House Square including this one of Stonewall Jackson.  I much prefer this statue of Jackson as opposed to the Gold's Gym version up at Manassas; it has just the right proportions and nicely captures Jackson's prowess.  I would have taken some pictures of the Lee statue, but unfortunately a woman was relieving herself at the monument's base.  Well, I guess we all have our way of showing our appreciation for the good general.  Additional photos can be found here.

Biking Hanover County, Virginia

Today was absolutely gorgeous and a perfect opportunity to do a long bike tour.   Michaela and I decided to load the bikes up and head down to Hanover County, which is about 10 miles north of Richmond.  We parked behind the old Hanover Court House and made our way through parts of Hanover, Caroline, and King William Counties.  All in all we biked about 36 miles.  On the way we helped one turtle cross the road, spotted one fox, and outran one nasty dog.  Most of the roads are quiet with little traffic and the views are simply spectacular. Best of all this tour is very flat.  You won't come across too many historic sites, but there are plenty of old church buildings.  If you are interested in an excellent battlefield bike tour check out this post which covers our tour of parts of the Richmond National Battlefield Park. 

We finished around 4:30 and headed across the street to the Hanover Tavern which is  located in a historic building.  Since the weather was so pleasant we sat on the porch overlooking a Confederate statue, the old courthouse building and jail.  After dinner we headed back to Charlottesville and popped Marvin Gaye's What's Going On? into the car CD player.   We were "flying high in the friendly sky." 

 

Biking Virginia: Richmond

Yesterday my wife and I traveled to the Fort Harrison branch of the Richmond National Battlefield Park for a 33-mile tour - our longest tour yet.  The weather was very pleasant with temperatures in the low 70's and a light breeze.  While at Fort Harrison I ran into Mike Andrus who is an employee with the Park Service.  Mike and I were on a panel together last year at Virginia State University on African Americans in the Civil War. He has been working on a detailed history of U.S.C.T.'s at the battle of New Market.  We rode out onto Kingsland Rd. and made our way towards Malvern Hill which served as our first break at mile 12.  We stopped for a bit and I interpreted the site for my wife who actually knows quite a bit about the Civil War.  This was my first trip to Malvern Hill since 2002 when I walked the battlefield as part of my research on Col. John Bowie Magruder and the 57th Virginia who took part in the battle.  Magruder provides a detailed account of the battle and I was able to point out the spot to my wife where Magruder and the rest of his unit took cover during their advance.

From Malvern Hill we headed up the Willis Church Rd. and stopped for a few minutes at the Glendale Visitor Center and Cemetery.  I've actually never stopped at this location so I decided to take a couple photographs.  It is a very pleasant and peaceful spot; I was not aware that soldiers from other wars were also buried alongside those from the Civil War.  The nicest part of this ride is the consistently flat terrain.  Once on the Darbytown Rd it was smooth sailing for the next 12 miles.  The roads are relatively quiet, but you do need to ride defensively.  The final stretch runs along Osborn Turnpike and takes you right back to Fort Harrison.  Much of the ride provides clear views of earthworks and the last few miles takes you by Forts Harrison, Johnson, and Hoke.

Once back at our car we loaded up the bikes and spent a few minutes walking through Fort Harrison.  There were a number of reenactors camped inside the fort.  I took a few pictures as they seemed to be looking for the attention.  I struck up a conversation with one reenactor who was dressed in a Union uniform.  I commented that it was nice to see a "Yankee" down here in these parts and he smiled and said that he was actually with the 15th Virginia.  Of course, I should have known that there is always a shortage of Union reenactors, which he quickly confirmed.  He was nice enough to take a photo with me.

All in all it was a great day.  The legs were a bit sore, but I can definitely feel my stamina and energy increasing.  The successful completion of a 40-50 mile tour doesn't seem to be that far in the near future.  I don't know how I would organize it, but a quick look at the map suggests that a bike ride from Fort Harrison all the way up to Gaines' Mill and Cold Harbor is feasible.  The route would take me right through White Oak Swamp and over the Chickahominy River at the Grapevine Bridge.  If only the nice weather sticks around for a few more weeks, anything is possible.

Biking Virginia: Waynesboro

A few weeks ago Michaela and I bought road bikes.  We've been thinking about it for some time and finally decided to give it a shot.  We ended up buying bikes built by LeMond and have been enjoying them immensely.  I am getting to the point where regular running is beginning to take a toll on my knees so the biking is much more pleasant.  It's also a great way to spend time together and connect with nature.  We bought a book of bike tours for the state and are working our way through what are called "Rambles."  Rambles are of varying distances, but the most important point is that there are no steep climbs.  A few weeks ago we attempted our first Ramble of 22 miles just south of Staunton in Middleburg.  It was incredibly   hot, but the views of the mountains were simply spectacular. 

Today we drove from Charlottesville over to Waynesboro for a 27-mile Ramble.  Although it was cloudy the temperature made for perfect touring weather.  Waynesboro is definitely a city in flux.  The downtown area is still being re-developed and there are some very poor areas on the edge of town.   There is only one steep climb, but once over it the remainder of the tour includes gentle climbs around Clark's Mountain.  Again, the views are breathtaking, but the neighborhoods are a strange mix of trailer homes, older homes, and these new developments of mansion-size homes with absolutely no character.  People are definitely moving into the area, but if they hope to capture a bit of the rural life they may in fact end up destroying it.   Around mile 17 we stopped for a bite to eat and finished the final 10 with little difficulty.  It was a great workout and I felt rejuvenated once finished. 

Next week Michaela and I are going to drive down to the area east of Richmond and do a 37-mile "Cruise" that will take us through many of the sites of the Seven Days Battles.  I will definitely take more pictures.  Hopefully they will turn out better than todays.