Petersburg and Hopewell, Virginia on a hot day!
The morning air seemed light and breezy, and I thought we were in for some blessed relief! Not so much! We headed early to the Petersburg National Battlefield, deciding after researching the previous evening, that the Eastern Front would be the place to start. I had knew that on June 10 the visitor center was closed because they did not have air conditioning, but I assumed that would be corrected by now, and was looking forward to what was to be an excellent video explaining the 9 month long siege that occurred here during the Civil War. Well, still closed! Could it be they don't HAVE air conditioning??? I find that hard to believe, but realized later that I was so disappointed, I exclaimed "STILL"?? when the gate attendant told us, but never thought to ask. At any rate, he gave us good advice, and we set out to see the earth works, mounds built up by the soldiers for protection, and canons, on a walk we would have done anyway.
Petersburg National Battlefield
"I would not have believed before I came here that man was capable of enduring so much."
Leverette Bradley, 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery
Lucky to have timed our visit on a day they were demonstrating bugling, we spent some time with a man in soldiers uniform who informed and demonstrated many of the 150 different bugle calls! Who knew!! I realized they would wake them up, send them in and put them to bed, but there were calls for each regiment, and section thereof, and to move this way or that, and different sizes of bugles with different sounds for each level of service! When I remarked it must have been difficult to remember all those calls, a park ranger informed us that they would drill and drill, and in between, drill some more, so they soon learned. The soldier said bugle calls would be heard all day during fighting, and I don't remember the number of buglers per soldier, but it was surprising.
Because even the Eastern Front of the battlefield is extensive, and can be covered by a driving route to the south, we decided to head north to Hopewell first, and see Apomatix Plantation, and what was General Grant's headquarters, and then return for the car tour, which would be back in the direction of our campsite. (Unfortunately, the Appomatix Courthouse is 2 hours west, so we will not see that this trip....we are headed north of course! ) But the walk was interesting and took us to a giant canon and its powder magazine, and we could hear the bugler demonstrating to others all the way out, which showed how far reaching his call.
 |
| The Dictator |
 |
| I found this actual photo of The Dictator at the Civil War Museum in Harrisburg! |
Appomatix Plantation and General Grant's Headquarters
Grant did not occupy the house, but rather set up tents on the property, and Abraham Lincoln paid a visit, and stood on the doorstep for a handshake and photo shoot with the General. Of course, I had Clem stand there for a photo! Large beautiful property out on the tip of a Peninsula, at the convergence of the James and Appomatix rivers, and we were allowed to see a few rooms and view a video inside. The family had fled in fear and taken many of their belongings, which were stored for four years before their return, so what furnishings were there were original. There was so much destruction, few homes and buildings remained, so it is rare to get a glimpse of authentic things. In t this case, the family and descendants occupied the home until 1976.
 |
| Lincoln shook hands with Grant on this spot, and is said to have shaken hands with 7000 soldiers during his visit here! |
 |
| I found this register interesting, with the decorative "box" . Turned out it was to dry gloves! |
 |
| This photo among the artifacts displayed of a woman not allowed to practice medicine, despite her degree, was so typical of the time. She served as a nurse, and many women disguised them selves as men in order to fight. |
Another mostly intact Plantation was not far away, and we decided to tour that before heading back south. A very awkward docent, dressed in polyester , and carrying her fat disheveled hand bag on her shoulder, ....apparently to handle the sets of keys for the various doors she would show us through, paused and stammered a bit, and often times just stared at us in uncomfortable silence, and we were the only ones on tour! Still, it was interesting to see a "middling" plantation, where the family was what might be called lower upper class, or upper middle class, reflected in the fact that the mansion was built of wood, rather than brick. The Georgian architecture, with its symmetry displayed throughout, had intricate wood work and archway on the lower level, which was surprising and attractive. Furnishings here were not original, but one of the families who lived here during the approach of the war left diaries, and the one from the 12 year old girl has been published. Oddly, it was not available in the strange gift shop, housed in a recreated laundry outbuilding, filled with boutique clothing and jewelry, not even a souvenir, and nothing to indicate that it had been a laundry! Here the family stayed during the war, and while they were safe, a canon ball did manage to lodge itself between the first and second floors, which was unknown until many years later, when it fell through the ceiling! A very strange experience of feeling like a waste of time (she was SO slow, and lacked answers to questions) and yet an interesting glimpse into a different lifestyle.
 |
| Photo taken with unidentified Union Soldiers on the lawn. |
After the plantations we were hot and tired and hungry, so we went for late lunch. Not the choice of restaurants here like in Charleston! We decided to not trust the few local places ( the ranger suggested an Asian take out place he liked!), and opted for a chain, where at least we knew what we were getting, and it turned out it was healthy,(calorie counts included), tasty, and quite satisfying! And COOL!!
We decided to head back and maybe do the rest of the battlefield drive.....or not..... and spied a local movie theatre. I looked it up, and they had two shows, one being Wonder Woman .....one of the only movies playing lately of any interest.....so we decided to go to a 4:00.
"Destination Theatre" shows movies only on weekends, and serves as a church Sunday mornings! The box office beckons you inside to get your ticket.....from the gal who is also serving the popcorn......and one huge space with lots of seats is what greets you when she tells you to just go ahead to the right, and the doors are open.
Time to head back to the coach, feed the kitties, and call it a night after a full day!
