Petersburg National Battlefield (April 16)

After the massive storms of Saturday April 16 (which spawned tornadoes in both North Carolina and Virginia, killing many) awoke on Sunday April 17 to a day of blue skies. I went to Petersburg National Battlefield with two friends to see the site of the Civil War siege (which was the longest recorded on American soil). The battle lasted from June 9, 1864-March 25, 1865. Old Blandford Church, just outside the battlefield has buried among others some 30,000 Confederate Soldiers. Its windows are memorials to the states of the Confederacy and were done by Lewis Comfort Tiffany. The church was built in 1735.
Some 150,000 soldiers from both sides faced off against each other during the battle. The lines were some 30 miles long in all, and were heavily defended. At left is seen a recreation at the battlefield of what assaulting troops would have faced. Cannon, riflemen, and wooden defenses designed to defeat enemy assaults against the positions were highly effective. Union troops always greatly outnumbered the Confederate forces, but the lines held until the Confederates were defeated at the Battle of Five Forks which opened up the cities of Richmond and Petersburg to the Union Army. Following that battle the end to the Civil War was just a few days away.
Both the forces and Petersburg were bombarded by guns such as these from the Union forces. This weapon I read could launch a 215 pound shell for a distance of some two miles. Soldiers of both sides endured such weapons, snipers, disease, starvation (in the case of the poorly supplied Confederate forces), and other dangers. Many of them lived in small buildings as the Confederate forces and the cities were starved out in what General Robert E. Lee knew was only a matter of time. Both General Grant and General Lee knew the Siege would be effective. An offensive to break the Union Line at Petersburg was the last major offensive of the war for Lee's troops.
Seen here are one of the actual defensive positions of the battlefield. Gone are the wooden supports, and other defensive items seen in the photos of old; now they are little more than grass covered earthworks. Loss of life during the final campaign was heavy on both sides, as was the number of injured. Due to the weapons used, many of the injured lost arms and legs after being wounded. Richmond was the site of one of the largest Confederate hospitals in the Civil War, and had a much better than average (though still terrible) survival rate for wounded soldiers. Richmond was also the sites of two Civil War prisons.
Near the battlefield is Blandford Cemetery. It's oldest graves date to 1702 and among its many thousands of dead include soldiers from the Revolutionary War and other wars (including the previously mentioned Confederates in the first paragraph). This cemetery was the site of the first Memorial Day in the US which was held there in June of 1866.
This was my second visit to the battlefield and the cemetery. Few places have as much Civil War history in one area as Richmond, VA does...a terrible period in American history when brother fought against brother and so many gave all they had during that war.

Old Petersburg, VA at 7AM on a Saturday Morning

Went back to Carolina this weekend, had a wonderful time with the family, although it rained all weekend (so not much frisbee with the dogs, and no motorcycling there). Of big note this weekend, VCU will be playing in the NCAA Final Four having beat Kansas tonight in an amazing run in the tournament. As for me, on the way to Carolina made a morning stop in Petersburg, VA. Section seen in these photos is called the Old Towne. Located 23 miles from Richmond, Petersburg dates its history to the early days of America. In the Civil War (as it was before) it was a major transportation area both by water, and later by train. The building seen at left is the Old Courthouse which was built between 1837-1839. During the 9 month Siege of Petersburg the clock on this tower was used to keep time by both armies. Many of the building date to the Civil War and many even before that in this very interesting section of town. I thought the early morning would be a good time to get a few photos, even under the cloudy skies. Rain held off for me, did not run into that until I got further on down the highway.
As I noted many old buildings can be found there. The streets in this section are largely old cobblestone. Many of the buildings house businesses and even apartments. I have wondered some around there in the past and there is a lot to see, including some old museums of the Siege, and there is a lot of historical information to be found. The Visitor Center is nearby and has a lot of information on the area. There is also a Farmers Market (which is in a big round building nearby, and the remains of the rail yard which also dates to the Civil War period. In past visits have seen many items of interest in this section of town.
Again, another view of the Old Towne Section, the Old Courthouse can be seen at the end of the alley off in the distance. Many other cites (including some from the Revolutionary War) can be seen in the area. I have also been to the Petersburg National Battlefield which is easily one of the finest battlefields (and best preserved) in the Richmond area. It is a fun area to explore if you enjoy both history and old buildings, and there is also some interesting places to visit and spend a few dollars in this area. Some older photos of the area can be found in some previous posts, and I also have a few photos on my Photo Page from the visit on March 26.
The history of this region makes it a very interesting place both to live and explore, and there is a lot to see in and around Richmond and the surrounding area. I am looking for some fun times, and more neat discoveries here in 2011, and sure I will come across many.

Revisiting Old Petersburg, VA

On Friday April 2 made a stop in the Old Petersburg section of Petersburg, Va. It is always a very interesting town, saw it a while back, and had enjoyed it greatly, so thought it was well worth a second visit. There is a lot to see there. For instance, this photo at left was in a section of old buildings converted to apartments, and is a collection of old industrial equipment. I would imagine that this stuff was used in the old buildings I saw. All of Old Petersburg is old buildings, many with a lot of history. The remains of the train yards are ruins dating to the end of the Civil War when Union troops captured them.
The second photo is the (what I believe was) the newer train depot, and the white building used to be the Visitor Center. Now the Visitor Center is just up the street in an old bank building. That is worth a tour for sure, and I took one (but not any photos...not allowed). Like the old cobblestone streets too down there.
As I noted, a lot of very old buildings, restored (for the most part...in fact one was undergoing restoration near this area) and reused for a number of uses such as restaurants, stores and apartments. It has a variety of places to check out, plus a number of museums in the area, and a lot of history to explore. As I noted has been my second trip to Old Petersburg, I also on a previous visit went to the Petersburg National Battlefield, which was one of the best Civil War sites that I have seen just about anyplace. There you can get a real idea of what the Civil War siege of Richmond and Petersburg was like for the troops of both sides who fought the battle.

Petersburg National Battlefield (July 19,2009

With the possible exception of World War II, no period of American history has had quite the impact of the Civil War. Especially when you consider the impact on society at the time, the Civil War changed America profoundly. Of course in visiting Virginia the Civil War is hard to miss. Today, I went to the Petersburg National Battlefield. I have been to a few Civil War sites, but this was one of the best preserved that I have seen. In the photo at left are many of the guns which were used during the war; some of those are Union, and some are Confederate. At Petersburg they were used to full effect.

Here you can see some of the original earthworks and the cannon placement. It was basically trench warfare; troops covered open ground under cannon and rifle fire from troops protected by the earthworks. That is one of the reasons why the siege went on for so long; being one of the longest sieges in US history. Many attempts were made to break the lines protecting the city, resulting in great loss of life on both sides. Some of the replica defenses in the park were something to see as well. Boredom, disease and bad food were also problems the soldiers on both sides had to deal with along with the battles.

This is one of the most famous battle sites of the Civil War; "The Crater". Here, Union troops made a tunnel under the Confederate lines, packed the end under the Confederate position with four tons of explosives, and lit the fuse! The result blew a hole in the Confederate line, but stunned by what they saw, the troops failed to exploit the breakthrough, and were repulsed in a counterattack later that day. It is one thing to read about it in a history book, but another thing to see it in person.
Really enjoyed the visit, today the usual $5 admission was waved, and the weather could not have been more perfect. That is a good thing, for many of the sites in the park require some walking. Heat and humidity were both down. If you have not seen this battlefield before (or if it has been some time) you might want to check it out. It was a perfect ending to a very fine weekend in the Richmond, Va area.

A short visit to Petersburg, VA

On my trips past it, heading to North Carolina, have seen Petersburg from the highway. On Friday, having time to make a easy drive for a change, I stopped to take a look. While there just an hour, got a good interesting look at some of the city, and liked what I saw. For instance the Courthouse at left dated to the Civil War, and the clock tower was used to track time both by Confederate and Union Soldiers. When the American flag was raised over the city on April 3, 1865 it signaled the end of the battle for Petersburg.


I also wandered around the old section of Petersburg. I saw many interesting stores there, and enjoyed checking out the old buildings. Seems to be a lot of history to be found in that area, as well as many shops, places to eat, and things to explore. I have been told that it can be a rather dangerous town, but did not have any problems in the area, rather as with most of Virginia found the people I encountered to be very friendly and in fact did not see a great many people at all on what was a very quiet Friday morning.



This third photo was the old railyard. During the Civil War,Union troops burned the trains that were there. Petersburg was an important supply and communications depot for Richmond, and with its fall the door to Richmond was open, and the end of the war was just days away. The battlefield is nearby and I will in a future trip to the area explore that as well, and am looking forward to it. All in all, it was a most remarkable visit, and a very pleasant one as well. I have been amazed at all the sights that I have seen so far, and pleased at the things that I have come across in my travels. This is certainly a most remarkable state.
Writing this from my home in North Carolina, where I had a very enjoyable motorcycle ride today with a good friend, and am looking forward to sharing some of that in my next post.