Civil War Battles - Virginia & Pennsylvania

[suenc]

Tysons Corner, VA - Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Galleria, & Legal Sea Foods

Well, let me continue this recent travelogue, although this post will be an introduction to a 3-night stay w/ a day trip into Washington, D.C. and also a trip out to the Gettysburg National Battlefield in southern Pennsylvania.

Now to help 'entice' Susan into a Civil War battlefield vacation, I needed some allurements, and hotels and food often do the trick - and shopping does not hurt - So, from the Manassas National Battlefield Park, a short hour's drive brought us to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Tysons Corner, Virginia - in the past, I've stayed myself at this hotel for two or three medical meetings - it is quite nice (pic below of outside) & attached to one of several in-door shopping malls (Galleria) which have a number of restaurants, including one of our favorite seafood chains (above in the title) - plus, we used some discount points and got onto the concierge floor, which was nice for breakfast and after dinner desserts/drinks.

Tysons Corner was a great location for our plans - see map below - a drive northeast (red arrow) enters Maryland through Frederick and into Pennsylvania (just over an hour drive, depending on traffic which was horrible on the way back!), and a metro ride east and across the Potomac River takes one into D.C. and the downtown museums - thus are 2 one-day outings. Concerning our meals on this trip, please check the - Food Thread - Legal Sea Foods twice in the Galleria and some wonderful eats in Richmond, which will be a later post.

So next up will be a day trip into D.C., and then probably 3 posts on Gettysburg - Dave

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Seafood and sightseeing were great but our HVAC kept breaking. Engineers were very efficient but finally decided that our unit was defective. The Ritz gave us a discount on our room and moved us to a junior suite the last night. Classy place! The food and drink in the concierge lounge were great. Giradman treats me like a princess.

 

[suenc]

Washington, D.C. - Day Trip

Because of intermittent rain our first full day, we decided on the trip into D.C. to visit two new museums, i.e. the Newseum and the National Museum of Crime & Punishment (also, the International Spy Museum is close by but seen on a previous visit). The museums are shown on the map below (left, blue arrows) - the Newseum is on Pennsylvania Ave (White House in one direction & the Capitol in the other). We took the Metro into the city, i.e. the 'silver line' from Tysons Corner to L'Enfant Plaza and then to the National Archives on the 'yellow or blue line' (right map, red arrows). Washington, D.C. is an absolute driving nightmare, especially for first-timers - my recommendation is to find a hotel near a metro station and then buy daily (or multi-day) passes.

We started at the Newseum which was MUCH larger than expected and spent 4 hours there (still missing much) - we wanted a late afternoon dinner and then back to the Ritz on the metro; the other museum will wait for a future trip. Now there are many museums to visit in the D.C. (I've been there dozens of times starting in the mid-70s), so one has to plan well. Below are some pics of the outside & inside of the museum we saw - check the link above for exhibits and activities.

Washington is an eater's paradise, especially for ethnic restaurants - our choice just a few blocks from the museum was Jaleo, a Spanish-influenced tapas restaurant - Susan & I shared 7 or 8 small plates - items quoted below; believe we might have repeated one or two? She had sangria and I had a nice Spanish wine (two glasses since I was not driving) which was a mix of Chardonnay & Sauvignon Blanc - despite the weather and the crowded metro returning during rush hour, we had a great day. Dave


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Friday was "my day" after two days of Robert E. Lee, dead soldiers, etc I chose the Newseum, which was bigger and more comprehensive than we thought it would be, covering history of journalism, coverage of important issues, front pages of almost every newspaper in the world, etc.. A must in DC, especially if you have any interest at all in the media and you've "done" the classic sites. I had also wanted to go to the Crime and Punishment Museum, but we ran out of time. The Spanish restaurant had great tapas and sangria, the end to a fun afternoon.

 

[scifan57]

Friday was "my day" after two days of Robert E. Lee, dead soldiers, etc I chose the Newseum, which was bigger and more comprehensive than we thought it would be, covering history of journalism, coverage of important issues, front pages of almost every newspaper in the world, etc.. A must in DC, especially if you have any interest at all in the media and you've "done" the classic sites. I had also wanted to go to the Crime and Punishment Museum, but we ran out of time. The Spanish restaurant had great tapas and sangria, the end to a fun afternoon.

The Newseum sounds like something I'd like to visit if I ever get to Washington D.C. I'd also want to visit the Smithsonian and its various annexes.

 

[giradman]

With all that there is to see in Washington D.C. that you could spend a month and still not see it all. Thanks for posting about the Newseum, I hadn't heard of it before.

Hi Scifan.. - thanks for your continual support - my first experience w/ D.C. was in the spring of '74 (cherry blossom season) - I lived there for 3 months as part of my radiology residency training @ the AFIP (Armed Forces Institute of Pathology) - was a wonderful experience and plenty of time off to visit the sites of Washington - had an old Chevy car and in my mid-20s did not worry about the horrible traffic (great to be young - ) - Susan was sent to New Jersey w/ our new baby to stay w/ her parents, so on the weekends, we would alternate, i.e. her flying to D.C. to stay in my rental room and then I flying to New Jersey so we could enjoy New York City - my in-laws did not mind at all taking care of their new grandson and we had a great 3 months.

From that time, we went back to D.C. often (Susan's sister was in nearby Maryland) and have pretty much visited most of the museums, historic sites, monuments, etc. (a goodly many repeatedly) - the larger museums really take a half of day to appreciate - there is just SO MUCH to see - one could easily spend weeks just on the National Mall - pic below (may not be that readable but a LOT of numbers) - for those viewing this thread and who have a chance to visit Washington, D.C., then you really must go - Dave
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[giradman]

Gettysburg National Battlefield - Part 1

Gettysburg is located in southern Pennsylvania (PA) just above the Maryland border - this was a 3-day battle and the bloodiest one in the Civil War so I'll add a number of posts which I hope will interest some.

From Tysons Corner we headed north into Maryland, around the town of Frederick, and then entering PA on our way to Gettysburg; BUT, just a mention in this opening post of two other important Civil War sites (one before the war in 1859 & the other, Antietam - both of which I've visited in the past, so did not return, however, if you are in the area then worth stops!).

The second map shows these two sites west of Frederick, i.e. Harper's Ferry now in West Virginia, but then in Virginia (West Virginia became a state in 1863), and Sharpsburg or Antietam National Battlefield. The Battle of Sharpsburg (Confederate name) or Antietam Creek (Union appellation) was Robert E. Lee's first invasion into the North (after his victory at Manassas II in August, 1862) - a month later he encountered George McCellan at Sharpsburg - as quoted below, this fight was the bloodiest 'single day' in American history (pic of Burnside's Bridge - many casualties there!). The second earlier event was John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry (pic of the quaint town below at the junction of the Shenandoah & Potomac Rivers) along w/ the preserved site of the fight - quote below summarizing the affair - note that Robert E. Lee of the Union army was in command.

Next, onto Gettysburg, Lee's second attempt to invade the North - Dave

The Bloodiest One Day Battle in American History
23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after twelve hours of savage combat on September 17, 1862. The Battle of Antietam ended the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia's first invasion into the North and led to Abraham Lincoln's issuance of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.

John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry - October 16-18, 1859

On the evening of October 16, 1859 John Brown, a staunch abolitionist, and a group of his supporters left their farmhouse hide-out en route to Harpers Ferry. Descending upon the town in the early hours of October 17th, Brown and his men captured prominent citizens and seized the federal armory and arsenal. Brown had hopes that the local slave population would join the raid and through the raid’s success weapons would be supplied to slaves and freedom fighters throughout the country; this was not to be. First held down by the local militia in the late morning of the 17th, Brown took refuge in the arsenal’s engine house. However, this sanctuary from the fire storm did not last long, when in the late afternoon US Marines under Colonel Robert E. Lee arrived and stormed the engine house, killing many of the raiders and capturing Brown. Brown was quickly placed on trial and charged with treason against the state of Virginia, murder, and slave insurrection. Brown was sentenced to death for his crimes and hanged on December 2, 1859.

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[scifan57]

Gettysburg National Battlefield - Part 1

Gettysburg is located in southern Pennsylvania (PA) just above the Maryland border - this was a 3-day battle and the bloodiest one in the Civil War so I'll add a number of posts which I hope will interest some.

From Tysons Corner we headed north into Maryland, around the town of Frederick, and then entering PA on our way to Gettysburg; BUT, just a mention in this opening post of two other important Civil War sites (one before the war in 1859 & the other, Antietam - both of which I've visited in the past, so did not return, however, if you are in the area then worth stops!).

The second map shows these two sites west of Frederick, i.e. Harper's Ferry now in West Virginia, but then in Virginia (West Virginia became a state in 1863), and Sharpsburg or Antietam National Battlefield. The Battle of Sharpsburg (Confederate name) or Antietam Creek (Union appellation) was Robert E. Lee's first invasion into the North (after his victory at Manassas II in August, 1862) - a month later he encountered George McCellan at Sharpsburg - as quoted below, this fight was the bloodiest 'single day' in American history (pic of Burnside's Bridge - many casualties there!). The second earlier event was John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry (pic of the quaint town below at the junction of the Shenandoah & Potomac Rivers) along w/ the preserved site of the fight - quote below summarizing the affair - note that Robert E. Lee of the Union army was in command.

Next, onto Gettysburg, Lee's second attempt to invade the North - Dave




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Looks like you have another winner here. I'll be waiting in anticipation of the rest of the posts.

 

[giradman]

Gettysburg National Military Park - Visitor's Center

The Gettysburg Battle took place over three days, July 1-3, 1863 - your tour should start at the magnificent new Visitor's Center (couple of pics below) - touring the battlefield on your own is 'free' but there are paid options not to be avoided - on this visit (my second after about 20 years or so), we bought a 'package' which included seeing the movie (narrated by Morgan Freeman), visiting the museum w/ some wonderful interactive exhibits & films, and viewing the cycloramic painting (also pics below); in addition, our purchase also included a 2-hour bus tour of the battlefield which covered all three days of the battle given by an experienced licensed guide.

The Gettysburg Park Website provides plenty of useful information - the Gettysburg Cyclorama was painted by French artist Paul Philippoteaux in 1883 and centers on the last day of the battle - brief description quoted below from the park link; a 5-year restoration was done before mounting in its new location - the colors are quite brilliant - the size of the work is best appreciated 'live' or by the last image below showing people working on the artwork.

The guide on our bus tour was superb, actually as much acting as presentation - see the second quote below (again from the park link above) - these guides know much, are tested, and the one we had was just thoroughly enjoyable - SO, now onto the battle which I'll post for each day of the confrontation! - Dave

The Gettysburg Cyclorama is a 360-degree oil on canvas painting 377 feet long by 42 feet high that depicts the full fury of “Pickett’s Charge”. This unique painting, first shown in Boston in 1884 before coming to Gettysburg in 1913, is now featured in its own specially designed hall in the Museum and Visitor Center. Viewing the cyclorama program is included in the entry fee to the museum galleries and film.

The Licensed Battlefield Guides at Gettysburg National Military Park are a unique service. Guides are individuals who have proven their abilities and knowledge through a series of written and oral exams before they are licensed by the National Park Service. The written test for new guides is usually given once every other year. Those who score the highest on the exams are invited back to give an oral test of their knowledge in a supervised tour of the park with other guides and National Park Service personnel. Dates for the written test will be announced as the need arises to fill spaces in the guide force.

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[scifan57]

You're certainly right about the Cyclorama painting. It must be spectacular close up. How much of the original battlefield still survives?

 

[The OB]

Boy, my wife chimed in on this thread that went dormant because of few responses & likes, except for my friend Scifan.. who has always supported these travelogues of mine - thanks, amigo!

Now, I actually had about a dozen more posts for this trip but was discouraged - most of these posts w/ lots of pics take me about 20-30 mins to put together, so just need some more encouragement, I guess - Dave

Hi Dave, just dropping by to say that I found time today to go over your thread (and it does need a bit of time) to read up, in proper sequence and understanding, of your interesting expositions on the battle fields/museums, and of the associated links. (and I went back over some of your other threads too. The food and travel ones for sure since I'm a bit of a tooth man from way back and do relate to them. Most enjoyable!)
I for one am most appreciative of the careful and time-consuming work you have put into these travelogues, and I say that from my personal interest and enjoyment of reading them.
I wouldn't be too concerned about the paucity of direct responses or even the number of "likes" you earn with your posts. I'm sure you don't post just to see how many of those you can gather. I suggest you look more at the number of "hits" your threads are getting. There's an impressive lot of them, often well over a thousand, depending in which thread you have put up. And rightly so.
So, please, keep them going. Well, I suppose there is a limit to what you can or want to publish but I must say if you just stopped, that for me would create a void.
You have been on this forum a goodly time now, as I have, and I think you have more friends here than you think..... so there
Andrew

 

[giradman]

Hi Andrew - thanks for your comments & support - there are plenty of posts left for this thread! Dave

 

[giradman]

You're certainly right about the Cyclorama painting. It must be spectacular close up. How much of the original battlefield still survives?

The painting is worth seeing and is 360 degrees - at the bottom are actual three dimensional reconstructions of portions of the battlefield w/ various artifacts - just a few pics below showing the bottom transition.

Concerning your second question, the Gettysburg Campaign really started in early June, and occurred over many miles w/ smaller battles and confrontations leading up to the July 1 - in fact, the largest calvary battle on American soil was early in this campaign (see quote below - Source) - so, not easy to say for many of these Civil War battlefields (Petersburg is a great example), just how much acreage should be included as part of these fights. But, the main 3 days of fighting @ Gettysburg (as I'll show in upcoming posts) are part of the present Military Park - recent acquisitions include a golf course which was part of the first day's battle and as mentioned before, Robert E. Lee's headquarters.

The Civil War Trust Website has an interesting FAQ about the preserved (or lack) of these Civil War battlefields - a couple are quoted below - Dave

The Battle of Brandy Station, also called the Battle of Fleetwood Hill, was the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the American Civil War, as well as the largest ever to take place on American soil.[3] It was fought on June 9, 1863, around Brandy Station, Virginia, at the beginning of the Gettysburg Campaign by the Union cavalry under Maj. Gen.Alfred Pleasonton against Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's Confederate cavalry.

Actually, only about 20 percent of the actual land upon which the Civil War was fought is currently preserved either by nonprofits groups such as the Civil War Trust or in national, state or local parks – all of the rest of that hallowed ground is either unprotected or has already been destroyed. We are racing the developers to save what is left.

According to a study done by the U.S. Congress, fully 20 percent of the hallowed ground of the Civil War has already been destroyed forever, covered by roads, housing developments and other inappropriate development. Battlefields such as Chantilly and Salem Church in Virginia are just two examples of battlegrounds all but destroyed.

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[scifan57]

The painting is worth seeing and is 360 degrees - at the bottom are actual three dimensional reconstructions of portions of the battlefield w/ various artifacts - just a few pics below showing the bottom transition.

Concerning your second question, the Gettysburg Campaign really started in early June, and occurred over many miles w/ smaller battles and confrontations leading up to the July 1 - in fact, the largest calvary battle on American soil was early in this campaign (see quote below - Source) - so, not easy to say for many of these Civil War battlefields (Petersburg is a great example), just how much acreage should be included as part of these fights. But, the main 3 days of fighting @ Gettysburg (as I'll show in upcoming posts) are part of the present Military Park - recent acquisitions include a golf course which was part of the first day's battle and as mentioned before, Robert E. Lee's headquarters.

The Civil War Trust Website has an interesting FAQ about the preserved (or lack) of these Civil War battlefields - a couple are quoted below - Dave






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Thank you for the very full answer to my question. In regards to the golf course that was recently acquired, will it be removed and the land restored to its 1860's appearance?

In regards to battlefields being lost to development, there's the Bunker Hill Monument in Boston, only the summit of the hill has been preserved, the rest was sold for development to fund the construction of the monument.

 

[giradman]

Thank you for the very full answer to my question. In regards to the golf course that was recently acquired, will it be removed and the land restored to its 1860's appearance?

In regards to battlefields being lost to development, there's the Bunker Hill Monument in Boston, only the summit of the hill has been preserved, the rest was sold for development to fund the construction of the monument.

Below is a quote about the recent acquisition of the golf course (Source) and a pic from that link showing the golf course's location (in yellow) relative to the rest of the first day's battle - I believe that a lot has already been restored - planting trees (or removing trees) are part of the restoration at Gettysburg which is a constant effort.

Yep, American Revolutionary War sites are even more precarious but there are still plenty to see - I've been to the Bunker Hill Monument (pic below from the National Park website) probably 3-4 times - a lot of people don't know that the battle real occurred on adjacent Breed's Hill, where the monument is correctly located. Dave

After a 20-year effort, the National Park Service has finally acquired a former golf course where a series of bloody clashes took place on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. The 95-acre parcel of land will now become part of the Gettysburg National Military Park.

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[scifan57]

I climbed to the top of the Bunker Hill monument when I was last in Boston in 2004. It was like an oven inside because the windows at the top had been sealed with plexiglass panels to stop people throwing objects from the windows. Now the tourists pay the price by roasting.

 

[The OB]

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The painting is worth seeing and is 360 degrees - at the bottom are actual three dimensional reconstructions of portions of the battlefield w/ various artifacts - just a few pics below showing the bottom transition.

Concerning your second question, the Gettysburg Campaign really started in early June, and occurred over many miles w/ smaller battles and confrontations leading up to the July 1 - in fact, the largest calvary battle on American soil was early in this campaign (see quote below - Source) - so, not easy to say for many of these Civil War battlefields (Petersburg is a great example), just how much acreage should be included as part of these fights. But, the main 3 days of fighting @ Gettysburg (as I'll show in upcoming posts) are part of the present Military Park - recent acquisitions include a golf course which was part of the first day's battle and as mentioned before, Robert E. Lee's headquarters.

The Civil War Trust Website has an interesting FAQ about the preserved (or lack) of these Civil War battlefields - a couple are quoted below - Dave






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That cyclorama is something I would like to see, for the detail and the quality of the painting. (Did a double take when I saw that lady with the blue hard hat right in the middle of a battle)