Fredericksburg, VA

Monday, July 20, 2015

We leave the Retreat Center where we have been staying for our trek 60 miles north to the Fredericksburg area and a campground called Hidden Acres Family Campground located along Highway 301 just south of Milford, Virginia about 22 miles south of Fredericksburg.  After getting set up and settled in, we venture north in the car to the Visitors Center in town.  Since our time here is limited (only this afternoon and tomorrow) we decide to take a Trolley Tour around the city to see what's here and what interests  us the most.

The Trolley leaves from the Visitor Center and the Tour lasts about 1-1/4 hours and proves to be well worth our time and money.  Our driver, Heidi, is extremely knowledgeable about the city and the places we stop which are considerable.

Since we have taken the last Trolley Tour for the day leaving at 3:30, it is after 5 when we return to the Visitor Center.  This being the case, we head back to the RV and our dinner cooking in the slow cooker since we left this morning.  We also are expecting to visit with a couple we met in Red Bay, AL at the Tiffin Service Center who are staying at our same campground.   

Debbie and Bill stop by after 7 and the time flies by.  We enjoy getting to know them and sharing our Tiffin Service Center experiences, our RV travels and the joys of living in our RV's full time.  We hope to see them again down the road.

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

We get a late start.  So what else is new with the Ballards.  Our intentions are always good, but we just enjoy lazy mornings more.  Once again heading down the road, we arrive in Fredericksburg to begin our own tour.  The weather is very overcast this morning but so far no rain.

Fredericksburg was created in 1728 as a frontier river post, and gained prominence for its tobacco trade and ties to the Virginia gentry  It is located between Washington, D.C. and Richmond, the capital of the state.  Because of its location, it drew contending armies to its location because the Rappahannock River served as a natural defensive barrier and the north-south rail corridor helped keep the armies supplied.   On four separate occasions, the Union and Confederates fought in and around the city.   Fredericksburg has much to offer in terms of  history, Civil War battles, and old homes and buildings.  It suffered some of the worst destruction and pillage of any city during the Civil War and it took 100 years for the city to recover and for the population to once again reach the preWar number.

Our first stop is across the Rappahannock River at the Ferry Farm which is the boyhood home of George Washington from age six until his early manhood.  The farm was on the edge of the frontier in the 1700's when George's father purchased the property.  The original house does not exist but archaeologists are doing extensive work on the property and have unearthed many Washington artifacts, etc. and have plans to erect a replica of the home.    While walking around the property, it began to drizzle and before we knew it, it was a downpour.  We tried staying under a large tree for cover, but it soon became evident that we would be just as wet there as we would be sprinting back to the visitor center  in the downpour so that's what we did.  Needless to say, we were drenched from head to foot and no dry clothes to put so so we just "air dried" for the remainder of the afternoon.  We looked liked drown rats, but oh well we were enjoying ourselves.  

In the continuing downpour, we drive back across the river deciding we will make the best of things and take some pictures from the car.   George Washington bought his Mother Mary  the house shown below where she lived for the last 17 years of her life.    This kitchen building behind her is is one of the few kitchen buildings still standing from that time.  

Down the street is the 1760 home of James Mercer, Mary Washington's attorney.

Interestingly, when I was child, my family visited Fredericksburg and the one and only recollection I have of it is the James Monroe Law Office (now the James Monroe Library)  located on Charles Street.  Why I remember that, who knows.  Below are a couple of pictures of the building including one photo of a cannon ball lodged in the outside wall from the Battle at Fredericksburg in 1862.

The most interesting and haunting part of our visit occurred at the Frederickburg Battlefield Visitor Center and Site.  We viewed a 22 minute video about the battles that took place here.  They were the most bloody with the heaviest and most continuous fighting of the War and had the most loss of life of any battles in the entire Civil War.  Watching this video and listening to quotes from soldiers and civilians, you could not help but  feel the effects of the war.  The most interesting quote for us was one from a woman on the Confederate side saying how much she hated the Unionists and how she wanted her loved one to kill them all.  On the other hand, the slave quotes stated that it was a great day when the Union arrived.  No other video or exhibit we have seen has ever given us any insight on the feelings of the Confederate people as this did.  We have now visited a number of Civil War sites, but this touched and moved us the most.

Outside, we walked around the Sunken Road trail  where the battles took place.

 Just next door is the National Cemetery which was established in 1870 and where more than 15,000 Union soldiers from in and around Fredericksburg are buried.  85%  of those buried are unknown.  A sample unknown marker below indicates the plot number (4 digits) and underneath that is another number which indicates how many remains are in this grave.  The cemetery is terraced and includes a number of taller monuments.

Confederate graves can be found in this cemetery in town.  

 I am sorry we did not schedule more time here as there is so much to see including old homes and buildings dating back to the 1700's.  After the destruction of the Civil War, it is amazing that there are that many from before the War.  Walking and driving around the streets, you really do feel the history here.  Houses and buildings that have been identified as Historic all have this type of marker next to the front door which indicates the year the house or building was built.    There are hundreds.

There are numerous murals on the walls of some of the buildings but this one in particular captured our attention.  Each leaf on the mural represents 1,000 soldiers who died between December 13-15, 1862.
There are 15 though you cannot see them all due to the tree in the left corner.

Another marker that gave us to something to think about was this slave block one the corner of Charles Street.  Here slaves were brought from the basement of the hotel across the street to be auctioned off.  How scary this must have been for these people.  Imagine being brought up here and in most cases separated from your parents and siblings, never seeing them again or knowing where they were sent or if they were treated well.

This blog is rather lengthy, but even with this you cannot really do Fredericksburg justice.  There is just so much to see and absorb here.

We leave Fredericksburg with a new prospective on the Civil War and a great respect for those who fought 

and continue to fight for this great nation we call the United States of America.