Road trip to Virginia! - Days 3 & 4

November 9, 2013

Petersburg NB - Tunnel to the Crater

Petersburg National Battlefield ($5/car entrance fee valid for 7 days at the Eastern Front Visitor Center – free at other sites). We started the visit with watching the 17 minute video offered at the Eastern Front Visitor Center. We also viewed the displays set up at the visitor center. This park relives the nine and a half month siege that took place between June 1864 and April 1865. The siege finally came to an end six days after General Grant cut off the supply lines to Petersburg. The Eastern Front battlefield driving tour (4 miles long) starts at the visitor center and loops through the site on a one way road. There are 13 sites and three visitor centers along the 33 mile driving route. We only toured the Eastern Front. By far the most interesting thing about this battle, in my opinion, was the “The Crater”.  A Pennsylvanian Union troop, with their mining background, dug a tunnel and then packed it with explosives and ignited it right under a part of the Confederate line. The attempt to break the Confederate line failed and all in all 5,500 men did not make it out of the Battle of the Crater. We were at the park for about 2 hours to see the Eastern Front area.

The Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site is located in Jackson Ward National Historic Landmark District in Richmond. The Jackson Ward area was one of the most prosperous black communities in the US back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Maggie Walker living in this neighborhood was a natural fit.  Maggie Walker was the first woman bank president.  Her other notable accomplishments included serving as the leader of the Independent Order of St. Luke (a benevolent society that aided African Americans in illness, old age, and death), starting a newspaper and chartering a bank.

There is a 12-minute video at the visitor center that is geared towards children, but should be viewed prior to taking a tour. There are a limited number of displays at the visitor center. Guided house tours are available starting at the visitor center and last about an hour.  The Maggie Walker story is rather interesting, definitely worth checking out! Oh and just an FYI – the home has 28 rooms!

Richmond National Battlefield Park - Tredegar Iron Works

Next on the docket was the Richmond National Battlefield Park which has a few visitor centers. It is recommended that visitors visit the Civil War Visitor Center at Tredegar Iron Works. The visitor center is three stories and has various displays and a 22-minute video. There is free parking down the street from the visitor center otherwise there is $3/hour parking right next to the site. There is another museum adjacent to the NP site, the American Civil War Center (there is an entrance fee). There is an 80-mile driving tour that takes you thought the battlefield - we opted not to spend that much time driving around.

A view from Belle Isle

There is a nice park across from Tredegar Iron Works and also an island called Belle Isle that is nice. Belle Isle was site of a Prison Camp. There is information regarding the prison camp on plaques on the island.

We also visited the Chimborazo Medical Museum. There is a 17-minute long film and medical displays. The hospital was over forty acres in size and could house over 3000 patients at once. It was one of the largest and best equipped Confederacy Hospital’s.

It was still daylight so we also checked out the Cold Harbor Battlefield. There were two electric maps that displayed troop movement and a very short driving tour loop. 

November 10, 2013

The day started with a visit to Fort Monroe National Monument, which is a relatively new NP site. It is a bit confusing on where to go upon arriving to the old military base which opened in the 1830’s and closed in 2011. The Casement Museum is the place to start your visit. There is a lot to see at the museum and then of course there are the fort grounds to check out. Fort Monroe is the largest stone fort ever built in the US and was named after President James Monroe. There is free admission to this NP. There is a Fort Monroe Walking Tour flier available in the Casement Museum. The walking tour takes about an hour and a half.

US Army Transportation Museum

Nothing else was planned for the remainder of the day, but we came across the United States Army Transportation Museum. The museum is located on Fort Eustis, so you will have to go through security to get in. Admission to the museum is free. The museum building is 50,000 square feet and there are four outdoor parks also. There is a short video (maybe 10-15 minutes) explaining what you would be seeing as you walked though army transportation history starting with the Revolutionary War and currently ending at Operation Iraqi Freedom. It took us about 2 hours to make our way through the video and displays.

We made a stop at the Williamsburg Winery. Mike did the tasting ($6 and you keep the glass) and got to sample 10 different types of wine, his favorite being the 2008 Gabriel Archer Reserve. Per Mike, the wine on the East Coast does not compare to the wine in Napa - Napa's wine is much better.