Day 25 Wednesday

So after 25 days and 4383 miles, we finally returned to Sugar Hill where there are still no leaves on the trees and, despite the sun, the temperature was a brisk 52°.   I  miss the South!

We spent our final night in Pleasantville, NY, with our good friends Rosemary and Bill Carlough.  Bill and I went to Middlebury together way back in the day.  Eventhough Bill is a Yankee fan, we manage to get together a couple times every year.

Some of my final impressions include:

Some of the most beautiful cities in the US are:  Fredericksburg, Beaufort (SC), Savannah, Asheville,   Charleston, & Chattanooga.

Southerners hospitality is real.

Some my say the economy is doing really well, but there are a lot of towns and people are aren't experiencing that prosperity.

FEMA needs to do more for the communities destroyed by Hurricane Michael.

Our National Park Service does a wonderful job preserving our natural and historical treasures.

Here are some of my favorite photos from this trip:

Savannah, GA

Indian Pass, FL

Hunting Island, SC

Mexico Beach, FL

Fredericksburg, VA

Savannah, GA

Day 23, Monday

We stayed in Fredericksburg until 1:30 PM, visiting the boyhood home of George Washington and taking a trolley tour of the city.  

Washington’s home, which is called Ferry Farm, is so named because it is located directly opposite downtown Fredericksburg ferry, which was the only way to cross the Rappahonnock River in those days.  Washington lived there from ages six to twenty.  The building you see in these pictures is actually a reconstruction of the original house and it is located on the exact spot of the original which burned down.  Washington’s father, Augustin, owned 10 slaves while they occupied the house and farm.  When Augustin died, his widow, Mary, was only 35 years old and had five children to raise on her own.  George was only 11.

 The stories about George cutting down a cherry tree and skipping a dollar coin across the Potomac would actually have taken place at Ferry Farm.

A view of Chatham Manor. the only private home in the US visited by both Washington and Lincoln.

After touring Ferry Farm we crossed the river, on the bridge, and took a trolley bus tour of Fredericksburg.  It was fascinating.  Fredericksburg is one of the most historical cities in the US, perhaps third only to Philadelphia and Boston.  In addition to Washington, James Madison, & Hugh Mercer lived here.  Our driver entertained us with non-stop fascinating stories throughout the 90 minute ride, and also showed us many beautiful homes. Fredericksburg is right up there with Savannah, Charleston, Asheville, and Beaufort for prettiest cities in the South.   Once the tour ended were revisited many of the homes, stopping to take additional pictures that we were unable to take while on the trolley.

This one was for sale!

The auction block in front of what was Fredericksburg's largest slave market

Our last stop in Fredericksburg was an Italian deli and bakery where we picked up goodies for lunch which we ate in the car as we headed north to our campground at Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Pennsylvania, which is about 180 miles north of Fredericksburg, and only 25 miles north of Gettysburg.  For dinner we returned to Food 101 in Gettysburg.  Yes, we ate there three weeks ago, and yes, we liked it as much as before.

Day 22, Sunday

105,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing during the four major battles that took place between 1862-1863 in  Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House.  It's hard to comprehend such numbers, and it's hard to not get depressed when you consider that men could do this to each other...and then there is slavery!

At the top of this hill, Confederate cannons pounded the city of Fredericksburg which the Union army occupied.  Believing their superior numbers would prevail, General Beauregard ordered his soldiers to attack the hill.  The Confederate soldiers took cover behind this stone wall and easily destroyed the approaching Union army who had no protection or cover for 300-400 yards as they approached this hill.

The Sunken Road of Fredericksburg

15,000 graves at the National Cemetery in Fredericksburg.  80% were unknown soldiers.

A Confederate soldier provides water to a wounded Union soldier.  

Located on a high bluff overlooking the  Rappahonock River and the city of Fredericksburg is Chatham Manor.  Built in 1771 and originally encompassing over 1300 acres, this plantation required over 100 slaves to serve a single family.

 

Leaving Chatham Manor, our next stop was the Chancellorsville Visitors' Center where we watched a short film that explained what most consider was Robert E. Lee's greatest victory and greatest loss.  The victory of course was over the Union Army, but the loss was the death of Stonewall Jackson, who was accidentally shot by his own men.  Without Jackson to carry out his orders, Lee never defeated the Union Army again throughout the Civil War.  

Although a more formal memorial was eventually erected, this stone was placed at the location where Jackson was believed to be shot.  He died of complications from this wound 8 days later.  When a new highway was redirected through this area, the remains of an unknown Union soldier were discovered and are now placed next to the Jackson memorial.

Day 20 and 21

Friday
Friday was our second longest travel day for this trip; driving 400 miles from Hunting Island State Park in South Carolina to Grimesland, North Carolina.  We avoided Interstate 95 for most of those miles, actually taking a shorter route, but a little bit slower.  I prefer staying off interstates as much as possible; I think you get a much better sense of the country by doing so, otherwise ever exit looks the same no matter what state you're in.

Overlooking the confluence of the James and Appomatox Rivers, the Eppes plantation in Hopewell, VA became the location of Grant's headquarters during the siege of Petersburg.

Paul & Pam's Home

 Paul and Pam Gares live in Grimesland, both went to Middlebury with me, but I haven't seen either of them in probably 25 years, maybe longer, so it was great to catch up with them, We talked 'til midnight, before finally giving in to fatigue and red wine.  Hopefully we won't wait another 25 years to get back together.

Along the way to Paul & Pam's we drove through Sunset Beach, North Carolina, driving by the home of Bill and Mila Millman.  They're still living in Merida, Mexico, but their retirement is on the near horizon, and that's where they'll settle.  Bill also went to Middlebury with me, and in fact both Bill and Paul were ushers in my wedding.

On Saturday we were back on the road by 9 AM, heading to the Petersburg National Battlefields in Virginia, 200 miles to the north.  The siege of Petersburg was the longest in the Civil War and really ended up being the final nail in the coffin of the Confederacy when the Union was able to completely cut off all the supply lines to the Robert E. Lee's army.

This was the site of the first of many battles in Petersburg

The Union cemetery at Petersburg, where the remains of 6000 soldiers were buried, 4000 of which are in unmarked graves.

We spent about five hours touring the various battlefields, watching films at the visitors’ centers, and taking an auto tour while listening to an audio guide on our car’s CD player.  We finished our visit at Grant’s headquarters in Hopewell, Virginia, which was located on a beautiful plantation that overlooked the confluence of the Appomatox and James Rivers.

The home of the Eppes family.  Once Lincoln made the Emancipation Proclamation 106 of their 142 slaves fled and many ending up fighting for the Union.  By the time Grant arrived, the home had been badly damaged by cannon fire, so Grant lived in a smaller log house on the property.

This is Grant's cabin where he lived for about 10 months during this campaign.

After a delicious dinner at the Boathouse in Hopewell we had a short drive to our campground in Pocahontas State Park, which is not named after Elizabeth Warren. 

Day 19, Thursday

Woke up early at our campsite in Hunting Island State Park.  The no-see-ums were terrible, so after quickly showering, we headed into Beufort, in search of a waterfront park where we could make on our breakfast rather than be the breakfast for a million little bugs.  Success!

After a simple breakfast of coffee and cereal with fresh peaches we took a carriage tour of the historic homes of Beaufort.  Much like Savannah, but on a slightly more modest scale, and as the tour guided reminded us, these were all second homes for most of the owners.

When the Union armies invaded this area in 1861, all the home owners left town in what they now refer to as the "big skedaddle".  When many returned four years later they discovered their home were confiscated due to unpaid back taxes, and some were actually purchased by the slaves that originally worked for those home owners.  Sometimes there is justice.

Our guide, and the Beaufort HS girls' lacrosse coach

Yellow with green shutters, tough to beat!

The chorus from this church sang in the gospel number from "Forrest Gump"

After lunch we visited the museum dedicated to local celebrity and author, Pat Conroy.   I've never read any of his books, but Joni loves them, as did the enthusiastic docent who filled us with stories about this wonderful man.  I thought I was going to have to throw cold water on both of these women before the tour was over.

Day 18, Wednesday

We left our campground on Skidaway Island and headed into South Carolina where our first stop was at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge.  This area was originally occupied by rice plantation before the Civil War.  Rice was referred to at that time as Carolina Gold.  To properly water the rice fields slave dug many canals throughout these fields which today make it ideal as a wildlife sanctuary.

Saw lots of these guys!

This wildlife refuge is actually located in South Carolina.

That horizontal dark shape in the middle is a gator.

Leaving the wildlife sanctuary, our next stop was Beaufort, SC, a beautiful town located on the intercostal waterway.  The town was founded in 1711 and was a favorite second home location for many of the plantation owners on the surrounding islands.  After a delicious fried green tomatoes sandwich lunch in Beaufort, we headed to South Carolina's Hunting Island State Park, which is the home for our next two nights, and also is the site of the state's only lighthouse.  The climb to the top was well worth the effort; the views were extraordinary,

Once I saw how rusty this rail was I decided it was time to descend.