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.