September 29, 2006

September 29, 2006

On the recommendation of some fellow Chicago campground acquaintances, we drive back to Richmond this morning. We immediately head towards the waterfront on the James River to the site of the old Tredegar Iron Works. The Civil War South was mostly an agricultural economy. Richmond was not only the Confederate capital but also one of the few industrial centers; its production kept the South in the war. Because Richmond was so important, the North worked very hard to capture it and the South worked equally hard to protect it.

Tredegar Iron Works was the heart of Richmond’s manufacturing, producing nearly half of Confederate cannon. The site has been long abandoned except for a few water-driven turbines. A Civil War museum and the Richmond National Battlefield Park Visitor Center is housed in one building. A film explains that near the end of the war, Grant drove his army to the northern and eastern outskirts of Richmond but could not dislodge the Rebels from heavily defended Richmond. After a bloody battle, Grant quickly moved his army across the James River to Petersburg just south of Richmond, hoping to surround Richmond. At Petersburg, he setup a siege operation to take the town. We drive 20 minutes to Petersburg to see that battlefield.

The Petersburg Battlefield Park is on the eastern outskirts of town. The Visitor’s Center has an electronic battlefield map but it doesn’t work (the main thing I wanted to see). We look at their small museum and then do a quick driving tour of the park. Like Yorktown the battlefield is mostly earthwork trenches and cannon. One interesting spot is called the ‘Battle of the Crater’. Early in the siege, the Union had the innovative idea to let some former Pennsylvania coal miners secretly tunnel 500 feet to the Confederate line and blow up a huge section. The plan worked except the Union soldiers gawked so long at the resulting crater they didn’t press their advantage and they were quickly driven back. The huge crater is still there along with the entrance to the tunnel. It is pretty neat. Studying Civil War history though is very depressing for a Yankee. So many times the North squandered advantages or made costly mistakes and lost the battle along with thousands of men. I feel like I am rooting for the losing team.

Aimee has had enough with my battlefields so she makes me quit early and we head towards a campground just south of Petersburg. On the way we drive thru the old section of Petersburg. Petersburg was virtually devastated by the siege and this area looks like it has been frozen in that time period. Once at the campground we are disappointed. It’s in a pretty area but looks very “southern’ with abandoned cars, overgrown grass and most things in need of maintenance.