[Home]

Chancellorsville 2000

Loading up my little Saturn Sedan with all my gear,  plus my two nieces, 12 year old Lisa and 7 year old Rachel off for Ft. Pickett Virginia we trekked.   It was a 4 hour drive but we got to the site just as the sun set on Thursday evening.  After setting up my tent and digging us a fire pit up from the wilds of West Virginia came Shirleen and her brood of 12 year old Sara and 10 year old Kevin.   The kids and we made it an early night.  Up in the morning I took all the young ladies and we headed on off for Petersburg.  We first went to Blanford Church where the confederate dead of the siege of Petersburg are buried in mass graves by state.   Two of my ancestors are buried there, Henry Collins of Company I of the 49th NC Infantry, killed June 24th 1864 and George Herndon of the 34th VA Infantry killed May 16th, 1864.  The church has 11 beautiful stain glass windows commissioned around the turn of the century by the ladies of the UDC (United Daughters of the Confederacy) from Tiffany's of New York.  If you get the chance, visit Blanford Church, its beautiful.   Its a large cemetery that as far as we could tell is still in use.

Lisa, Sara and Rachel at the cemetery of Blanford Church

Rachel and Lisa at the Mass Grave Section for North Carolina.   Somewhere in there our ancestor Henry Collins lies with his comrades from the Old North State.  The tablet says North Carolina, 1861-1865.  Someone had placed the state flag there.

The girls at the Virginia Section.  Our ancestor George Herndon is buried with the sons of the Old Dominion.  Virginia, 1861-1865

After visiting Blanford Church we headed on over to the Petersburg Battlefield Park.  Among some of the sites on the driving tour were trenches, representation of winter quarters and of course what's left of the infamous crater.

Sara, Rachel and Lisa in front of a reproduction of a typical winter dwelling including chimney

We then headed on back west to hook up with our pard Dan and his son Shane at Pamplin Park.  We all got there at the appointed hour of 3:00 pm. and started our tour.  If you haven't been to Pamplin Park, its a must see and well worth the price of admission.  You are given the task of selecting your soldier comrade from 11 photos of actual soldiers of both the blue and gray.  You are then given a CD player with his information on it.  Into the exhibition you go.  You simply click on the exhibit number and that CD track plays.  Every once in a while, the exhibit will tell you in the words of your solider comrade what his fate is.  My soldier was the first to die in our group, he was a NC soldier who was killed in the battle of Gettysburg.   Lisa's soldier died of disease and Sara's was a prisoner of war.  Shane and Rachel's soldiers survived.  Dan's died of typhoid.  The best exhibit and a big hit with all the kids was the battle simulation room.  The floor actually shakes from the rattle of cannon, you feel air rushing by your head as if by bullets, the sound of bullets ricochets around your head.  Very realistic.  One of the park people told us they had just won an award from Hollywood on the special effects of the exhibit.   No photos are allowed inside the museum.  But you can of course take photos outside.  After our tour we ventured on out to check out the Plantation house used as a general's headquarters during the breakthrough of Petersburg.   We also checked out some trenches.  The battlefield museum near the trenches is shaped like the trench line!  The girls got to try on children sized uniforms much to their delight.  Also we all took a quiz and both groups were promoted to Lt. General.    I'm sure Old Pete was glad to hear Dan and Shane made the grade!

Dan and Shane in the rear, Lisa Rachel and Sara in front, next to the plantation home which were used as headquarters during the breakthrough of Petersburg.

The girls in front of the trenches

The girls try on various soldiers jackets and hats.  Rachel in a hardee, Sara in a slouch and Lisa with a Zouve

Rachel in front of the North Carolina marker.  Each state on both sides has a marker stating the casualties incurred during the war.  Its outside the main Pamplin Museum.  North Carolina lost the most on the Confederate side, Ohio on the Union Side.  North Carolina - 128,191 served, 40,635 died - I had 2 great-great uncles fighting for North Carolina on my father's side of the family.

Rachel in front of Virginia's stone, 175,723 served, 14836 died.   My mother's side of the family served in VA.

Well 5:00 pm. came and we didn't get to finish our tour but we enjoyed it none the less.  Back to Ft. Pickett we trekked.  But before we hit old 460 west, we made a diversion and found within 2 miles of Pamplin Park the actual site where old Ambross Powell Hill was shot (A.P. Hill for those in the dark!).  Right smack dab in the middle of a cul-de-sac in the woods.  We got back to the event and ran into our pards, Christopher, Andy, Heidi, Susan and Jacque.  Later that evening Tom and Matt Piston arrived as well as Mike Cecere.  But where was our sarge?  He turned up the next morning just in time to burn some powder.  Most of our pards went campaign style while Shane, Dan, myself, Sarge and Bob Williams and Steven fell in with the 6th Wisconsin and our fearless leader Captain Dave Woods.  The ladies of the Raggedy Mess toughed it out in the woods with the campaigners.

Heidi, Shirleen and Laura.  Note the lovely farb earrings Shirleen is sporting!

The infamous Raggedy Mess, Heidi, Shirleen and Susan with Laura sitting

Sunday afternoon steeling for battle some of the 7th along with the 6th Wisconsin

Guy catches some zz's before the second battle on Saturday

Shane and Dan also catch a nap.  Believe it or not these 2 strapping tall fellas fit into 1 dog tent!  Fortunately for Shane, Dan did not talk in his sleep and utter the infamous words "Shane, what the hell are you doing"!  

Waking up Sunday morning.  Poor Guy was really hurting from a head cold

One great aspect was my hero Ed talking on the battle of Chancellorsville at 11:30 on Sunday morning.  I didn't get to catch his whole talk because of having to fall in for battle but I did see 3/4 of it.   "Hooker was like a stunned chicken, and as you know the chicken is not the brightest of the bird family.  At first they thought he was dead, it was nearly 5 minutes before he regained consciousness.  He had a severe concussion.".   He had on a hat with the letters JHS for Joseph Hooker Society along with a cavalry t-shirt.   I bet old Ed has a whole bedroom full of hats and t-shirts he's gotten from various round tables and associations over the years.

Ed with a full audience

The girls in front of Ed.  We're going to do a tour with him in early December on the battle of 1812 and the burning of Washington.  The man does W.W.II, revolutionary war, as well as the post civil war Indian campaigns to boot!  Take a tour with him while he's still breathing is my advice.

Well the battles were on the whole cool except for the lame Chancellorsville house didn't even burn, bummer.  I did enjoy the foggy Saturday morning battle, really spooky hearing but not seeing your enemy.  I  also finally got to meet Charles of the rowdy pards.   He's a great guy who gave me a lot of tips on improving my impression and hiding my gender.  I really enjoyed picking his brain and on the whole shooting the breeze.   As Shirleen, Charles and his friend Lorraine and Dan and I along with various kids were waiting for the traffic to die, we couldn't believe our eyes.  A women dressed as a soldier with her hair not even up but in a pony tail, strode to a chair in her camp adjoining ours.  She immediately started striping down to her job bra right out there on the company street!  Yikes, scary sight.  Her black sports bra for all the spectators to see.  Tacky tacky tacky!

Yewww, put a t-shirt on lady!