Well, yesterday was “young America day” seeing history and sites from 1776-1820’s. Today we move ahead to 1860’s….the Civil War or the Second American Revolution!

I’ve always been fascinated with the Civil War. I think partly because it was such a test of the Constitution and dealt with so many issues: Slavery, States Rights Vs. Federal Rights, Economic difference, political ideologies, and what the US was going to do with the growing westward states.

In addition, it fascinates me because it literally was brother against brother. Today at a museum it was noted that not one family 1860’s was not touched somehow by the war.

But I digress…I left Charlottesville at 9 am and arrived in Richmond about an hour later. My first stop was the Hollywood Cemetery a sprawling necropolis with some of the most incredible headstones I had ever seen along with private mausoleums. I visited the graves of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of Ameica, and two United States Presidents James Monroe and John Tyler.

After a brief visit at the cemetery I headed to the Civil War Museum which had an excellent and well balanced display regarding the north, the south, and the African Americans. Very well put together and explained the civil war in a very thorough historical and social context.

I then headed to downtown Richmond where I visited the Museum of the Confederacy which of course was slanted toward the history of the Confederate side of the war. Next door was the White House of the Confederacy and home of Jefferson Davis. The tour of the home was great. The furnishings were nearly all original because after Jefferson Davis fled the capitol the Union Generals used it as headquarters and took care of the items rather than looting. President Lincoln visited this home April 4^th, 1865 just 10 days before his assassination. The history and lives of Jefferson Davis and his family as well as the political process that led to two separate nations was rivoting!

After that, I walked down the street and went to the John Marshall home. He was the third US Supreme Court Justice and was monumental in early US History defining the constitution and hearing the early supreme court cases.

I then walked over to the Capitol Mall and visited the Capitol Building, the old Capitol building, the Governors Mansion and the Old City Hall.

I then hopped in my car and drove across town to the Edgar Allan Poe Museum. I have been fascinated with Poe since high school….not just his poetry and short stories but his personal life as well. His father left, his mother was a stage actress in 1811, he tried to commit suicide, was an alcoholic, and had a series of failed relationships! Plus his literary work is so dark and macabre.

The museum contained a lot of his original writings and personal objects. While most believe he died in the gutter drunk, it’s still really a mystery how he died.

I then got on Hwy 5 and head to the outskirts of town. I wanted to see the battlefields of Richmond. At the civil war museum they explained to me that battles were always outside the city and once the battle was won, then the Yankees would invade and loot and pillage. So there are a series of battlefields around the city of Richmond from several battles including the final days of the South in April 1864. When the whole city was leveled and all the citizens became refugees. I stopped at 4 of these battle sites and it was eeries. There were cannons and green grass and complete silence excpt for the birds tweeting.

There was a sign posted saying “metal detectors prohibited” as people still can find bullets and other fragments. It was so calm and peaceful and hard to imagine that 150 years ago the echoes and screams of death and killing and the green grass was covered with red blood. It literally sent chills down my spine.

By now it was 5 pm and I figured I had better make my final push on to Williamsburg as I want to get an early start there and wasn’t sure I where I was going to stay. I hit the road and got to Williamsburg about 6 pm and drove around and found a Days Inn, checked in and unwinding. What an incredible day…now tomorrow will be spent going back in time from the Civil War to Colonial Times with visits to Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown!