A Stroll, a Park, and a Shrine

Saturday, 10 December

After an excellent night of rest, we were up and at ‘em just before 7:00a.  It was another 30 minutes before it became clear that we were in for a beautiful, blue-sky day filled with sunshine — albeit a slightly more chilly one thanks to the light breeze that added a wind-chill factor, which we didn’t have to deal with yesterday.

A quick bite to eat at the Starbucks attached to the Omni and we were ready to get rolling.  But first, a quick stroll around historic downtown Richmond.

We started off by wandering over to the Virginia State Capitol.  As luck would have it, they were doing some work on the grounds.  We heeded the yellow tape blocking entry and changed our plans, strolling in the opposite direction towards the canal instead.  (Photo above from the 18th floor elevator lobby at the Omni.)

From the ALCOA Pipeline Overlook — the James River is a muddy cauldron of rapids.
Bottom Left: There’s good reason for the floodwall that was constructed by the
Army Corps of Engineers; just look at the size of that flood gate!
bottom right: the Christopher Newport Cross, which overlooks the canal, is Dedicated
to a 1607 Expedition that explored the James River to the falls.

The James River and Kanawha Canal was built to move passengers and freight by water between
the western counties of Virginia and the coast.  It was surveyed by George Washington.

In the absence of a city history tour, here’s a virtual one by way of a mural at the Omni.
Top Left: The Virginia state capitol houses the oldest legislative body in The US.
Top right: East Main street, c. 1940’s.
center left: Picnic in Richmond, C. 1905-1910.
Bottom left: The Richmond Main Street station was originally built in 1901.
bottom right: mrs Neale and mrs trevillian on trolley, c. early 1900’s; Richmond had the
first successful electric-powered trolley system in the us (introduced in 1888).
bottom far right: statue of robert E. Lee; erected in 1890.

Be forewarned; there’s “deer porn” in the collage of daytime images of the James Center; I’m guessing it’s the result of some “mischievous” visitors who stopped by to check out the holiday cheer last night.

The Boatman’s Tower at the James Center Plaza features a 25-bell carillon and cast
figures of bargemen and mules that rotate every half hour.  It was designed as a
tribute to canal life in 1785-1879.

And on that note, we began our return trip north.  Initially, we thought we’d stop at Montpelier, President James Madison’s home, to see the results of the renovations we’d chanced upon when we visited in 2005.  Those plans changed, however, when I spied two road signs on our way to Richmond yesterday — one for a park and another one for a shrine.

Our first stop on the way back to DC was at Lake Anna State Park.  The place has been on my list of “long weekend Phaeton getaway ideas” for a while.  Since it was on the way (sort of) we thought this would be a good opportunity to check out the campground.  Well, the best laid plans of mice and men … the campground is apparently closed December thru February!

(You can click the map to the left for a more legible version.)

We did gather some intel for a future visit from the ranger on duty at the campground office (there are cabins for rent, so the office is open year round).  I think we’re going to plan a Phaeton trip here for early May before the camping season gets into full swing around Memorial Day.

While at the park, we took the time to check out the day use area, which includes a wading beach and a lakeside picnic area.  There are hiking trails also.  In other words, plenty to keep us occupied for a couple of days.  The route to get us there from Richmond followed secondary rural routes (red line on the map), but coming south from DC, the access will be quite straightforward.

After a quickie lunch at a Subway shop in a small town en route from the park to I-95, we headed to our second stop of the day — the Stonewall Jackson Shrine, a site managed by the National Park Service (NPS); free (donations gratefully accepted).  I think it’s a “small gem” that probably gets overlooked by all but Civil War buffs.  Which, by the way, we’re not … but we do enjoy visiting places of historical significance.  The NPS ranger who greeted us and told us the story behind the shrine certainly added to our pleasure in the visit, which took all of 30 minutes out of our driving day.  For most, it would be a much shorter stop, but you know how we are :-)

This is the plantation outbuilding where Stonewall Jackson died on 10 May 1863.

Stonewall Jackson was a beloved Civil War general and much-loved son of the Confederacy; almost as well loved and known as General Robert E. Lee.  He was accidentally shot by his own troops during the Battle of Chancellorsville.  The three musket shots with which he was hit shattered his left arm, which had to be amputated at a field hospital.  As with other Confederate wounded, the general was then moved to Fairfield Plantation near Guinea Station (26 miles [42 km]), a supply base close to the rail tracks to await train transport to Richmond.

Collage of photos from signage at the shrine.
clockwise from top right: Last photo of stonewall jackson; taken two weeks before his death.
Fairfield (the plantation house) and the farm office (right) where the general died (photo c. 1911).
Mrs jackson (shown here with her daughter) never remarried and wore mourning clothes
for the rest of her life; she became the most revered civil war widow.
Mourners at stonewall Jackson's grave in Lexington, Virginia.

Sanitary conditions during the Civil War were less than optimum and little was known about infections.  Surgeons did not wash their hands before or after surgery; nor did they sterilize their equipment between patients.  What they did know was that if a patient was put in close proximity with other wounded and sick, there was an increased chance of death.

At Fairfield Plantation, it was determined that a patient with a contagious disease was already inside the main house.  So, the surgeons put Stonewall Jackson, who had a non-life threatening injury, in what was the farm office instead.  At this point, it was expected that the general would survive to fight another day as other soldiers who had lost a limb had done before him.

Stonewall Jackson arrived at Fairfield on 4 May 1863.  By then, the plantation was a vast
camp, crowded with thousands of Union prisoners and Confederate wounded.
[from signage at the shrine]

In the end, it wasn’t from his wounds that Stonewall Jackson died 8 days after being shot; it was from pneumonia.  As noted on the signage at the shrine:

News of Stonewall Jackson’s death stunned the South.  … Union soldiers felt both joy and lament.  “I rejoice at Stonewall Jackson’s death as a gain to our cause,” wrote Union Gen. Gouverneur Warren, “yet in my soldier’s heart I cannot but see him the best soldier of all this war, and grieve his untimely end.” … Jackson’s death fell heaviest on Gen. Robert E. Lee. … With Stonewall gone, Lee would never again achieve the success he had gained at Chancellorsville.

On 4 May 1863, Stonewall Jackson was placed in this bed and covered with the blanket
folded at the foot of the bed; he would not leave it alive.

Dr. McGuire noted that Stonewall Jackson died at 3:15p by looking at the clock that
still sits on the mantel of the room where the general passed away.  It was oddly eerie
to hear the same tick-tocks that Jackson must have heard before he took his last breath.

This room, adjacent to the one where Stonewall Jackson died, was used as a
conference room by the physicians and the general’s staff.  It was in this room that the
doctors informed Mrs. Jackson that her husband had just a few more hours to live.

After touring the two rooms on the ground floor (pictured in this post) and the two upstairs, we left the premises to head home.  Had there been more time, we would have driven to another site to pay our respects at the gravesite where Stonewall Jackson’s amputated left arm is buried.  Yes, you read that right!  A true story, I swear … you can read more about it in this article.

Though he died here, Stonewall Jackson’s body (all but the left arm) is buried in
Lexington, Virginia.  His amputated arm is buried in orange county.  (If you missed that
bit of trivia in the above paragraph, scroll back up for the link to an article on the
story behind this unusual burial.)

All in all, I’d say we had a very satisfactory weekend outing that included holiday cheer and a step back into history.  We’ve got plans for next weekend, but I’ll keep them a surprise for now.