9/3/2011
About 45 minutes from Manassas is Fredericksburg, a jumping off point for four of the most brutal battles in the Civil War. We stopped at the Battle of Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania State Park, which has a nice walking tour along the Sunken Road (a natural defense associated with the imagery of the Battle of Fredericksburg.) For some reason, I liked this a lot. While Manassas was just a flat field, it was clear that Fredericksburg took place among people’s homes – some of which were still standing. I saw a few bullet holes as reminders in one of them. In the background was the mansion that was commandeered by the Confederate army as their impromptu headquarters. There was something in the atmosphere here that helped evoke the total war so connected with the Civil War. I could imagine myself in the midst of it in a much stronger sense than I could at Manassas.
On our way to our hotel (a Day’s Inn in Mint Springs that was like the Hilton compared to the Scottish Inn) we drove through a scenic byway that led us past the sites of the Battle of Charlottesville, Spotsylvania and the Wilderness – a telling panorama of the war’s impact on real people in this area.
From Laura: I didn't get to see much of this place as Kathleen needed to be fed, although I didn't mind too much as I have seen 5,000 other battlefields. Okay, maybe I exaggerate slightly. I have noticed that when a baby is hungry, the baby needs to eat now, or everyone around her will go deaf. So, I got to sit on a bench for half an hour, and stare at a couple of trees and a stone wall. I seemed to be feeding the mosquitos at the same time.
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