This is an outstanding facility. It was started by the same people who were responsible for the Huntington Library in California. The Museum tells the story of ships, sailors and their exploits for the past 1,000 years. It is a well organized, beautifully displayed museum that covers everything from the ancient Chinese to Lord Nelson. But the "crown jewel" for Civil War buffs is that it is the conservator of the USS Monitor. They have taken this role very seriously and the Monitor exhibit is literally a museum within a museum.
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Earlier this month my wife, Kathy, and I were at a Convention in Williamsburg, Virginia. After it was over we decided to visit the USS Monitor and Mariner's Museum in Newport News. What a great experience! The Curator of the Museum is Anna Holloway. She is our speaker for November. When I contacted her she was thrilled to be able to show us her museum and the excellent work they are doing with the restoration of the USS Monitor.
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In order to enter the laboratory where the USS Monitor is being restored, Kathy was asked to wear rubber boots to protect her feet. All of the parts that have been raised from the Monitor are saturated with salt from being in the sea water for 150 years. Before these items can be displayed they need to have the salt drawn out. The process to do this involves submerging the parts in a special solution and enhancing the process with electrolysis and a slight electrical charge. The boots were worn to prevent exposure to the solution should their be a spill.
Only a small part of the USS Monitor is currently being restored. The balance is still at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Cape Hatteras. The turret house and the big guns of the ship are at the Museum. One of the guns is shown here in the restoration tank. The Monitor had two 11-inch smoothbore muzzle-loading cannon. This meant that the gun had to be retracted and loaded after each round. One can only imagine what it must have been like in the turret when the ship was engaged in action.
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While it will take years to restore many of the pieces of the Monitor, there were some items that were found virtually untouched by the wear of nearly a Century and a half at the bottom of the Ocean. Here is a brass wheel that was used on one of the cannon. It looks like it was made yesterday. It is interesting to note that even though the design of the Monitor was not done for looks, this was the "Age of Ships" and many parts were made to be beautiful as well as functional. This wheel is a great example.
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The prop of the USS Monitor is on display in the Museum. It is not clear whether it was damaged before the ship sank in a storm or was damaged when the ship hit the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. It is also in excellent condition and looks like with a few repairs it could be used today.
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Berkeley Plantation with it's beautiful grounds and mansion is a delightful stop. Berkeley was the sight of the first Thanksgiving in the New World in 1619. It was also the sight of the first whiskey distillery, a shipyard that built an 18 gun ship for the Revolution and a stopping place for Abraham Lincoln when he went to visit General George McClellan during the Penisula Campaign. Add to that it was the birthplace of Benjamin Harrison - a signer of the Declaration of Independence - and of President William Henry Harrison and you have enough historical significance for anyone.
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This small, beautiful church is in operation today with an active congregation. Guided tours are available on weekends or can be arranged by contacting the Church in advance. It's claim to fame is that this was the spot where the Virginia patriot Patrick Henry gave his "Give me Liberty or Give me Death" speech. The speech was given during the second Virginia Convention held in the Church. This was an interesting visit with a young tour guide that gave us a rousing rendition of the Patrick Henry speech. Well worth the stop.
The Museum of the Confederacy has an outstanding collection of Civil War artifacts. They are only able to exhibit a very small percentage of their collection at any given time. But everything they display is meaningful to the battle or event they are trying to illustrate. For example, their exhibit of an officer's field tent was none other than Robert E. Lee's. Ed Bearss claims this is the finest collection in existence. I agree.
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Museums need capable and enthusiastic volunteers. The Museum of the Confederacy is lucky to have their share including Abdur Ali-Haymes - our tour leader for the visit to the White House of the Confederacy (which is next to the Museum). Abdur was born and raised in Richmond, served his career in the U.S Army and returned to his home town for retirement. He is active in the Museum and also serves as the Museum Operations Assistant. For us the most important thing was that he was a knowledgeable and entertaining tour guide. He knew his history and his building. Best of all - he knows how to tell a good story! If you go to the Museum of the Confederacy the half hour guided tour is a must. Maybe you will be as fortunate as we were to listen to Abdur.
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During the siege of Petersburg, Union troops who had been coal miners before the War convinced the Union Command that they could dig a mine beneath the Confederate works, load it with explosives and blow a hole in the Confederate lines. This would be followed by a frontal charge through the gap and a Union victory. The first few steps of the plan worked and the explosion sent men, artillery, dirt and debris into the air. In one of the classic command blunders of the War untrained men were sent into the Crater left by the explosion. Instead of moving forward they stopped to gape at the carnage. Confederate troops did not hesitate in shutting the gap in their lines and rushed to the Crater. Union troops were helpless and easy targets. Casualties on the Union side were over 5,000 men. Confederate losses were minimal. Grant decided to stop any further frontal charges and the Siege of Petersburg went on for many more months.
This famous 13" mortar lobbed shells into Petersburg throughout the siege.
Five Forks was the decisive battle that broke the defense of Petersburg and forced General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia to retreat westward. This led to the fall of Richmond and to the surrender of Lee's Army at Appomattox.
The Five Forks Battlefield was purchased by the National Park Service in 1990 and added to the Petersburg National Battlefield Park. This impressive and functional Visitor Center is a recent addition to enhance the experience of visiting this site.
Last year I was doing some geneology research and found that one of my distant cousins received the Congressional Medal of Honor. I mentioned this to my wife, Kathy, during our trip to Virginia and she did the research to find that he received the Medal for his actions during the Battle of Five Forks in 1865. My ancestor was Albert E. Fernald. Here is a summary of the action from the Civil War Research Database.
"First Lieutenant Albert E. Fernald, of Company F, Twentieth Maine Infantry, was with his regiment in the last line when the battle opened, but was in the first line when the works were reached. The left of the regiment struck the works first, he being somewhat in advance, and as he cleared the breastworks ran toward a body of Confederates with a rebel color-bearer. He rushed among the crowd and secured the flag of the 14th Virginia Infantry before even his regiment had gotten into the works."
While at the new Five Forks visitors center I asked the Ranger on duty where this action took place on the battlefield. He knew about the event and the location. A short drive and an equally short walk later, we were standing on the spot (shown here). Who says studying the Civil War is boring?
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This museum is dedicated to understanding the life of the Civil War soldier. It is a well designed and beautiful facility featuring an interactive gallery covering all aspects of a soldier's life from enlistment to training, from camp life to battle, from armaments to the importance of mail call - all explained through an audio program. An added touch is that you are able to select one Civil War soldier that you would like to follow. The program then explains each aspect of a soldier's life and gives specific quotes from "your soldier." This is an outstanding learning tool that keeps your interest. The information is accurate and detailed but not at all tedious. It is self-paced so if you want to move on to the next topic, you can do so seamlessly. The program is well worth the 45 minutes to one hour involved.
The one thing I was a little disappointed in was that they would not let me take a picture inside the gallery. I explained that I would not use a flash and that I was going to use the picture for the Fort Worth Civil War Round Table website. This would be free publicity and a good link from our site. Not only was I told that I could not take a picture but I also received a lecture on the fact that I could not take a picture. Perhaps a more enlightened view would have produced a better explanation of why I feel this is a must see for visitors to this section of Virginia.
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This is the audio system used in the display. You can see some of the Civil War personalities you can select as well.
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We had just arrived in Albuquerque for the annual "cousins" trip and we were discussing what we planned on doing on our five day stay in Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico. Shopping seemed to be high on the list for the ladies. But my wife,Kathy, had a whole list of museums to visit as well. Then there were the side trips to the Pecos National Historical Park, Taos and Bandelier National Monument. I casually mentioned that I would like to see the Glorieta Pass Battlefield. After all I had read Don Frazier's Pate Award Winning Book - Blood and Treasure. And this was the pivotal battle of the 1862 campaign of Texas troops under Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley and the end to the Confederacy's quest for a Southwestern empire. Unfortunately, Kathy and my children gave up on trying to stay interested in Civil War Battlefields many years ago. So the prospect of a trip through a New Mexico battlefield was not high on her list. But Cousin David Nancrede and Cousin-in-Law Tom Mehaffey earned my eternal gratitude by saying that they would both like to go.
The next day we spent the afternoon at Pecos National Park and saw the ancient Indian Pueblo and the Spanish era mission remains. However, I was fortunate to meet Park volunteer, Jean Higgins, who along with her husband, Rich Higgins, were instrumental in creating the Glorieta Pass Battlefield Trail. She gave us the maps and brochures on the battle as well as the code to the lock on the gate that controls access to the Trail.
So two afternoons later David, Tom and I made the drive back to Pecos for our Civil War Battlefield tour while the ladies shopped in Santa Fe. Thankfully, the combination to the lock worked and we were on our way on the trail. It is an unpaved but well maintained trail of 2.25 miles and is described as "moderately strenuous." The elevation change is 500 feet and the brochure says it takes about 1.5 hours.
The area is heavily wooded today. At the time of the battle the area was devoid of underbrush and had only a few trees. So like many Civil War battlefields one has to use imagination to visualize exactly how the battle took place. However, the trail is well laid out and it gives you a good idea of the terrain and the distances involved in the fighting. In short, it is well worth the trip.