Day 2 of the 2012 Terrier Campaign – weather changes our plans

Wednesday, May 30 dawned with a pretty nasty forecast of rain and thunderstorms.  Our original plan was to spend the day doing the Richmond battlefields – both 1862 Seven Days Battles and the 1864 Overland Campaign – but discretion being the better part of valor we opted for a day inside a car and museums.  The trip to Appomattox was to be the end of our tour (fittingly), but got bumped up in the plan.  Tip #7:  Be flexible and have a back-up plan with a mixture of indoor and outdoor activities.  And pack umbrellas!

The new Museum of the Confederacy branch museum is just off of US 460 – a very easy find with plenty of parking.  It’s a beautiful building and the exhibits are top notch (kudos to Riggs Ward Design and EXPLUS).  It was a busy place when we got there – several school groups and odds and ends of tourists (we being the odd bunch).  I was particularly fascinated by the flag exhibit (“Colors of the Gray”) which explained the evolution of the Confederate flag and distinctions between various battle flags, as well as the flag in popular culture.

I was trying to get my little group back on the road to keep to our schedule, but Brad convinced me to go listen to a first-person interpreter who held visitors enthralled with his demonstration of the things a soldier carried (although I do not believe for a minute that - tooth powder and horsehair toothbrush notwithstanding - they had better teeth back then than we do).  Tip #8:  Don’t miss the human element – it’s worth the time to listen!  The gentleman was most convincing and had the kids in the group fascinated by his descriptions of the life of an ordinary soldier.  He had some of the adults itching to get their hands on the artifacts, too….. 

Our next stop was the NPS Appomattox Court House site where Lee surrendered to Grant.  The visitor center provided a great introduction to the site, and with exhibits both up and downstairs.  Another first person interpretation program was about to begin and we waited to see how this one would be.  Unfortunately, we decided to disobey Tip #8 as the program was going to be a long one and quite frankly we were hungry.  Instead, we sought out the McLean House which seemed a humble spot for such a momentous occurrence.  The rangers on duty were very patient and knowledgeable as we peppered them with questions. 

But the rain had stopped and the day was just beautiful, with grassy lawns and lanes, white picket fences, big old trees and a few well-preserved town buildings.  It was well past lunchtime and we found a quiet spot by the cemetery for a picnic lunch.  Tip #9:  In Virginia, the best fried chicken is served up at gas stations.  My guys didn’t believe me at first, but the chicken at Natour’s (just past the intersection with US 460) was fresh out of the fryer and oh-so-tasty!

We were now in a race against time as we headed back down US 460 to Petersburg and Pamplin Park’s National Museum of the Civil War Soldier.  One of Dinwiddie County’s finest reminded us that it is inadvisable to try to make up time on the highway – but he let us off with a warning when he saw the car was jammed with Civil War brochures, maps and picnic gear as well as four obvious tourists (I wonder if VTC has asked troopers to go easy on CW visitors??)   Tip #10:  It’s tempting to try to “see everything”, but be realistic about time and distance.

We arrived at Pamplin just a half hour before closing, with only enough time to take a quick look around before heading to the Petersburg National Battlefield.  Luckily, we made it to the Eastern Front Visitor Center before they closed (another stamp!) and the park itself was open until dusk.   It was quiet and still, with hardly any other visitors as we drove from fort to fort, many just vague outlines of what had been.  We ended at the site of the bloody Crater battle.  Dusk was settling in, and the mood was eerie …. spectral.  The engineering aspects of the tunnel dug under the Confederate lines was fascinating, but the thought of so much carnage was unsettling.  We all were pretty quiet as we walked around the site – except for the rather heated debate on whether the black specks in the distance were cows or bears.  Turns out they were turkeys – very fitting.   Time to head back to Richmond.

The day ended at another of my favorite eateries, Penny Lane Pub on Franklin at 5^th Street.  The Civil War theme was temporarily abandoned in favor of Liverpool and the Fabulous Four, fish & chips and steak & Guinness pie.

Tomorrow - it's on to Newport News and the Monitor Center!