Notes from the Road, October 10, 2016

After my side trip to Scandinavia, I returned to driving to history on Wednesday, Sept. 28 when I visited Manassas National Battlefield Park. The next day, I picked up the trailer at Shannon Farms (thanks again to the kind folks there for letting me store it and especially to Barbara and George for their hospitality) and on Thursday, spent the afternoon at Petersburg National Battlefield. Ranger Christopher immersed Kath from Maryland and me in an in-depth tour of the site. Immersed because at times, a torrential downpour drenched us. I am glad to say the storm did not dampen our spirits.

A tour of the Manassas Battlefield (Photo by Hunner)

A tour of the  trenches at the Petersburg Battlefield, in a downpour. (Photo by Hunner)

Christopher showed us three units of the park along the Dimmock Line, an earthen embankment that ran for thirty miles protecting Petersburg and Richmond in 1864-65. For 9 ½ months, Confederates and Union forces fought from trenches in a stalemate that lasted through that winter. We went to a reconstruction of a gabion where Christopher walked us through  attack and defense of such a fortified position. We also saw trenches from World War I used to train U.S. soldiers on their way to the front in Europe. Civil War Petersburg was a precursor to the trench warfare that happened in Flanders Field and other places during World War I.

The next day, I visited Colonial Williamsburg. As many of you know, I teach living history at New Mexico State University. But I had never spent time at Williamsburg, one of the premier living history parks in the country. They interpret this capital of Virginia in 1775, as revolutionary fervor fanned by some of the people from Williamsburg started to burst in the flames. I learned a lot about colonial life in the houses I went into, and a lot about the founding of our democracy at the State House. Then at the end of the afternoon, not having seen any first person interpreters, I stumbled on five African Americans sitting on a bench on the Duke of Gloucester Street in period costume. They portrayed slaves from the time period. In an accompanying blog this week, I write more about the causes of the Civil War.

Interpreters talking about slavery at Colonial Williamsburg (Photo by Hunner)

It took me a full day to drive from Virginia to Charleston, South Carolina. I was going to pay my respects to Kitty Hawk, but I got worried that Hurricane Matthew could curtail my coastal ramblings. One of my must-see parks is Fort Sumter NHS. So I by-passed the Outer Banks and went to Charleston and Fort Sumter on Sunday.

Painting of the shelling of Fort Sumter which started the Civil War (From exhibit at the fort)

Fort Sumter is a small place considering the big part it played in starting the Civil War. I took a ferry from Patriots Point where we motored under the bow of the venerable U.S.S. Yorktown, the aircraft carrier from World War II to Ft. Sumter. Driving by History will focus on the Civil War over the next few weeks so stay tuned.

The ferry to Fort Sumter motoring under the U.S.S. Yorktown (Photo by Hunner)

After Fort Sumter, I walked around Charleston, one of the prettiest cities in the country. The colonial style houses, the narrow cobblestone streets, and friendly people all contributed to its charm and authenticity. I was definitely in the South. I also decided to go to one of the forts at the mouth of Charleston Bay which fired on Fort Sumter so I drove around to Fort Moultrie.

I was looking forward to spending a couple of days at the Huntington Beach State Park, catching up on my writing and enjoying the beach. I cycled over to Brookgreen Gardens and followed their trail through the rice fields and the grounds where the slave village used to be.

The beach at Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina several days before Hurricane Matthew hit (Photo by Hunner)

On a tour at Huntington Beach State Park, this alligator bellows, possibly a  warning of the impending hurricane.
 (Photo by Hunner)

When I got back to my trailer, a ranger knocked on my door and told me I would have to evacuate by noon the next day because of Hurricane Matthew. The news estimated that 1,000,000 were in the evacuation zone, so I decided to bug out that night and headed for a special hurricane evacuation center in Asheville—that is, at my brother Chuck and Annette, his wife’s, house. On the way, I stopped by King’s Mountain, an American Revolutionary war park which Thomas Jefferson said “turned the tide.”

At King's Mountain, we stop at the grave of the British officer Ferguson who led the Loyalist Americans. (Photo by Hunner)

While in Asheville riding out the hurricane, I popped over to Greenville, Tennessee and the Andrew Johnson NHS. Johnson took over the presidency after Lincoln was murdered, and he had a difficult time bringing the country back together after the Civil War. He was impeached by the House, but not convicted by the Senate in 1868-1869. A former student of the Public History Program at NMSU works there-- Stephanie Steinhorst. She is the Chief of Interpretation and Education, and it was great seeing her advance in the NPS. Well done Stephanie.

Former NMSU student Stephanie Steinhorst at the Andrew Johnson NHS in front of the photos of Yosemite that Lincoln saw. Afterwards, Lincoln signed an agreement to protect Yosemite,  which was the start of the National Parks. (Photo by Hunner)

Hurricane Matthew dropped only rain on Asheville so I was glad to be away from the force of its winds, rain, and surf. Hearing the news from the affected areas in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Haiti, I am lucky to be able to evacuate and find safe haven away from the storm. With perhaps 2,000 people dead in Haiti, and parts of these three states with their own deaths and massive flooding, I know that some of the places I enjoyed just a week ago in Charleston and Huntington Beach have taken an almost direct hit. The eye of Matthew came ashore twenty-five miles south of my campsite and about twenty-five miles north of Charleston. I hope they recover quickly.

Many thanks to Annette and Chuck for their southern hospitality—the home grown tomatoes, the micro-brews, and the arts and crafts of the area.

The entry by the Andrew Johnson NHS into the Halloween contest at Greenville, Tennessee (Photo by Hunner)

I leave on Monday, October 10 for the last part of my road trip to the East Coast and the South—here’s is a revised schedule of my travels. Of course, this itinerary is subject to change.

Week of Oct 10

Great Smoky Mountains NP, Tennessee

Manhattan Project NHP at Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Tennessee Valley Authority, Tennessee

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Parks, Tennessee

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia

Week of Oct 17

Andersonville NHS, Georgia

Tuskegee Airmen NHS, Alabama

Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights Trail, Alabama

Week of Oct 24

Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail and Parkway, Alabama and Mississippi

Vicksburg NMP, Mississippi

New Orleans Jazz NHP, Louisiana

Acadian Village, Louisiana

Week of Oct 30

San Jacinto State Historic Park, Texas

Palo Alto Battlefield NHP, Texas

San Antonio Missions NHP, Texas

Fort Davis NHS, Texas

Return to Las Cruces, New Mexico