Considering the Legacy of the War at Sunset

Last night I attended Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park's summertime Friday series, "History at Sunset." This week's excellent program, delivered by the park's chief historian, John Hennessy on the Spotsylvania battlefield, encouraged the audience to think about the complicated legacy of the Civil War, the competing narratives of its historiography, and the role battlefields can play in helping us understand the war not just through a microscopic focus on battlefield tactics and soldier stories, but in also presenting the story of the war from a broader view. Hennessy used a pair of binoculars as a metaphor for the challenges of interpreting the war. We often look through the small lenses to obtain a close up, detailed portrait of war, he said; we zoom in on faces and belt buckles. However, doing so can sometimes detract from the larger issues that the combatants fought over - principally slavery. Hennessy encouraged us to flip the binoculars around, look through the larger lenses, and grasp the larger patterns and stories that may not appear so evident at extreme magnification. We must consider both views, he concluded, when interpreting history.

As the audience of about 120 wound its way from the Bloody Angle to the McCoull Farm and back, Hennessy offered several stories that challenged standard narratives of the Battle for the Mule Shoe on May 12th, 1864. Along the way, he argued that no historical event has been more carefully presented to the American public than the Civil War. In the years after the war, individuals in the North and South sought to craft a narrative of the war to facilitate reconciliation. This narrative emphasized that soldiers on both sides displayed honorable virtues, such as courage, valor, and chivalry. It sought to present a simplified depiction of the war, and to downplay the war's complexities. As John B. Gordon once wrote: "The unseemly things which occurred in the great conflict between  the States should be forgotten, or at least forgiven, and no longer permitted to disturb complete harmony between North and South."

The carefully crafted narrative of the Civil War had little room to consider the ultimate cause of the war, human slavery. Yet in the past half century Americans have increasingly questioned the dominant narratives of the war. As new individuals and groups have gained voices through various movements to expand political and civil rights, they have used those voices to challenge old assumptions, and add new stories to our understanding of the war.

 It was a beautiful evening on the Spotsylvania battlefield, but also an evening that required grappling with difficult and complicated questions. This proved especially true in light of the public conversations of the last month over the place of Civil War memory in our society today.

Freeman Tilden wrote that the chief aim of interpretation is provocation, and in this Hennessy certainly succeeded. Listen to the entire program, an audio file is embedded below, and it's well worth your time. The original audio file is courtesy of Ted Schubel.

Photos - Fredericksburg National Cemetery Illumination

Last night, Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park held it's 20th annual National Cemetery Illumination to commemorate Memorial Day. This wonderful event is a partnership involving Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and other helping hands (nearly 1,000 volunteers all told). The beautiful cemetery was lit up with more than 15,300 candles--one light for each soldier resting at peace on the heights made famous during the 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg. In addition to the illuminaries, NPS staff and volunteers stationed themselves at various points throughout the cemetery to share individual stories of fallen soldiers.

The United States Congress created the National Cemetery in July of 1865, just three months after the end of the Civil War. It became the resting place for more than 15,000 United States soldiers. Most of these are Union soldiers who died in camps near Fredericksburg due to disease, or in one of the four major battles and countless minor actions that took place around Fredericksburg during the war.  Roughly 100 of the graves are 20th century soldiers, and a few spouses, but the cemetery closed to new burials during the 1940s. About 12,000 of the 15,000 soldiers buried here have not been identified.

According to Fredericksubrg & Spotslyvania's twitter feed - last night's commemoration seemed on its way to an attendance record, with more than 6,600 people with an hour left to go.

The illuminaria is a fitting way to commemorate fallen soldiers on Memorial Day. The tradition harkens back to the very origins of Memorial Day, a holiday that grew out of emerging traditions of decorating the graves of fallen soldiers in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War.

Morning Fog at the Mule Shoe - Spotsylvania

Yesterday I took advantage of warmer temperatures to accomplish some hiking at Spotsylvania and Chancellorsville battlefields. Here are a few photos:

In the morning I had the Mule Shoe Salient essentially to myself, excepting a herd of deer grazing in the hollows and depressions in front of the Confederate works. It's hard to believe that some 151 years ago, this now-quiet spot was the ugliest place in America.

Remembering Spotsylvania's Bloody Angle

Today we commemorate one of the most horrific days in American history. At about 4:30 a.m. on May 12th, 1864, the Army of the Potomac launched 20,000 men in a massed assault against the protruding salient--"The Mule Shoe"--of the Army of Northern Virginia's defensive line at Spotsylvania. On a foggy, rain soaked morning - the initial assault wave swept over the Confederate line, capturing several batteries of artillery and a good part of an entire Confederate division. With the center of his lines broken, Robert E. Lee gathered whatever forces he could find and launched counterattacks against the Mule Shoe, hoping to buy time to construct a second defensive line at the base of the salient. Both sides fed more troops into the fight, which settled down into a bloody stalemate. For almost twenty-two hours, until early in the morning on May 13th, the two sides battled each other at point-blank range, frequently in hand-to-hand combat. In some places the battle lines were only separated by four-feet wide earthworks that ran between them. As they fought, torrential rains turned the bloody landscape into a quagmire. After the battle Meade's aide Theodore Lyman recalled:

At one place called the "Corner" [the Bloody Angle] the lines stood within fifty feet of each other, for hours! The breastworks made a ridge between them, and any living thing that showed above that line fell dead. The next day the bodies of friend and foe covered the ground. Some wounded men were then taken out from under three or four dead ones. One body, that lay exposed to the fire, had eighty bullets in it.

All told, the two sides suffered a total of 17,000 casualties on May 12th, most in the localized area of the Mule Shoe, making it perhaps the bloodiest piece of real estate in America. In 1864, the attack on the Mule Shoe revealed that a war that had already seen its share of carnage was becoming--if possible--more brutal.

First light over the Battlefield this morning.

At 5 a.m. this morning--May 12, 2014--some 235 individuals congregated on the Spotsylvania Battlefield to commemorate this horrific scene. Led by Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park's superb park rangers, we filed down Landrum Lane to the location of the Confederate picket line, and began to trace the footsteps of the Union 2nd Corps's assault. Our ranger guides shared with us the accounts of the Union soldiers who took part in the assault - recounting their agonizing night march to get into position, and utilizing the soldiers own words to depict the hellish scenes of that morning. Suddenly, I didn't think waking up at 3 a.m. to attend this hike was such an impressive accomplishment anymore.

The first interpretive hike ended at 7 a.m., and a second program--with even more visitors--began an hour later, tracing the course of Robert E. Lee's response to the crisis in the center of his line. We followed in the footsteps of the troops Lee fed into the Mule Shoe, and began understand how the decisions of commanders on both sides, and the unique features of the terrain, led to the bloody stalemate. And to contemplate the iron will and determination of the soldiers who sustained it.

Flowers at the Bloody Angle.

While I was unable to stay, the Park Service had planned interpretive programs continuing all day long. Their commemorative efforts go beyond studying the strategy and tactics of the battle. Several programs and events contemplated the human cost of war. During the Park's "A Nation Remembers" culminating event on May 10th, flowers were strewed across the earthworks that still stand the test of time at the Bloody Angle.

The Silent Sentinel.

Beginning at 6 a.m. this morning - Park Rangers stood as silent sentinels at the Bloody Angle with the National Colors, a tribute to the sacrifices of the soldiers. Rangers were each taking 30 minute shifts, and their tribute will last the full 22 hours of the battle, until 4 a.m. tomorrow morning. And finally, tonight, from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. there will be a candlelight vigil to reflect on the destruction of the battle.

Hidden Spotsylvania

Tonight I am back home from an excursion to Spotsylvania, where I was able to take part in a wonderful seven hour, ranger-led hike focusing on the hidden spots of the Spotsylvania Battlefield. About 85 diehard visitors turned out for this tour, a seven or eight mile trek. Ranger Beth Parnicza was our guide. Peter Maugle was slated to co-lead the tour, but was unable to at the last minute - and Gettysburg National Military Park Ranger John Heiser stepped in as a substitute and admirably filled Peter's role.

For those of you who have never made it to Spotsylvania, it is easily one of the best battlefields to hike. The Park Service makes it easy with their Spotsylvania History Trail, a seven mile interpretive route which allows you to explore nearly the entire battlefield on foot. Today - our path traced much of the History Trail - but we also plunged deep into the woods at times to visit secluded spots.

The Group gathers at our first stop - Doles's Salient.

We began our tour at the end of Anderson Drive, and hiked to Doles's Salient - where Beth recounted some of the details of Emory Upton's evening assault on May 10th.

The tour group stretches single file through the woods as we locate the original trace of Upton's Road.

We then followed the route of Upton's assault in reverse. Here I learned that the actual hiking trail for Upton's attack does not necessarily follow "Upton's Road" - the wooded lane that Upton's troops guided on in their assault. The current hiking trail follows a route laid out by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, and diverges a bit from the original road. Beth led the group through the woods to the trace of an old logging path that she believes is probably the true "Upton's Road."

It's hard to make out in this photo - but these curious Sixth Corps earthworks are laid out in multiple rows,
with a few yards separating one line of earthworks from the next line in rear.

Once we had emerged from the woods onto Grant Drive, we followed the park road for a ways and then struck off into the woods north of the road to explore some mysterious entrenchments of the Sixth Corps. Here we found several rows of extremely well preserved earthworks - mostly likely dug by Wheaton's brigade - stacked up one behind another. This strange formation of earthworks has not been noted on any other battlefields other than at Kennesaw Mountain. And Union troops at both locations left no record for why they arrayed their defenses in such a unique configuration.

The group gathers to view the Mule Shoe from the perspective of the Confederate
skirmish line out in front of the main works.

After lunch by the Bloody Angle, John led the group down the Landrum Lane to the site of the Landrum House to discuss the battle on the morning of May 12th. He offered several fascinating details, relating the struggle Union forces had in keeping their units at the Mule Shoe supplied with ammunition throughout the day-long contest.

John Heiser leads us toward the Mule Shoe from the Landrum House site.

From here, we marched across the fields, following the route of Hancock's Corps to the angle. Beth and John discussed not only the action at the Angle, but also the aftermath of the battle, and the horrific task of burying the dead. They related several accounts of burial parties simply knocking down the trenches in this sector to cover over the dead who carpeted those trenches. The Angle was not just a battleground, it was a burial ground.

Earthworks at Heth's Salient.

Leaving the Mule Shoe, we continued on to explore the action on the front of Burnside's 9th corps. In the words north of Burnside Drive we located the 9th Corps earthworks, and after a hike deep into the woods on the south side of the avenue we located Heth's Salient - a well-preserved position that hardly any Spotsylvania visitors get to see.

The tour group begins to straggle a bit as we cross the Harrison Farm - toward the end of the tour.

Retracing our steps back to Burnside Drive, we rounded out our tour with a hike over to Gordon Drive, past the Harrison House, and concluded our experience at the end of Anderson Drive with a discussion of Lee's final line and the Sixth Corps's assault on May 18th.

Throughout the program, Beth and John emphasized the stunningly preserved landscape of Spotsylvania. The battlefield's 14.9 miles of earthworks today stand testament to how the war was changing in May of 1864.

Kudos to the Park Service for an outstanding commemorative program.

Preliminary Schedule Posted for Wilderness & Spotsylvania Sesquicentennial Commemoration

As we move into 2014, I've started looking forward to the next big Sesquicentennial events here in Virginia. May will bring the 150th anniversary of Grant's Overland Campaign. Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park has posted a preliminary schedule for their commemorative events. The programs include real-time tours such as a "Sunrise in the Widow Tapp's Field" program on May 6th. Other events will include a vigil for the 22 hours of continuous combat at the Bloody Angle on May 12th, and a Celebration of Freedom to mark the ending of slavery in Virginia and commemorate the first combat between United States Colored Troops and the Army of Northern Virginia.

I've only been able to attend one commemorative event during the Sesquicentennial so far, at Gettysburg. But I plan to attend as many of the events that I can this May.

A Hike at Spotsylvania

On Friday Emily and I decided to skip the craziness of holiday shopping. Instead, we took a drive over to the Fredericksburg area to take advantage of the beautiful, if chilly, weather. We wanted to avoid the shopping traffic on Route 3 as much as possible, so we stuck to the 1864 campaign. After a very brief driving tour of the Wilderness, with stops at Saunders Field, the Widow Tapp clearing, and the Brock Road intersection, we followed the Army of the Potomac's march down the Brock Road and left our car at the Spotsylvania Exhibit shelter.

Armed with a great set of maps from Blue & Gray magazine, we set off on the Spotsylvania History Trail. For me, hiking is the only way to tour a battlefield properly, and Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park has established some great trails at all of its battle sites. The trail at Spotsylvania consists of several connected loops, allowing a battlefield tourist the option of choosing a short hike, sampling a portion of the trail, or setting out to hike the entire seven miles. We chose to spend several hours and hike most of the trail, which begins and ends at the Exhibit shelter.

Setting out to follow in the footsteps of the 5th Corps across the open fields of the Spindle Farm.

We first traversed ground rarely seen by the average visitor touring the field in a car - Laurel Hill. The term "hill" is actually a misnomer, the terrain is undulating here. In these open fields stood the farmhouse of Sarah Spindle. On May 8th, as Confederate cavalry fell back down the Brock Road, disputing the advance of G.K. Warren's 5th Corps, Confederate infantry arrived in the nick of time to take position on a slight rise of ground behind hastily-made barricades. Warren launched several uncoordinated assaults against the Confederate position on Laurel Hill, trying to break through and into Spotsylvania Courthouse, but each failed. By the end of the day, the Army of Northern Virginia strengthened its position firmly astride the Army of the Potomac's route of advance. On May 10th and again on May 12th, the federals attempted to take Laurel Hill by frontal assault. However, the open fields and the convex shape of the Confederate works in this location subjected Union troops to a terrible crossfire during each attempt, and they met bloody repulses. Hiking across this terrain gives you a good sense of the disadvantages Union soldiers faced. You can also see a small monument to the Maryland Brigade, placed at the point of the furthest advance made by Union forces on May 8th.

Toward the Confederate position at Laurel Hill.

The Laurel Hill loop of the trail returned us to the Exhibit Shelter, and we set out on part two of our hike, which follows along the remnants of earthworks that belonged to the Army of the Potomac's 6th Corps until it reaches Upton's Road. On the evening of May 10th, Colonel Emory Upton led 5,000 hand-picked federal troops in a lightning-fast charge upon Doles' Salient, a mere 200 yards distant. The federals guided upon this narrow farm lane. Upton utilized a compact formation and ordered his men not to fire until they had reached the Confederate works. He broke the Confederate line at the salient, but receiving no support, his men were forced back eventually.

Upton's Road

Looking toward Doles' Salient.

Having followed the route of Upton's assault, the hiking trail then traverses the signature feature of the Confederate defensive line at Spotsylvania, the "Mule Shoe." Several monuments line this portion of the trail, as do multiple interpretive markers that tell the story of the famed assault on May 12th, 1864, and the fighting at the Bloody Angle. At 4 a.m. on that morning, some 20,000 federal soldiers under Winfield Scott Hancock overwhelmed Confederate forces at the Mule Shoe. Robert E. Lee fed Confederate reinforcements into the fight, hoping to buy time to allow his engineers to build a new line at the base of the Mule Shoe. For twenty hours the battle raged at close quarters, often hand-to-hand. The intensity and duration of the fighting that took place here has no other parallel during the war.

The Mule Shoe.

A side excursion of the hiking trail leads out to the Landram House ruins, which Hancock's 20,000 men swarmed past on their way to the Mule Shoe. We chose instead to continue following along the Confederate earthworks to the East Angle. From here the trail then visits two other homes unfortunately located in the path of war, the McCoull House site and the Harrison House. Both of these farms were located in the rear of the Confederate Mule Shoe position. They became the staging areas for the Confederate counterattacks that swept into the maelstrom at the Mule Shoe.

From the Harrison House, the hiking trail weaves its way through a wooded landscape along what became Lee's final line at Spotsylvania, the works constructed during the day on May 12th while the fighting raged at the Mule Shoe. Early on the morning of May 13th, the Confederates pulled back from the Mule Shoe and took position here. I had never visited this area of the battlefield before, and these earthworks are in an incredible state of preservation. The were among the strongest field fortifications that had been constructed up to that point in the war. The Army of the Potomac found this out several days later in its ill-fated assault on May 18th.

We hiked along these amazing earthworks, still imposing features on the landscape some 150 years later, until we reached the Brock Road, where we turned north and looped back to the Exhibit Shelter to complete our hike. In all, we logged somewhere close to five miles. It was a great way to spend Black Friday. If you enjoy hiking on Civil War battlefields, put the Spotsylvania History Trail on your list.