Spanning a Century

Today was a transition day for our trip. Up until this point we have been focusing on Colonial America and the Revolutionary War but now that we are heading to the south, we will be focusing on the Civil War. Today we visited one Revolutionary period site and two Civil War sites. We began our day in Manasses Virginia at the site of Bull Run, the first land battle of the Civil War. It was interesting to learn about the young, unprepared boys who sacrificed their lives for what they firmly believed in, the shock of the town when the troops marched into their neighborhood on a calm Sunday afternoon, with curious spectators arriving from Washington to cheer the sides on as if it were a sporting event, and the sudden realization, after the battle ended with thousands of bodies strewn across the field, that America had lost its innocence.

Monument to soldiers that was visited often after the war by returning soldiers.

We continued west to Charlottesville, Virginia to visit Thomas Jefferson's home at Monticello. Jefferson commented that he would rather be sick in bed at Monticello than healthy and strong in Philadelphia, where he spent much of his time. I can understand why. Monticello is beautiful. I love old homes and Jefferson's home reminded me how much I would love to live in one again. We signed up for the family tour of the house, which was perfect for our group! A woman with a sweet southern accent took us through each room and had the children sit on the floor as she pulled out props from her bag to illustrate how Jefferson lived. The tour was very interactive, with my children not afraid to participate. It was fun to watch as Ezra raised his hand several times providing relevant comments and insight. Over the past two months we have visited John Adam's home in Quincy Massachusetts, Washington's home in Alexandria and now Jefferson's home. This visit tied up all the loose ends for us, if felt. We could compare and contrast the different men and especially connect what we learned with what we had heard about Adams. (John Adams and Jefferson had a tumultuous relationship over the years, but ultimately ended up being dear friends, dying on the same day, which was not only July 4th, but also the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence!) Jefferson was also the president who sent out Lewis and Clark which will be another focus of our trip while we drive from Salt Lake to Portland. This stop was a highlight for me.

The Children's activities here were great.

On our way out of town we drove past the University of Virginia which Thomas Jefferson founded. His home and this university are both World Heritage Sites and were both built in the same shape, as well as was the state capitol building.

We stayed later than planned at Monticello, so we knew that our next stop, the White House of the Confederacy and museum in Richmond would be closed. We had to drive through Richmond anyway, so we hopped off the freeway to take a look at this building where Jefferson Davis led the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Our destination was Chesapeake Virginia, just north of the Outerbanks, our next section of our vacation. Steve was waiting at our hotel when we arrived. We were all thrilled to see him!