April 29, Thursday, Day 50

After dropping Greg off at the Richmond Airport for a quick trip back home, the kids and I went to the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond. We toured the home that Jefferson Davis lived in during his time of Presidency of the Southern Confederate States.



Here in the south, you sense a strange sort of pride that is felt toward those who had courage and fought for their confederate beliefs. Something you don't quite realize living in California. People still fly confederate flags!

Here is a display of actual Gettysburg relics from the museum. They had many glass cases representing many different skirmishes. I think I just didn't realize how massive and devastating this war was. It cost many American lives. I am currently reading The Appomattox Saga by Gilbert Morris which is giving me an idea of what those in the South and those in the North were fighting for. Families were often divided and fighting against one another. And President Lincoln was killed just 13 days after the war ended!

We then toured part of Richmond National Battlefield. This picture of Luke is taken in front of a Union earth mound at Fort Harrison. The fort was orginally confederate, but when the Union captured it, they reinforced it and dug and formed more earthworks.

The thing that was crazy about this battlefield site was that you could drive around curvy roads and see earthworks lining it. Not only that, but there were recently built houses sprinkled in between. People live among this constant reminder of the bloodiest war in our nations history!

We then drove south to Petersburg battlefield sites. The boys are standing in front of a crater that was created by Union troups digging a tunnel under a Confederate fort and blowing it up! The idea was casually made by some mine worker soldiers and the commander seemed to like the idea.

We were tired after a long day and went back to the motorhome and had cereal for dinner.