Pictures for April 3

I can't believe all we saw on Wednesday, April 3, 2013

The Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg where the Seventh Michigan came across to chase out the sharpshooters in the town buildings so Burnside could get a bridge built across the river, allowing his army to make it across.

In Fredericksburg, DH interviewed a Confederate descendant about the Civil War.

Battle of the Wilderness (spring, 1864) area in which Ferd's brother Lucius lost an arm, and Ferd's brother Corridon/Corydon received a fatal wound.

In May of 1864 Ferd wrote in his diary about fighting at Spotsylvania Court House.  He mentioned building breastworks (earthworks), remnants of which are still present (I am "hiding" in one above).

DH guided us to a monument marking where Ferd's regiment (27th Michigan as well as the 17th Michigan, and many others) fought at Spotsylvania Court House.

A few miles away we saw the building in which Confederate General Stonewall Jackson died.

In Richmond we toured the Confederate White House.  This is the rear, looking toward the White House from the garden.

Also in Richmond we walked on a pedestrian bridge across the James River to Belle Isle, where Ferd was held prisoner for about 6 weeks before being shipped on to Salisbury.

We found the area where thousands of prisoners of war were held.  It was surrounded by a "dead line", which if a prisoner came too close to, he risked being shot.  In an act of affirmation of life, we lit there a birthday candle (for the birthdays of DH on April 2 and LM on April 4).  This candle played the "Happy Birthday" tune over and over until we located the wire from the battery and WE snipped it.