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| These reenactors were up and at 'em early at the Gaines Mill. |
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| Cannon on the Gaines Mill battlefield. |
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| The Watt House was just behind Union lines at Gaines Mill. |
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| Snake rail fence at Gaines Mill battlefield. |
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| Park sign at Gaines Mill |
I was on the Gaines Mill battlefield at 6:15 a.m. today to kick off my yearly Civil War tour in Virginia. Today was the 148th anniversary of the battle, and reenactors were on site to give living history demonstrations. The temperature hit 100 later, so I imagine they were suffering a bit in their wool uniforms.
The Confederates won this battle, one of the Seven Days battles around Richmond. For one of the few times during the war, Robert E. Lee outnumbered the Union forces.
The second-from-last photo below is a shot of the Beaver Dam Creek battlefield, much of which has been lost to history because of development. Sadly, that's the case with many battlefields in the Richmond area. Seven Pines, for example, has been largely obliterated.
I also stopped by the Cold Harbor battlefield. I am especially interested in the 2nd Connecticut Heavy Artillery, which lost 330 men killed or wounded on June 1, 1864, at Cold Harbor. I am researching a 2nd Connecticut soldier, Capt. Luman Wadhams, one of three brothers killed within a three-week span in Virginia during the Civil War.
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| 2nd Connecticut Heavy Artillery monument at Cold Harbor. |
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| Beaver Dam Creek battlefield has largely been lost to development. |
Great shots, John. I made my first visit to Gaines' Mill in late May and was very impressed. Thanks for taking me back! Where else will your Power Tour take you?
ReplyDeleteHi, Dylan. Well, yesterday I also stopped by Glendale (Frayser's Farm) and drove by Savage Station and White Oak Swamp. Not a lot to see at the last two. Glendale is largely perserved, although there are few markers there to interpret the battlefield. The Civil War Preservation Trust has bought up several tracts there, preserving it for future generations. There's a Visitor's Center there staffed by one ranger. Not a lot of stuff there to see, but it was a neat stop. I am in Georgia now, so we'll play the next stops on the Power Tour by ear. My wife and kids are understanding, but as this is vacation, I am not sure they will be real understanding on this vacation. :) But I may visit Malvern Hill later on this trip. I like that one. Take care.
ReplyDeleteCan imagine how those guns boomed in its hey days.
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