A Trip To Virginia - Part 1

Almost two weeks ago, our family took a vacation / field trip to Virginia. Landmark Events was  taking a tour to the Shenandoah Valley and the surrounding areas. Our excellent tour guide and amazingly informative historian was Bill Potter.

Friday morning, May 19th, we departed at 6:30 and drove about 13 hours to Christiansburg, Virginia, where we stopped for the night. The next morning found us driving two and a half hours north to the beautiful area of the New Market Battlefield which is located in the Shenandoah Valley.  There was going to be a reenactment of the battle of New Market and the Battle of Lost Shoes later on in the afternoon.  Before that happened, visitors had a chance to walk among both the Confederate and Union sides, and tour the actual Bushong house which had been caught in the middle of the crossfire of the battle. 

Here's a little history about the Bushong family:    

June 22, 1791, Henry Bushong patented a 260- acre tract in Shenandoah County that would be home for several generations of descendants. Henry's son Jacob married Sarah Stickler in March. They took up residence in a four-room log house and began a family that would grow to include four boys and two girls. In 1825 Jacob Bushong built this vernacular Federal-style home. An 1852 expansion added double porches attached on the north end to provide extra room for the growing family. The Bushongs raised wheat, oats, cattle, hogs, and horses. Wheelwright and blacksmith shops provided farm implements for the Bushongs and other area families. The family worked alongside three African American slaves on the property - an unnamed man, a woman named Mary, and a young boy, Israel. 

On May 15, 1864, seven family members took refuge in their sturdy cellar as the Battle of New Market raged across their farm. Peering through the windows, they saw the VMI (Virginia Military Institute) cadets pass on the east and west sides of the house as they marched to join the Confederate battle line. After the battle, the house and barn, like most buildings in and around New Market, served as a hospital. 

There were also reenacters playing games like the children would've played back then, as well as a couple fun dances, one being the Virginia Reel, which visitors could participate in.

 

 

 The Union soldiers.

 

 The Confederate soldiers.

 

 CHARGE!!!!!!

 

 

1....2....3....FIRE!!!

The first two soldiers that "died."

Do you see the sniper?

Here's a short video of the fighting.
If viewing this post on your email and video doesn't appear, click here.

The Virginia Museum of the Civil War was nearby, so while we waited for the battle to start, Sarah, Daddy, and I walked over there and were able to tour it for a little bit.

This bronze statue was displayed inside the museum with this description:

Lee on Traveler

By Fredrick Volk (1822-1891) 

German-born artist Fredrick Volk began sketches for this statue as early as August of 1864, while he was employed by the Confederate Bureau of Naval Ordnance. General Robert E. Lee sat for this work, and Volk used Lee's death mask to refine the statute's details. The artist even measured Traveler to assure accuracy of proportions. Volk completed the statue in the mid-1870s and presented it to Virginia Military Institute as a token of esteem.

After the battle was over, we left and enjoyed a nice long ride through the curvy back roads.

The scenery was just beautiful with the magnificent smoky mountains and the elegant-looking houses with their large gardens.

Sunday morning and part of the afternoon was spent at a very small Presbyterian Church called Lebanon Presbyterian Church in the town of Goshen. The ladies prepared a nice homemade lunch for everyone. After lunch, there was a short service honoring a few men that died during the battle of New Market and were buried in the church's cemetery. The cemetery was up on a hill which is where I took the above picture.

After leaving the church, we stopped at a couple different pull-off places by the river and took pictures.

At one pull-off spot, a lady was painting a picture of the scenery. I asked her if I could snap a picture, and she agreed. 

We also stopped at this suspension bridge, and three of us girls walked across it.

Well, that concludes the first three days of our trip. I hope you have a good and godly week, and stay tuned for part two!

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. ~ John 15:13