As most of you already know, Lorraine and I were unable to reschedule our vacation to attend the postponed Gettysburg event.  We had not been on vacation for 18 years and would not get another chance to go again for a while so we decided to stick with our original plans and head north.  Although we were disappointed that we would miss the 140th reenactment, we took a positive view and realized that by not having to deal with the reenactment, we would gain an extra six days to see the sights in South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia.  We have talked to a lot of our friends about what we saw and did and I would like to bring it all together in this article.  You may find this travel log a little long but if you take the time to read it, I know you will find it interesting.  You'll learn something and you'll get a laugh every now and then.  All the photographs were taken by me except where noted (a couple are postcards).  There were times when I had to wait for awhile and let the other tourists get out of the photos I was trying to take.  Burnside Bridge at Antietam was the hardest place to get unobstructed photos with Gettysburg a close second.  I really didn't plan on taking a lot of photographs so I left my filters and lenses at home but I think the photos turned out fine.   Hope you enjoy it.

   We said goodbye to the horses and hit the road at 6:30am Friday morning.  By the time we got to Longwood (just a few miles from home), it had already started to rain.  When we reached Daytona, it was pouring; the traffic was bumper to bumper; visibility was very bad and I-95 was all torn up and under construction.  I drive over 25,000 miles a year at all times of the day and night on every day of the week but I have never driven in road conditions this bad.   From Daytona to Jacksonville, it just kept getting worse.  There were several times when we considered just getting off the road to calm our nerves.  Pulling that 30 foot trailer under those circumstances was very stressful.  When we hit the Florida/Georgia state line, the skies cleared, the road construction ended and the traffic thinned out.  Finally relief.  We made it to South Carolina before stopping for fuel and pulled into the campground by 2:00 pm, 495 miles under our belts.
The day was still young so after setting up camp at the Ladson KOA campground, we decided to drive around and look at the area.  The series of bridges separating the mainland from the point are really something.  The best one was built in 1929 and is very long, high and narrow.  It is a rickety one-way bridge over the inlet but there isn't enough room for two vehicles to drive side by side over it.  (Postcard photo on right.)  It is so scary that Lorraine started getting sick when we drove over it.  After driving for about an hour, we happened to find a nice Jazz restaurant that served Memphis style B-B-Q and enjoyed a great meal.
   The boat to Ft. Sumter leaves from Patriots Point and although the park was closed by this time, we drove over to take a look at the ships.  The parking lot at the USS Yorktown ship tour is full of display items like WW II rockets, cannons, a few 50cal. and 20mm. guns and small boats.  One word of caution; do not play with the dual propellers on the 20 foot long torpedo display.  I found out there is a huge wasp nest inside the shaft housing.  Boy were those wasps mad at me.  We decided to leave - quickly.
   A terrible storm started to move in so we high-tailed it back to the campground.  The storm brought high winds, heavy rain and the ever present lightning.  The storm lasted until about 11:00 pm but we didn't mind; we've been through worse storms in Florida.

   I woke up and stumbled out of the camper with my first cup of coffee.  The cool morning with low humidity was refreshing.  Not quite awake I noticed what appeared to be a cougar about 75 feet away behind the trailer.  When my eyes focused better, I noticed a large cougar looking at me.  Thank goodness it was in a big chainlink cage.  I walked over and watched her for a while.  For breakfast they fed this 110 lb. cat a whole raw chicken and about five pounds of Meow-Mix.  Yes, I said Meow-Mix dry cat food.  At first it didn't make sense to feed a mountain lion normal cat food but as I watched her occasionally over the next few days, I noticed that she acted just like a normal house cat.  She played with her cat toys, groomed herself, rolled over and purred.  The one normal house cat thing that she didn't do was barf hairballs.  There was one other big difference.  Whenever the retired people walked by with their little yappy dogs, she got a hungry look in her eyes and walked closer to the fence.  I think given the chance she would eat those small dogs.
After breakfast we jumped into the truck and drove over the old narrow bridge to the docks at Patriots Point.  You can buy the tickets to see Ft. Sumter and the other ship tours at the same place.  The fort is a "must see" attraction.  The fort as it is today is pictured on this postcard at the left.
   Ft. Sumter has gone through a lot of changes throughout the years and it takes a lot of imagination to picture how it looked in April 1861.  Yes, the gun emplacements are still there and a few cannons are on display but the Civil War pretty much reduced it to a pile of shapeless rubble.  Between the destruction caused by the war, the addition of several breech loading guns and reinforced concrete in 1898-1899,  a lot has changed as you can see in the photo above.  A new breed of fort had been introduced into and around the old Sumter.  A large concrete and steel emplacement called a battery huger built in 1899 on the old parade ground takes up more than half the old fort.  In 1901, massive long-range 12-inch rifles (old photo from tourist brochure at right) were mounted at the wall.  Later tons of fill dirt were brought in to cover the underground magazines that had been added in the late 1930's.  By 1942 (WW II), forts as sea defenses were obsolete against modern air power and amphibious assault.  The big rifles were removed in 1943.  Ft. Sumter was abandoned by the government and turned over to the park service in 1948.  Renovations, restorations and maintenance are an ongoing process.  If you look west, you see the fort as it was in 1865 after the Civil War.  Look east and you see the fort as it was in 1942 and when viewed from the air above the changes and merger of "two" forts can be seen as it stands today.
The boat trip to the fort takes about 40 min. but there is plenty to see as you steam along.  When you arrive at the fort do not delay, start your personal tour at once.  You are only allowed to stay at the fort for one hour and there is a lot to see.  When everyone floods into the fort, take a detour and see the outside of the structure.  There is a very, very small archway on the northwest side where you can enter through the wall of the fort and emerge close to the old 1860's powder magazine(photo on left).  By then the other tourists have moved away from the west side and you can walk around unhindered.  From that point, walk to the little known part of the fort on the north side.  This leads to a dead-end where the fill dirt covers the 1898 magazine but you can get a great photo of the flags above the fort.  Come back around and climb the stairs and walk the top south side to see the entire fort from above.  Visit the museum last.  Remember don't linger too long in one spot, you only have one hour to see it all and they herd you out like cattle when it's time to go.  You can't hide either, I tried and they found me.  I guess they know all the hiding places.

A couple of helpful hints:
   I suggest you take the early trip out from Patriots Point.  From there you will depart on a large tour boat for the fort at 10:45am.  Get in line fast and for the best view of the ships and harbor, take a seat on the left (port) side of the boat going out and on the right (starboard) side coming in.  Sit on the top deck so you can be the first to disembark the boat upon arrival at the fort and the first to disembark at the dock on your return.  Taking the early tour allows you enough time to see the other ships on display.
When you return to Patriots Point, you can tour the destroyer Laffey, the diesel powered submarine SS-343 Clamagore, the Coast Guard Cutter Ingham and a complete Vietnam Naval Support Base.  The largest ship and best display on site is that of the USS Yorktown CV 10 (photo at right).  This aircraft carrier (aka The Fighting Lady) held a special interest to me because I was able to walk the same passageways and climb the same ladders and stairs that my father did when he was 19 years old and assigned to this ship as a sailor.  The Yorktown's flight deck and hangar deck is covered with WW II fighter aircraft.  You can visit the Captains cabin, the engine room, mess hall, post office and all.
   These displays and self guided tours take all day.  Be prepared to do a lot of walking and a lot of climbing on the Yorktown and a lot of bending and crawling on the submarine.

   Another cool morning with low humidity.  We decided it would be a great day to visit the CSS Hunley.  Everyone knows all about the Hunley so I won't go into any history about the submarine.
   We had no real idea where the sub was but saw a sign on I-26 so we turned off at the exit.  From then on, finding the Hunley was easy.  Although the signs are small, the route is posted if you look hard enough.  You'll notice right away as we did that you have exited the interstate in the middle of what we will call a "distressed" part of town.  As we waited at a traffic signal, Lorraine and I discussed our plan of action should someone try to car-jack us.  About that time, a very large, well-fed rat strolled down the sidewalk next to us.  This rat was the size of a house cat and showed no fear.  No cat in its right mind would ever think about starting a fight with him.  I considered calling animal control; perhaps they had a cage big enough to haul him off to animal jail.  Rats like this have no right to roam the city streets starting trouble and scaring tourists. We decided that a rodent that brazen in his attitude most likely had connections downtown.  He would probably call his bail bondsman and be back out on the street within a few hours.  So much for public safety.  Getting back to our search for the Hunley... We followed the small signs to a mostly abandoned very old and run down Navy and commercial ship yard.  We found the Hunley in a semi-new building tucked back between older dilapidated structures.
   The display and tours are conducted on Saturday and Sunday only (Sat. 10am to 5pm and Sun. noon to 5pm), so plan your trip accordingly.  The parking lot is small and finding a parking place can be hard.  I suggest that you make reservations.  Those with reservations move to the front of the line and go right in.  We arrived 30 min. before they opened and there was already a line at the door.  By the way, there are two doors.  The door that looks like the entrance and a big garage door.  Line up at the garage door.  That is the door that you enter the restoration center through.  I guess the regular front door was just put there to fool people.  They opened right on time but when we finally got to buy our tickets, the next available tour was at 1:40pm almost two hours later.  There is a big Friends of the Hunley souvenir shop and history displays but it certainly didn't take up much of the two hour wait.  Make sure to get one of the replica gold coins.  These reproduction coins are of good quality and unique as they are exact duplicates of the gold coin carried (and found aboard the Hunley) by G. E. Dixon.  They are a little expensive at $10.00 each but the funds go toward restoration of the sub.  The T-shirts, polo shirts and dress shirts are really nice and very well made but are priced so high I can't see how they sell any of them.
The honor guard made up of local reenactors looked good and they did an exceptional job changing about every 30 minutes.  Finally, our tour group was called and we lined up again.  Don't bring your camera.  No photos are allowed due to a copyright agreement between National Geographic and the Hunley museum.  The guard at the entrance to the sub display will hold your camera until you return from the museum area.  This is not really a problem because there isn't any way to take a decent photo of the sub.  Don't worry about photos.  There are plenty of postcards like the one pictured at the left and photos for sale in the gift shop.  The sub is kept within a tank, underwater, suspended by the "cage" in which it was raised to the surface.  The viewers stand above it on a catwalk and look down at the sub.  Ascend the catwalk and quickly move back and forth along the structure.  Study it as best you can.  When you descend the catwalk, there is a small artifact display area where you will see the Hunleys torpedo spar, rudder, and a few other items including Dixon's gold coin.  Don't stay in one place too long as you are only allowed to view the Hunley and its recovered artifacts for 20min.  The Hunley is truly an interesting submarine and worth the effort to see it.

   The weather turned a little warmer but still not as bad as the high humidity of Florida's heat.  This morning we had to go to the grocery store and do the laundry.  Well, truthfully, Lorraine did that stuff and I just sat around and goofed off.  Donuts, coffee, potato chips and cookies for breakfast.  I could get used to this vacation life. 
   When Lorraine got back, we drove in to see the C.S.A. Gallery.  Their motto is "everything Civil War" and they weren't kidding.  This store is about the size of a Wall-Mart and has every type of Civil War photo, print, book, videos, dresses, CD's, collectables, clothes, T-shirts, trinkets, bronze, and anything you can imagine including original Mort Kunstler paintings.  Items for sale range from 25 cents to $25,000.00.  You can purchase everything from an entire period correct uniform with accoutrements, to a bumper sticker all at the same place.  I was going to photograph the inside of this store so you could see the incredible size of the place but they would not allow cameras inside.  I don't know why.  Perhaps it has something to do with the artifacts they have on display there.  The CSA Galleries Inc. is located just off I-26 on Mall Drive at Charles Towne Square.  You gotta see this place.
   From there, we drove and walked through Charleston.  Lots of shops to see.  Some nice looking buildings and a flea market that must have stretched two miles, but we didn't stay long.  We hit a few local antique malls and headed back to the campground.  It was time to break camp and start packing.  We had a lot of driving to do in the morning and needed to get a early start.  Next stop, Gettysburg, PA.

   We left for Gettysburg at about 4:30am.  The traffic was not bad, the weather perfect and all was well.  Then we hit Virginia.  The traffic doubled and everyone was driving like they left their brains at home.  When we got to the I-95/I-295 interchange, everything came to a dead stop.  Nothing moved.  We expected to see a massive wreck but soon found the cause of the delay.  These Virginia hillbillies were spell bound at the sight of the Department of Transportation changing out the lightbulbs in the street lights.  One DOT truck at the side of the interstate had them all spellbound. 
   We made it to the 495 bypass in Alexandria and tried to change lanes to exit so we could take the beltway around the city.  Each time I started to ease over, some fool would come out from behind the trailer and ride right beside it.  I tried several times over the next few miles and no one would let us over.  The traffic was solid.  If I sped up they sped up, if I slowed down they slowed down.  None of them knew what a turn signal meant.  These people won't give an inch.  With no way to get over, we ended up missing our exit. 
   We took the next exit in an effort to double back and re-enter the bypass but instead got all twisted around in the city on one way streets and no left turn alleys.  After an hour of very heavy city traffic with no idea of where we were, we happened to accidentally find the entrance to the 495 bypass.  Lorraine will tell you it was her superior navigation skills, I say it was dumb luck. 
   I pulled over to the side of the road and got ready.  As my frame of mind changed to the predator mode, I pulled on my road warrior gloves.  The special pair with the very noticeable shiny brass tip on the middle finger.  I tested the horn and thought to myself, "The truck and trailer are paid for and I have good insurance.  Time to go to war.  This Florida cracker is going to show those bed wetting Virginia girlie boys how to drive!"  I hit the on ramp at about 60 and never looked back.  I could hear tires screeching and horns blowing.  I smugly "waved" to the folks and drove on.  When it came time to change lanes, I just started fading over.  I do have to give credit to a few brave souls.  They stayed right beside the trailer until I had pushed them across all six lanes of traffic and sandwiched them between the concrete wall divider and the emergency lane.  I slid over further into the emergency lane and finally they would nail the brakes and back off.  I figured the hunting would be better at the on/off ramps, so back across all six lines we went. 
   By this time, I think most of the Virginians knew I had lost it and they stayed back.  My attention turned to my next set of victims innocently coming up the on ramp.  Just as their driver side door reached my front bumper, I laid on the horn and gave not an inch.  Mashing the accelerator to the floor, the turbo charger kicked in and truck and trailer went into warp drive.  Closer and closer we loomed and still closer yet.  The guard rail was within sight and I knew in order to run them completely off the road and into the rail, I would have to plan my next move carefully.  Into their space I raced to within centimeters of their vehicle.  The shock and fear plainly etched into my victim's face, he nailed the brakes and as his tires belched blue smoke as he slid sideways, I laughed wickedly as I knew I was still the baddest of the bad and I owned the road.  All too soon the fun was over and we victoriously exited off the killing field and headed towards Pennsylvania.

We arrived at the Artillery Ridge campsite and set up camp in the horse section.  After sunset, hundreds of fireflies inscribed their signatures quietly in the darkness around our camp. 

   The weather was still great.  Not too hot during the day and cool nights.  The Artillery Ridge Campground (located less than a half mile from the Gettysburg Battlefield Visitors Center and downtown Gettysburg) is nice and even though we didn't bring the horses, we camped down with all the horse campers.  This turned out to be a very good decision on our part.  More details about that later.
   We had a little extra time so we decided to stop in at a few of the shops in Gettysburg.  I was amazed.  It was like walking into a bunch of Civil War museums where everything in them was for sale.  The entire tourist part of Gettysburg is one big sutler or relic shop stretching from the battlefield visitor center to the town's square and beyond.  Both sides of Baltimore St., Steinwehr Dr., York St. and several side streets are a Civil War collector's paradise.  In almost every shop along the main drag through Gettysburg, you can buy anything from an original frock coat with all accouterments included ($38,000) to an original unfired Spencer bullet or a Maynard percussion tape.  I highly recommend that you visit the Horse Soldier at 777 Baltimore St.  This place has more Civil War relics than the National Civil War Museum and they are all for sale.  They have every imaginable artifact and the store is an education of Civil War history in and of itself.  The Horse Soldier has several big rooms with display cases and every type of War Between the States weapon and saber you have ever heard of hanging on the walls and filling each room to the brim.  If you see something you would like to add to your collection, just pick it up and pay the man on the way out.
   A word of caution about the "square" in Gettysburg.  The traffic round-about they call the square is a disaster.  The locals don't care and the tourists don't know how to use it correctly.  Take Main St. and parallel the main drag avoiding the traffic and the square then come back when you get to the area where you want to shop.  Parking is almost non-existent.  All street parking is parallel parking and don't forget to feed the meter and park correctly in the proper spot.  They do not have a problem towing your car or giving you a ticket.
   When you finally find a parking spot, walk over to the Dobbin House (built in the 1700's) for dinner.  Go downstairs to the basement restaurant (tavern).  There is an underground spring still running in the basement through a small rivulet past the bar.  The food is good and it is dark and cool down there.  If you want a more formal meal, eat upstairs in the main dining room.  We ate in both places a couple of times.  Bring your wallet, you will need it; the prices are a bit high but it is worth it.
When we got back to camp, the trailer was not level enough so I decided to run to Wal-Mart in the morning and pick up some jacks.

   The sky was clear and blue and the humidity low.  This is a good day to see the Antietam Battlefield.  This is truly a beautiful place.  It is hard to visualize the terrible carnage that took place in an area as serene as the Bloody Lane.  I can't imagine the Union's attack against the Confederate artillery's intense fire from the high ground to the west.  What courage and dedication to the cause that took.  After the walking tour, we bought the tape (costs the same price to buy it as it does to rent it) and left on the driving tour.  The tour starts at the famous Dunker Church where both armies sought to occupy the high ground and winds through the north and east woods then to the cornfield where more fighting took place.  In part two of the tour, you will see the Bloody Lane (photo at right) where for over four hours, the Union and Confederate infantry fought savagely resulting in over 5,000 casualties.  Here you can park your car and walk the entire length of Bloody Lane and view most of the battlefield from a stone tower. 
I was anxious to see Burnside Bridge and it was the next stop on the driving tour.  The three arch stone bridge was built in 1836.  Burnside Bridge was lightly damaged during the battle and has been restored to its original splendor as you can see in the photo on the left.  The fighting there was a key factor in McClellan's failure at Antietam.  The entire command of the Union's General Burnside's 9th Corps was held off most of the day here by 450 Georgia infantrymen. 
Upon our arrival, we stood on the Confederate side of the Burnside Bridge.  You can see in the photo on the right that the Confederates although out numbered, clearly had the advantage.  I wondered why in the world Gen. Burnside even tried to take the bridge.  We stood where the Georgians stood, walked where they walked and for the most part, saw what they saw before the battle started.  We made our way across the bridge and followed the monuments along the river to the furthest Union Camp.  We then retraced the Federals approach to the bridge, past the rapids and up the swift moving Antietam Creek.  At the point where the Union infantry received the first Confederate volley (exact spot in photo at left), we paused deep in thought and completely taken in by the colors of the lush vegetation sprinkled here and there by wild flowers and thistles in full bloom.  Across the bridge back on the Confederate side, we looked down on the area where the Federals fell during the attack.  The tour ends in the Antietam National Cemetery where the remains of 4,776 Union soldiers are buried.  Most of the Confederate dead are buried in Hagerstown and Frederick, Maryland.  We left the battlefield and drove aimlessly through the mountains enjoying their majestic beauty.
   Back to modern times and the commercialization of the Gettysburg tourist strip.  If you visit Gettysburg, keep in mind that these shop owners work on a different wave length than do our Orlando shop owners.  A lot of the stores are closed on Wednesday and some are closed on Monday.  Most are only open from 8am to 8pm and some only from noon to 5pm.  These merchants put their off time before their work time.  Several of the stores are by appointment only and a few had signs in the windows that read,  "Open sometimes, you may catch us here by chance."  We made three trips to Dirty Billy's Hats during his posted "open" hours and finally happened to catch him there on the fourth try.  This is the height of their tourist season and the owners don't really care to open their shops, figure that one out.  Plan on making several trips to the "tourist trap area" in order to see most of the shops.
   We got back too late to straighten and level the trailer so we spent another night sleeping uphill and sideways.

   It looked as if it would rain today, but it never did.  About noon, a cold front moved in and the temperature dropped 10 degrees within minutes.  A cool breeze picked up and it was impossible to break a sweat all day.
   I wanted to see Greystone's book shop (Baltimore St.) so we drove over to take a look.  They have a huge selection of books, videos and CD's covering every war and battle from ancient Greece to Desert Storm.  If you are looking for a book with details about weapons or tactics or war machinery, this is the place to find it.  Be prepared to pay the cover price for all the books.  There are no Walden's or Books-A-Million discounts here and the prices are high.
   I can't put it off any longer.  Time to level the trailer.  I picked up some jackstands at Wall-Mart (located a couple of miles west of Gettysburg on York St.) and went to work.  At first it didn't seem to be such a big deal but the job soon turned out differently.  I started at the front and before I knew it,the trailer was about 14 inches up and I still had a long way to go.  The trailer was leaning too much so I figured I should set it back down and make smaller adjustments to several sections and raise it slower.  However, I didn't have to work too hard to accomplish that task  because as I stood there contemplating my next move, the trailer came crashing down off the jack.  As all 30 feet of it fell downhill towards me, a couple of thoughts crossed my mind.  None printable.  A trailer that big makes a lot of noise when it falls.  I fell down and the trailer fell on top of my leg coming to rest about 2 inches from the top of my knee.  After the smoke cleared, there was just enough space to pull my unhurt leg out from under it.  Fortunately no one was in camp so my mistake was not noticed.  I thought, "OK, let's try it again but this time don't be in a hurry and work smarter."  I started from the front and worked my way back in five sections raising that section about four inches each time.  Back and forth I worked until all five jackstands were in place and securely resting on pads.  When I stood back and looked, both tires were completely off the ground and you could touch the top of the trailer in front from the ground.  It looked a little like those stilt houses on hillsides but it was so perfectly level you could shoot billiards on the floor.  Wish I would have taken a photo of it.
   We still had plenty of time so we decided to take a ride around the mountains.

   Off to Thurmont, Maryland (about 20 miles from Gettysburg) for Lorraine's family reunion.  We renewed friendships and laughed at how much we had all changed within the last 18 years.  We remembered those that had passed on and were thankful for those who could still be with us.  Lorraine and I were introduced to the almost grown children of those who were children themselves the last time we saw them.  After a day of fun, food and a lot of talking we parted with bittersweet memories of the day knowing full well that this will be the last time that we will see some of them.
Harpers Ferry isn't that far away so we drove over to take a look.  The place was named for Robert Harper who operated a ferry here in 1747.  That place has changed quite a bit from our last visit 18 years ago.  Now the Ferry has much more of a Disney touch to it.  The postcard on the right shows an aerial photo of Harpers Ferry.  The old shops and houses are still there along with the railroad cut, tunnel and bridges but it has taken on a plastic atmosphere.  The shops that once held interesting museums and living history examples now offer T-shirts, snowcones and cheap trinkets that are priced way too high.  The antique shops within the park are only thinly veiled replicas of the real thing and have little of interest.  You just have to filter out the tourist surroundings and the smell of incense from the craftshops to enjoy the place. 
The railroad's main line still uses the trestles (now rebuilt and modernized) going across the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers.  We walked up to the old station just in time to see a fast freight blast through the tunnel and across the river. 
   Go to Harpers Ferry for the hidden history.  It is still there; you just have to look for it.  You can walk up and down the same rock steps that Meriwether Lewis trod.   Imagine Lewis waiting impatiently for his portable steel boat frame to be made by the blacksmith so that he and Clark could start their expedition.  Look at the same skyline some of our founding fathers saw or view the same area that Thomas Jefferson claimed to be the most beautiful in the world.  Get off the main streets and enjoy the ruins of the old church on the hill above town and the back alley root cellars carved into the hillside over 200 years ago.  Stand on Jefferson's rock and take in the view.  Look across the Potomac River into the wilderness of the mountain.  Picture John Brown's fury and Stonewall Jackson at the armory.
   We take the long way back across the mountain towards the campsite.  Again aimlessly wandering the small paths and farm roads.  We absorb the sights of rock outcroppings, timberstands, streams and creeks navigating the narrow often one lane gravel roads that have wound through these hills and woods 200 years before we drove them and will continue to transport locals and tourists alike for hundreds of years to come.  On one side, a solid rock wall rises 100 feet and a mere 10 feet away a cliff drops to a valley 200 feet down.  There are no guard rails to ruin the view.  I drive cautiously between the two for miles twisting and turning.
   Lorraine and I got into our period correct clothes for an evening walk around downtown Gettysburg.  The merchants were very pleased to see us there and some of them would slip an extra item or two into your bag just for coming in and shopping in our outfits.  Other tourists wanted to take a photograph with or of you.  I almost got dragged off by a gang of older slightly drunk female bingo players.  Lorraine laughed so hard she almost fell over.  Why couldn't they have been young babes?  Or at least middle aged cutiepies.

   The temperature climbed back up a few degrees but the weather is still very tolerable.  The predicted rain did not come to pass and the sun shone all day long.
The Manassas battlefield is about 2 1/2 hours south of Gettysburg and is a must see if you have the time.  As soon as we pulled into the park's parking lot, you notice the monument to General Jackson, standing like a stonewall, dominating the entire area.  This is perhaps the most impressive of all the monuments in any of the battlefield parks.  Once inside the visitor center, you purchase tickets to see the Battle of Manassas film.  This is a very good movie and to top it off, two of our local reenactors played significant roles in the making of it.  Gen. Jackson is played by George Moor and George's horse Sam plays the part of Little Sorrel.  Both looked great.  Another local reenactor, Roger Ragland (2nd Fl. Cavalry), supervised the building of the sets and had a hand in the film's production.  The visitor center museum was very interesting and informative.  This museum features several video tapes of reenactors portraying what the visitor is seeing and how it was used in battle.  For example, at the infantry exhibit, the video featured footage of Federal reenactors demonstrating how to load and fire a musket.  The video also went through different commands such as fire by rank, fire by company and so on.  The artillery display video showed step by step what was involved in servicing an artillery piece.  The cannon was brought up by the horses and unlimbered.  Then the gun crew set it up, loaded and fired it.  These videos are a great idea and make it easy for the general public to relate to what took place in battle.
   The park itself was exceptionally clean and very well maintained.  The driving tour was not as well marked as the tour at Antietam but the stone house and stone bridge made it worth the effort to find them.  The First Manassas Battle's tour starts at the rebuilt Henry House.  From there, it continues to the Confederate artillery positions overlooking Matthews Hill and then on to Col. Wade Hampton's position.  The trail loops back along the Confederate line where Gen. Thomas J. Jackson received his famous nickname "Stonewall" from Gen. Bernard Bee.  Next is the site where Confederate infantry captured artillery from Capt. Charles Griffin's Union battery.  The final stop overlooks Chinn Ridge.  Here the Confederate attack crushed Gen. Irvin McDowell's right flank and routed the entire Union army.
   The Second Manassas Battlefield tour begins at Battery Heights where Jackson ordered his troops to attack a Union column as it marched past on the Warrenton Turnpike.  The second stop is at the Stone House where Pope made his headquarters in its backyard.  This house also served as a field hospital during the First and Second Manassas battles.
   Among the interesting stops along the route are the unfinished railroad, the deep cut and the Francis Lewis plantation.  The last stop of the tour is the stone bridge (photo at left) which was partially destroyed in the battle as the defeated Union army withdrew across Bull Run.  We walked along the path that leads along the river and you could see that the water level had been quite high recently.
   After touring the battlefield, we stopped in to see more of Lorraine's relatives.  Just as in days of old, the children played in the yard as the women were in the kitchen talking and preparing the evening meal.  On the back porch, the men engaged in an evening of brilliant conversation centering around world affairs.

   The day was hot and we overslept so Lorraine decided to have a laundry day and I pulled minor maintenance on the trailer before lunch.
   One attraction at the Artillery Ridge Campground is the world's largest Gettysburg battlefield diorama and their own small museum.  After looking at the museum artifacts, you take a seat and the program begins.  The diorama is huge with thousands of 1:87 scale men and horses.  The show lasts about 35 min. and walks the viewer through the events before, during and after the battle.  This is really an interesting attraction.
   We needed a break from museums and battlefields so we decided to drive about 10 miles north to the town of New Oxford.  Here you will find hundreds of antique shops lining almost every street.  If you are looking for any type of antique or collectable, you can find it here somewhere in one of the shops.  All you have to do is keep walking and looking. 
   Abottsville is just a couple of miles further along and has just as many antique shops as New Oxford.  If you are not interested in antiques, you may visit the Harley Davidson factory and museum in York.  It is not far away.
   After a day of antique hunting, we took another ride through the mountains and valleys getting hopelessly lost and enjoying every minute of it.   When we came upon a major highway, we would turn one way or the other and find the very long way back to Gettysburg.  Don't forget to take something to drink and a snack along with you.  There are only a couple of convenience stores in the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
   While I'm thinking of it, the restaurants close early in and around the city but we did find a real nice 24 hour diner on the corner of Carlisle and Railroad Streets south of the square in Gettysburg.  Cell phones work in the cities but infrequently or not at all once you leave the populated areas.  Above you will see a few of the photos I took while we traveled around.

   We watched a big storm move across the mountain south of us during the night and awoke to a beautiful blue sky and a cool breeze.  Another great day.  The weather was the best it had been since our arrival.
   Time to do the big one.  Gettysburg Battlefield.  We found out that it takes two days to do this battlefield and its museums right.  First things first.  If you get there early, you can get a parking spot right next to the visitor center.  If you arrive after 9am, you will have to park in the overflow parking and will have to walk about a half mile to the park.  There are no shuttle buses.  Start at the main museum.  It is something to see.  They have thousands of artifacts.  I liked the way they had the weapons section set up.  All the Union muskets, carbines and pistols were on one side arranged from the oldest to the newest with the Confederate weapons arranged the same way on the other side.  This section features an example of every weapon used by both sides in the Civil War.  The artillery room has tubes from all the types of cannons mounted along the walls. 
   The visitor center also has a real nice store with what must be every book written about Gettysburg in it.  The official commemorative 140th coins are sold at this store for $3.95 each.  You won't find the official park coin anywhere else.  A lot of stores sell the other three examples of the 140th coin and they are priced from $29.95 to $49.95.  I was able to find and purchase all 4 examples.  The visitor center store is also the place to purchase the tape for the self-guided auto tour.  You can choose from the 2, 3, or 4 hour tour tape.  All the tapes come with a map and some of them (the 4 hour one) comes with a very good map and a transcript of the tape. 
   Lorraine and I went for the 4 hour auto tour.  It took us about 4 1/2 hours but if we had climbed all the observation towers and stopped at just half of the markers, it could have easily taken 10 hours.  The 4 hour tape is good because it takes you to parts of the park that very few people see and even fewer people know about.  With this tour, you will see the ruins of the breastworks on Culp hill and the route taken by the soldiers on their way to battle.  All the tapes feature stops at Big and Little Roundtop, Devils Den, and the other well known monuments.  Make sure you see the new Lieutenant General James Longstreet monument in the Pitzer Wood area.  Here you see a couple of photos I took.  I must have used a whole roll of film trying to capture it correctly in a photograph but I just couldn't seem to do it.  My flash wasn't working properly and there was not enough light to use a timed exposure.  The monument is on the ground at eye level and is almost full scale.  It is very well done and very impressive.  Other than the Virginia monument featuring R. E. Lee, I think the Longstreet monument is the best.  The restrooms are marked on the map and overall the driving tour signs are easy to follow.  Bring something to drink and snacks because there is nowhere to buy food or a drink along the way.  Picnic tables are here and there within the park but you could just pull off the road and eat lunch among the trees and rocks.
   You have got to see the Cyclorama.  It is located next to (on the south side) of the visitor center.  Don't pass this by.  You may be thinking the same thing I did, "Its just a big round picture."  It isn't.  I didn't think it would be that interesting but went anyways and I am glad we did.  When the lights come up and the program starts, you are instantly impressed with the quality and detail of the painting.  You are taken around the room by the narrator and each part of the battle is featured somewhere in the painting in incredible detail.  This is the only Civil War painting I have ever seen that somehow captured the anguish of the horses and the terrible battle the soldiers fought.  The photo of the Cyclorama above is one of the park's photos.
   This park is so big you may want to see the museum at the visitor center and purchase your auto tour tapes, then walk next door and check out the Cyclorama the morning.  The main battlefield itself is not the only historical part of the town.  Don't forget to see the National Cemetery and gate house pictured at left.  Then go do something else for the rest of the day.  Come back the next day so that you can start fresh and early on the self guided tour when the pedestrian and auto traffic is not heavy.  If you visit the park in two parts, you will be able to relax and see more of it.

   It had to happen sooner or later.  Today we got some light to moderate rain.  It came in about 2pm.  The temperature and the breeze were cool.
   We decided to run over to Harrisburg and see the National Civil War Museum.  Before you attempt to find this place, go to the website and download the map.  With the map in hand and someone to navigate while you drive, you may get lucky and find it.  The road signs are few and the ones that are there are hard to see.  The route is confusing, not well marked and the city congested.
   When you finally do find the museum, you will be impressed.  The Civil War artifacts are housed in a very nice new building that was constructed in 2000.  The grounds are nicely landscaped and very clean.  Your trip through the museum starts with the plight of the slaves and moves to events leading up to the war.  The museum uses videos on television like screens throughout the tour featuring actors and reenactors talking about or portraying the war's events.  There is something to see everywhere.  When you get to the full size tree, look up.  There's a sharpshooter up there taking a bead on you.  There are life size period correct wax figures everywhere.  One of the displays features the personal items of Robert E. Lee that were taken from his wagon after the surrender at Appomattox.  There are lots of original sack coats, kepis, frock coats and other clothing items.  The medical display features the only surviving authentic Civil War ambulance (surprisingly enough it is in good shape) and an extensive medical tools collection.  The saddles on display include Gen. McClellan's personal saddle.  Several flags and lots documents and letters round out the collection.  This is a first class museum and you can easily spend several hours studying all the items on both floors.
   When we left the museum, we went to a couple of antique shops in the area.  We found a good antique barn with lots of interesting items in it.  Finally we found a shop where the prices were within reason on most of the items and the selection was good.
   After seeing the museum, we drove over to the Gettysburg reenactment battlefield site.  I have written about that trip in the last issue of the News Magazine so I wont repeat that here.
   Within the three states where we have spent the most time, I am finding the local drivers to be pretty rude.  They won't cut you any slack at all.  They drive very fast but they must be good at it.  We have seen only two minor crashes.  The police use mostly unmarked cars so it is hard to pick them out from the normal traffic.
   Another drive through the mountains and then back to the camp site.

   The weather was very cool in the morning with a light rain falling.  The rain stopped but the day remained overcast.  The night was quite cold.
   Gettysburg is now full of reenactors in uniform and civilians in 1860's dress.  After talking to a couple of them, we found out that just like us they could not reschedule their vacation and drove up anyways bringing along all their gear with them.  As the weekend drew closer, more and more reenactors showed up.  Soon the streets were teaming with uniformed reenactors and ladies in hoop skirts.  Although the normal 140th reenactment didn't take place, there was still plenty for reenactors to do.  Almost everywhere a tent could be set up, you saw one.  The museums and shops let the reenactors set up entire camps with artillery pieces and all where there was room.  Some of the camps were so big that they even had short company streets complete with rifle stacks and all (except the camp fires).  I was surprised to see so many camp and soldier life impersonations.  The living historians and first person guys had a blast.  All the reenactors were really getting into this new type of reenacting/camping and readily talked to the tourists.  Some went so far as to demonstrate infantry and artillery drills.
   We returned to camp and were talking with some new arrivals in the horse area.  Through our conversation, I found out that these were local people who brought up their horses each weekend to ride the horse trails on the battlefield.  The horse trails had dried up enough to open them back up to riders.  When they found out I didn't have a horse with me, they packed back up and headed home to bring one out for me to ride.  Another rider had an extra horse with him so I had my choice of two horses complete with tack.  What a break for me.  That afternoon we tacked up the horses and hit the trails.  I rode with a reenactor named Ron who does a good Longstreet impression.  We headed over to the exact spot where Gen. Pickett rallied his men and prepared them for the fateful charge.  At exactly 2pm (July 3rd), we were sitting on our horses at that same spot at the same time 140 years later.  We then headed over to the area where Longstreet saluted the troops as they passed.  The tourists got a kick out of talking to and photographing us.  Thank goodness I brought my uniforms with me.
   The evening was still young so Lorraine and I decided to get into period correct dress and head back downtown.  This time I went in my plantation owner suit.  After walking around for what seemed like miles, I gave out.  My back was killing me and I did not have my medication with me.  Lorraine suggested I look for a cane to take some of the stress out off my back.  Good idea.  We hit every antique shop we could find with no luck.  We tried one last shop and as we were leaving, I noticed the perfect cane behind the counter beside an old woman.  It was dark wood and had a beautiful solid brass horse head on it for a handle.  She was the shop owner so I offered to buy it from her.  She refused to sell it saying that it was her personal cane and she needed it to get home.  I continued to negotiate but she would not budge.  I finally asked her what it was worth.  She told me and I offered to buy it from her for twice that price.  To my surprise, she stood her ground firmly and refused to sell it.  I handed her one of the other antique canes in her shop and said,  "Here, you can use this one to get home and still double your money by selling me your cane."  I started peeling off some bills reminding her that this was a cash deal.  After much thought, the business side of her finally decided to sell and we both were happy.  That cane worked wonders for my back and I felt much better.
   We continued walking, talking and shopping.  When you visit the downtown area, make sure you stop in at the Dale Gallon Gallery.  This is a first class art gallery and you will enjoy looking at Gallon's original oil paintings and prints.  He is one of the best, if not the best, Civil War subject artist known.  All paintings are for sale including the original oils.

   The humidity was still low but the cool weather we enjoyed was becoming a thing of the past.  The weather turned hot and hazy.  Not terribly hot but it did get uncomfortable.
   We opted for an easy day.  We found an old book store that was having a big sale so we spent a lot of time going through it thoroughly.  From there we hit a few more antique shops on the west side of town.
   If you want to get out of the hustle and bustle of Gettysburg, drive east down York street to the Gettysburg Family Restaurant.  They serve a good meal at a good price.  If you would prefer a more formal restaurant with a full bar, try the Shamrock on Hwy 15 south of Gettysburg and west of Thurmont.
   When we got back to camp, I was invited to go along on an evening to dark horse ride on the battlefield.  The heat wave was backing off so I eagerly accepted.  Back into my uniform and back on a horse I went.  Each time I rode on the battlefield, I saw something different and learned a new fact about the battle.  We rode across the wheat field and past small markers and monuments that are rarely seen by the regular tourists.  Little and Big Roundtop take on a whole new perspective when you are sitting astride a horse looking up at them.  The mud was deep in some spots and the rocks slippery in other areas.  One part of the trail (by the Virginia monument) was underwater.  Just as darkness was about to set in, while we walked the horses through the deep woods, you could see an occasional spark from the horses shoes when they hit a rock just right.

   The heat had set in for good now and the humidity was on the rise.  No rain in sight.
   I got up before sunrise and walked over to met Rick at the barn.  We headed out to ride the battlefield trails again before it got too hot.  Each time we rode, we wore our uniforms and the tourists loved it.  We must have had our photo taken a thousand times.
   Lorraine and I drove back out on the battlefield to photograph a couple of the monuments and to enjoy another ride through the park.  I wanted to get a few photos of monuments featuring horses such as the Pennsylvania cavalry statue at right and the Pennsylvania cavalryman carved on the wall in the photo below. These monuments are located close to the big Pennsylvania monument.  This being Saturday, the traffic, both pedestrian and vehicular, was heavy.  There had to be several thousand tourists around the visitor center and many more out on the battlefield.  We took a few photos and got out of the park.
   We decided to stop in and say goodbye to a couple of Lorraine's relatives who lived close to our camp.  Another trip through the mountains and through the town where Lorraine grew up.  Our departure time was drawing closer every minute.
The friends we had met at the campground invited us to a dinner party so we headed over to their place.  About 25 people showed up and we had a great meal and social time.  Most of them are horse people and the rest are reenactors.  Their hospitality and generosity proves that reenactors and horse owners are some of the nicest people in the world.  The evening ended too soon and we had to be on the road early in the morning.  They tried to convince me ride one last ride on the battlefield and I wish I could have but I knew that if I did, it would put us into Richmond after dark and I didn't want to set up camp in the dark. 

   We tried to get on the road early but I just couldn't get it together.  We had bought so much stuff that it was getting hard to find a place to put it all so I took some time to repack the truck and trailer.  Next was the dreaded job of taking the trailer off all five of those jackstands.  Actually that job went much better than I thought it would.  While I was doing all the packing, Lorraine was off washing clothes.  We finally got on the road at about 10:30am and arrived in Richmond, Va., at 3:30pm.  This trip took about two hours longer than it should have.  The traffic was backed up almost all the way there and we were lucky to travel over 40mph the entire trip.
   The campground was almost empty and the site was level.  No jacks needed here.  We set up camp and went for a ride.  I was kind of tired, not really paying attention and almost ran into a sign.  Lorraine just about killed me for coming close to wrecking her truck.  If I had hit the damned thing, I wouldn't be alive right now.  She hasn't let me forget it and is still mad at me about that close call.

   During the Civil War, this area of Virginia witnessed four major engagements from late 1862 to mid 1864.  Within a 17 mile radius, more than 100,000 casualties occurred during all the heavy fighting.  The four battlefields here can be toured in one day if you get an early start.  It is best to begin with the first battle and tour the battlefields in chronological order.  That would be Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness and lastly Spotsylvania.
   Begin your self guided auto tour at the visitor center in Fredericksburg.  You may purchase the audio tapes for the entire journey here if you like.  There is a nice little museum to see and the first stop of the multi-battlefield tour is right in front of the gift shop.
   At the Fredericksburg battlefield, you will see and can walk along the sunken road (photo at left) behind the wall that the Confederates used as cover during the battle.  From this road, thousands of attacking Federals were repulsed time after time in a futile effort to route the Confederates.  With back-up from the Confederate artillery on Marye's Heights, the Union never had a chance.  When the battle ended and the smoke had cleared, Lee had won his most one-sided victory of the war.  The National Cemetery is just a short walk to the west.  The next stop is Lee Hill where a couple of exhibits and markers are located.  Follow Lee Drive south and look off to your left.  You can plainly see the trench line that Jackson's men dug.  Lorraine took this photo (on right) of me in the trenches.  It is marked every now and then and stretches for over a mile.  Proceed on to the spot where the Federals broke through the Confederate line and then on to Prospect Hill.  The gun pits on Prospect Hill are still there also and you can walk right up to them.
   Now you are off to Chancellorsville.  You will pass the spot where the battle of Salem Church took place.  Proceed to the Chancellorsville visitor center.  As you approach the center, be careful the traffic is heavy and you have to make a quick right turn.  Ignore the Jackson marker on your right just before the center.  It was incorrectly put there by the Virginia Dept. of Transportation and the park is fighting with them in an effort to get it removed.  The marker says that there is the spot where Jackson was mortally wounded by his own troops (18th N. C.) but the NPS claims that Jackson was in fact wounded about a 1/2 mile away beside the visitor center.  At the visitor, center you will find (about 10 feet from the building on the west side) the correct site where Gen. Jackson was wounded....That is if you believe the park's version of the story.  I have been informed by a Gen. Jackson expert/historian that the actual site is about 50 to 75 yards west of the "spot" currently known and accepted as the correct spot.  The only eyewitness accounts to the wounding incident were made by two Signal Corps riders who were with Jackson at the time.  They caught Jackson and his runaway horse after the accidental shooting.  The place where the marker is located now may be the place where they took Jackson off his horse and not the place where he was wounded.  The ranger guided walking tour takes about 45min. but doesn't go more than 50yds. from the center.  I suggest you take it.  The ranger will answer a lot of questions about Jackson's accidental wounding and explain what they believe to have happened there.  Continue your driving tour around and through the Chancellorsville battlefield.
   Next stop is the Battle of the Wilderness battlefield.  This is where the first encounter between Lee and Grant took place.  After heavy fighting, the Union army almost crushed A. P. Hill's troops but were thrown back by a dramatic Confederate counterattack.  Tactically the battle was a draw.  The driving tour starts with the Wilderness Battlefield Exhibit Shelter.  A park ranger is stationed here to answer your questions and walk you through the exhibits.  There is no visitor center.  While you drive through the park, you will notice the thick woods and wonder how the opposing armies could even find each other in the dense undergrowth.  When you get to the Brock Road and Plank Road intersection make a right and proceed down Brock Road.  Look closely at the map.  About half way down Brock road you will see a small dirt road pulling off to your right.  This is the road taken by Jackson and his men in their effort to out flank the Union army.  If you want a little adventure take this "road" south.  The sign warns you that it is a rough road and not maintained by the park.  The road starts out wide and smooth then gets bumpy and starts to narrow.  The narrower the road gets, the rougher it gets.  Look for and read the roadside markers so you will be able to better understand what Jackson and his men did.  Less than half way down the lane, it started to rain fairly heavy and the road got a little slippery but that just added to the adventure.  When you get to the creek, don't look for a bridge, there isn't one.  This is the exact spot where Jackson's army forded the creek.  The warning sign at the beginning of this road don't tell you that you will have to drive across the creek.  Check the water level marker to your left and if the creek is less than two feet deep and flowing easily, you may be able to get across.  If the marker indicates the water level in the creek is any higher than that, I suggest you turn around and go back.  I dropped that big Ford truck into 4-wheel drive and started across.  That was fun so I backed up and crossed it again.  The rain started to let up a little when we got back on Brock Road.
   The last official stop on the four part tour is Spotsylvania.  Here again there is no visitor center but a ranger is stationed at the Exhibit Shelter.  This battlefield has a lot of interesting history associated with it.  The intersection at Spotsylvania was the shortest route to Richmond so it became a hotly contested point.  Gen. Lee's army quickly entrenched themselves and successfully fought back several Union Attacks.  The Federals attacked the weakest spot in the Confederate line at what was called the Mule Shoe Salient.  For the next 20 hours the battle raged and soon the most intense hand-to-hand combat of the war took place on this very spot.  The Union army overran the Confederate position but the time gained by Lee enabled the Confederates to build new earthworks which held until Grant gave up and pulled out on May 21, 1864.  The Mule Shoe Salient was soon called the Bloody Angle and it holds that name today.  You can still see the angle and can walk around its perimeter.
   The Stonewall Jackson Shrine is a "Bonus" stop.  From the Spotsylvania battlefield, drive south along the exact twenty-seven mile long route Gen. Jackson's ambulance took after he was wounded.  The Route follows several different roads with a turn here and there but it is well marked.  The trail begins on a high speed four lane highway but shrinks as you follow it to a one lane farm road and ends at the shrine.  Gen. Jackson was evacuated to Chandler's Fairfield Plantation at Guinea Station and when his condition was stable he was to be taken by railroad (Richmond, Potomac and Fredericksburg R.R.) to a hospital.  Unfortunately, he was never strong enough to board the train.  He caught pneumonia and died at the small office building on the plantation.  By the way, Jackson was thirty-nine when he died.  The main house was hit by lightning and burned down years ago and the other plantation buildings and fields have long since been turned into housing subdivisions.  Fortunately, the wood frame office where Jackson spent his last days remains.  It has been turned into a beautiful monument to Gen. Jackson and contains much of the original antique furniture.  The room in which Jackson died on Sunday afternoon, May 10, 1863, contains the original bed and the blanket folded at its foot were those used by him.  Even the clock on the wall was there during his stay.  The chair is the same one used by his doctor.
   The old one track RF&P right of way still runs about 100 ft. west of the shrine but has become a heavy traffic double track mainline with siding.  The tracks are used by the Amtrak passenger system and the huge CSX freight corp.   This section of track now sees upwards of about one train per hour and they flash by at top speeds.  The remainder of the railroad, for the most part, still operates over much of its original route.

   Another hot day.  The campground was completely empty.  They call this place Hidden Acres KOA and I guess it is.  No one can find it.  We have the entire 25 acre campground to ourselves.
   We drove over to Nags Head, North Carolina, to visit Lorraine's cousin.  The traffic was heavy and the roads confusing.  Due to the noticeable lack of road and highway signs, I can only guess that either everyone (except the tourists) in North Carolina knows where they are going or no one cares where they are going.  Don't ask anyone for directions; they can't tell you how to get anywhere.  We did go through two long tunnels going under some unknown body of water leading to wherever it was that we came out of them.  We spent some time lost but not too bad.  It is hard to drive with Lorraine yelling, "You just missed the turn again!" and then clarifying the point with a slap to the back of my head.
   We arrived at Dawn and Benny's house and went for a great seafood dinner down on the point.  After dinner, we took a drive over to see the ocean and get some dessert.
   This being the 100th anniversary of flight, we had to see the Wright Brothers Monument.  It is lit up beautifully at night and the monument is truly a magnificent structure as you can see in the postcard at left.  Stop by if you are in the area.
   We spent the night with Lorraine's cousin and prepared to leave for Richmond in the morning.

   The weather was very hot and humid.  We left early for the long drive to Richmond.  As expected, the traffic was heavy and slow moving.  We found the Museum of the Confederacy without too much trouble.  If you are going to the museum, print out the map on their website or you won't find it.  Upon our arrival, we found a parking space within 100 feet of the front door, things were looking good already.
   John Thompson had called ahead and told the front desk we were stopping by.  Once inside the museum, they already knew our names and were waiting for us.  All the people we met were uncommonly nice and treated us like royalty.  They wouldn't even let us pay our entrance fee.  When John arrived, he introduced us to the museum's staff and after talking to everyone we set out on a personal one on one tour with John as our guide.
   We began the excursion through the museum on the first floor.  Here you will find permanent displays focusing on the battles of the Civil War and the Confederate leaders.  Two highlights were Jefferson Davis' suit and Armistead's sword.  The museum's store "The Haversack" is also located here.  The next level features the huge floor to ceiling oil painting (painted in 1869) by E. D. B. Julio depicting the last meeting of Lee and Jackson.  The next section on that level centers around the everyday life of the common Confederate soldiers on and off the battlefield.  The last area is dedicated to the Confederate medical Corps and features a collection of artifacts and documents used by the surgeons and their staff.  The upper level displays samples of home-made clothing, photographs, documents and many other relics.  The most interesting item here is the original parchment copy of the Confederacy's Provisional Constitution and the original hand stamp depicting the Great Seal of the Confederacy.
   We were introduced to the museum's curator Ron (sorry I can't remember his last name) and he was kind enough to show us the treasures in the basement.  This area is not open to the public and requires three keys to gain access (one in the elevator, one at the basement entrance door and one for the final door).  The items down there have either not been displayed yet, have just returned from loan to other museums or are getting ready to display.  We stood inches from a wall of saddles that included Lee's personal saddle and many others owned by Generals or important people.  We saw racks of sabers, rifles, pistols and tons of other things.  All right there in front of us, no glass or barricades were between us and the relics.  I could have spent years down there studying the items.
   The last part of the morning and into the early afternoon was used to take a journey through the White House of the Confederacy which is located next to the museum.   A special tour guide was recommended to us and the staff personally reserved a spot for us.  We thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Davis's home and learning of the personal lives of the First Family.
   The Museum of the Confederacy is a must see museum.  It is laid out well and all three floors are filled with high quality exhibits that are lovingly cared for.  The displays are easy to see and the information that accompanies them is detailed and well written.

   We got up early and headed home.  The last leg of our trip took 14 1/2 hours but the traffic wasn't too bad and the weather was fine.
   As you can see, Lorraine and I visited many battlefields, museums, antique shops and tourist traps.  From the Hunley to the Gettysburg battlefield to the CSA museum in Richmond (and all that stuff in between) we saw and did a lot.  As they say on TV...Total miles driven - 4004.9, Total gallons of fuel used - 298.0, Total cost of fuel - $447., Getting away from the fools at work - priceless!