Chimborazo Hospital

On Sunday, April 13th, we visited the Chimborazo Hospital & Medical Museum in Richmond, VA.

Here is what the hospital looked like shortly after the Civil War.

Here is the hospital during the Civil War. It was one of the biggest! It is amazing to see how big it was! All the buildings on top of the hill were part of the hospital!

This exhibit is dedicated to the Chaplains that served at the hospital during the War.

This exhibit highlights some of the doctors who worked here as well as some of the tools they used.

Here we see some of the native plants that the doctors used for pain, to stop infections & to heal.

Another cool historic marker! The Battle of Bloody Run took place here in 1656!

Here's the Hospital historic marker.

The grounds where the hospital was located is now a beautiful park!

 

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Civil War & Emancipation Day

On Saturday, April 12, Richmond celebrated Civil War & Emancipation Day! What is exciting about this is they had lots of sites that normally cost money that were free! They also had lots of reenactors at the different sites.

We started the day at Historic Tredegar as this site had the most activities. We visited the American Civil War Museum (normally would cost us $28) which is to the right.

This museum is unique in that they looked at the Civil War from the perspectives of the Union, the Confederacy & the slaves.

I loved the timeline the museum has. It runs throughout the museum & highlights any event during the wartime with facts, maps & pictures.

Here David is talking with one of the singers. This man did an awesome version of Joshua Fought The Battle of Jericho. David really liked him.

Mary Ryan puts Jessica & David to work rolling cartridges for the Confederate Soldiers. She was one of the best re-enactors I've seen. She never broke character. The kids didn't quite know how to take that.

This man was giving a demonstration on rifles from cleaning to firing!

Here David is standing in front of a "window" overlooking the water wheel. It was one of the best places to stand on a warm day. A nice cool breeze came through & cooled us off.

Here the kids were getting recruited into the army.

Next they were drilled on how to march & shoot their weapons. This was the first recruitment/drilling exercise we've attended that had guns for the kids to use.

We almost skipped this as we were tired but David really wanted to go. The white building in the center of the picture is the White House of the Confederacy.

First we visited the museum. They had a neat timeline map that showed all the major events during each year of the Civil War.

Every major battle of the Civil War had a display case filled with artifacts from the battlefield & items from soldiers who fought there.

The last exhibit talked about the capture of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

Then we went on a tour of the Confederate Whitehouse! I wish I could show you pictures, but photography was not allowed. If ever in Richmond, you should visit it. After the Civil War, the local women's group helped acquire the building & then went to work finding all the furnishings that had been auctioned off. They used auction records to locate the buyers then convinced a lot of them that it was their patriotic duty to help preserve the memory of the Confederacy by donating what they had bought to the museum. Thanks to their hard work, over 50% of the furnishings during the Whitehouse days where found. Mrs. Davis returned to the Whitehouse several times to help them set the rooms up as they were during the Confederacy!

Here is the back of the Whitehouse. This is the part that actually faces the road.

 

I love historic markers! I love that the time was taken to mark the history of different places! When I see those signs, I know we are going to be learning something new!!

 

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Richmond National Battlefield

On Friday, April 4th, we visited the Richmond National Battlefield Park. This was quite an undertaking. There are 12 sites within the park consisting of 80 miles of driving. Because of lack of time, we did not visit all the sites.

Our first stop was the visitor center at Tredegar Iron Works. There are 2 separate entities operating here. The Pattern Building is the visitor center for the Richmond National Battlefield Park & it is free. The Gun Foundry houses the American Civil War Center & costs money.

This factory used several overwater wheels to turn equipment.

The Vandenburg Volley Gun has 127 .5 caliber barrels.

There were displays giving a timeline overview of Richmond during the war.

They had a neat exhibit on photography during the Civil War.

They had a kids area where they could dress up.

This site was fed by an underground canal way which was used to run a lot of the machinery.

The kids sitting with Lincoln.

The statue was commemorating Lincoln's visit to Richmond on April 4-5, 1865, just 10 days before his assassination.

A map of how this site looked in 1951.

A beautiful hill of flowers

Close up of the flowers.

The Rolling Mills.

Trying to pick up the big chain at the Rolling. Mills.

Site #2 - Chickahominy Bluff

Chickahominy Bluff was part of the Confederate line during the 1862 Seven Days' Battles.

The overlook offered a strategic spot for General Lee to oversee the Battle of Beaver Dam Creek.

As you drive the Battlefield path, you see hundreds of these signs along the roads that give you a little insight into the Seven Days' Battles.

Site #3 - Gaines' Mill.

The Watt House (not open to the public) was the headquarters of Union Gen. Fitz John Porter.

Stop #4 - Cold Harbor.

Cold Harbor was part of the 1864 Overland Campaign.

The Killing Fields.

The 2 week battle was very deadly. It resulted in at least 16,000 casualties.

Stop #5 - Garthright House.

This restored house served as a Union field hospital during the Battle of Cold Harbor & later became a Confederate Hospital.

stop #6 - Fort Harrison

This Fort was captured by General Grant on Sept. 29, 1964. The gallantry of several regiments of regiments of black Union troops that day was recognized by awarding Medals of Honor to 14 black soldiers.

Look for another post next weekend about Richmond National Battlefield Park as we join the Celebration of Civil War Emancipation day on Saturday, April 12. Up to 20 museums are open with free admission as well as lots of tours, music, cannon firings and Civil War-era photography.

 

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