Virginia: Old Blandford Church & Cemetary

A view of the church from the outside...looks simple enough

Again while on my business trip I made some time after work to visit this place. I just heard that it was one of the nearby attractions, but didn't think it was going to be much to see. The first issue I had was that when I looked at the hours, it was only open until 5PM. I got off work and headed straight there thinking I would still have plenty of time to check everything out. I found out when I arrived that you're only allowed inside the church on one of their tours. Even though the tour had already started, they let me buy a ticket and join them in progress. The church itself isn't too large, so I was surprised there was an actual tour of the place.

I joined mid-tour and found out quickly it was pretty much all for the stained glass windows done by a fellow named Louis Comfort Tiffany. Check out a website about this guy here & his Wikipedia page here. I can now see why they only let folks inside with a tour guide. The stained glass windows are just plain amazing! The guide gives a lot of history about each window (every window in the church is a Tiffany stained glass masterpiece) and describes the detail that went into each piece of art. As you're looking at the window, you can see more and more detail that would probably be missed if there were no guide there. Another reason I can see for the tour guide is that these are basically priceless pieces of art now...they wouldn't want anyone doing anything stupid to them.

This window commemorates the state of Missouri.

I took this picture before they told me that no photos were allowed....oops

Unfortunately a picture just doesn't do it justice!

The church itself was built in 1735, but abandoned in 1806. After the civil war "The Ladies' Memorial Association" turned it into a memorial for the confederate soldiers that died. There is a stained glass Tiffany window for each of the confederate states. The Blandford Cemetery, one of the oldest and largest in America, is resting place of some 30,000 Confederate soldiers who lost their lives during the Siege of Petersburg.

Outside the church with the Virginia battle flag

Once the tour was over, I headed out and checked out the confederate cemetery on my own. The cemetery is very large, so I drove my rental car around and stopped at some of the more interesting sites. Check out the photos below:

Several tombstones in the cemetery 
ranging from very small to quite large

The Memorial Arch at Blandford Cemetery, constructed in 1913

Some of the different flags of confederate soldiers from different states

An angel headstone

The Bolling Family Mausoleum

The visit was a lot more interesting that I originally thought it was going to be. I was in awe of the stained glass inside the church and checking out the cemetery was a very solemn experience. In school of course we would be taught about the civil war, but I never gave it too much thought after that. In my child's mind at the time slavery was bad and the good guys from the North won the war and freed the slaves. Of course there was a lot more to that, and visiting places like this really help wrap your mind around all the sorrow and realities that go along with war. I would recommend anyone in the area to make this visit...just go before the last tour starts if possible :)

Virginia: Petersburg National Battlefield (Eastern Front)

Part of the Confederate Battery 5

I was in Virginia for a work related trip, but wanted to make the most of it and visit some historical sites. Unfortunately I had to work during the day and didn't get to spend as much time as I wanted to at the Petersburg National Battlefield. I got off work at 4PM and headed straight over to the Petersburg National Battlefield Eastern Front Visitor's Center because it closes at 5PM. At first I thought this was a little early, but after I arrived I found out only the visitor center closes at 5PM, but the park stays open later.

The staff inside the visitor's center was very nice and helpful. I watched a short informational film inside the visitor's center, which I really recommend to anyone who is going to visit this park. The film is informative and will get you in the right frame of mind when going out to explore the park.
I wasn't sure what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised that all the historical spots are part of a driving tour. I was given a brochure which explained details of each of the spots. You take your own car on the drive and go at your leisure. The first spot is right behind the visitor's center and is the Confederate Battery 5.

Another canon from the Confederate Battery 5

located behind the visitor's center

I have to confess that I was in somewhat of a hurry. It was still cold out and I was looking forward to eating dinner. I still wanted to see as much as I could, but wanted to do it at a fast pace. The nice thing about the driving tour is that it's self paced. I decided to only stop at a portion of the areas I thought looked interesting enough because of this. If I had the time, I would have taken much longer and probably walked around the trails at each of the areas. I love historical sites like this...you can just feel the history as you're walking around.

My next spot on the journey was Battery 9. This stop has a lot to look at. There is recreated siege fortifications and samples of what soldier's shelters looked like. There are educational boards to read and we learn here that this is the place black union troops had their first major success of the war in Virginia.

"At the Confederate Battery 9. Black troops captured this position

during the first day's fighting"

Example of the siege fortifications

Siege fortification with a canon

More of the siege fortifications

Example of a soldier's Hut used by Union soldiers here during the 
winter of 1864-65. Four men would occupy a hut like this...
thousands of these huts were built during the seige of Petersburg!

After looking around I then drove my car to the next spot I decided to take a look at...Fort Stedman. Here are a few photos taken there:

Next up, right down the road was Fort Morton. Not much to look at except a row of canons:

After getting in my care and heading down the road a bit more, I came upon "The Crater". The short video I watched at the visitor's center and other stuff I've read about the siege of Petersburg all mention "The Crater". Union forces dug a tunnel under the Confederate line, then filled it with 320 kegs of gunpowder. There was a massive explosion in the early morning which immediately killed 278 Confederate soldiers. What could have dealt a death blow to the Confederates turned out to be a Union disaster. Union soldiers didn't take advantage of the surprise and when they did end up attacking, the Confederates were able to regroup and maintain their line. All in all Union casualties were 3,798 and Confederate casualties were 1,491. 

Monument at "The Crater"..."To the memory of William Mahone...
A distinguished confederate commander whose valor and strategy at the 
battle of the crater July 30, 1864 won for himself and his gallant brigade undying fame"

The remnants of "The Crater"

This was the last of the historical spots that I visited. At the end of the driving tour before exiting there was one last monument that I checked out before leaving:

"In memory of the soldiers and sailors from Massachussetts who lost their 
lives in the armies of the Potomac and James in various battles in Virginia 1861 - 1865"

All in all a pretty cool visit. I would recommend this trip to anyone in the area. The cost is a nominal $5, but well worth all the history you're able to see and take in. I just wish I had the entire day to leisurely visit each of the spots and take the walks down each of the trails.