Farm Dover: “Yes, Dear.” “Sure, Darling.”

When Ed and I are off on our travels, he is an exceedingly good sport about accompanying me to any and all botanical gardens that I find along our routes. (“Yes, Dear.”) And I appreciate it. I do.

And when he says that he wants to visit some Civil War battlefields in Virginia, I just smile and say: “Sure, Darling.” I hope he appreciates it. He says he does.

Visiting Civil War battlefields: That’s what we’ve been up to since last Saturday when we packed up the car and headed east through West Virginia to Virginia. We picked a beautiful time of year to drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains. The redbuds, dogwoods, rhododendrons and azaleas were in full dazzling bloom.

Our itinerary took us first to Hawks Nest State Park in central West Virginia for a night before heading to Charlottesville, VA, where Ed graduated from law school, stopping along the way in Lewisburg, WV, for Sunday church and Lexington, VA for a late lunch.

We spent Sunday afternoon wandering around the much-changed University of Virginia grounds, looking for the Rotunda and the old Law School, and buying VIRGINIA teeshirts for Norbert and Hazel at Mincer’s at The Corner.

The next morning we headed to Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home. Rather than tour the house, I convinced Ed that we should sign up for the gardens and grounds tour (“Yes, Dear”). What beautiful flowers! What weed-free vegetable gardens!

After a stop in Orange, VA, for lunch, we made our way over to Fredericksburg. Over the course of two days/nights, we toured the Chancellorsville battlefield (April 27-May 6, 1983), the Fredericksburg battlefield (December 11-13, 1862), walked the Sunken Road, paid our respects at the Fredericksburg National Cemetery, and wandered around Chatham Manor (served as Union headquarters and hospital). We also explored the James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library.

On Wednesday, we headed toward home, stopping at the Appomattox Court House, where Lee surrendered to Grant on an April morning 158 years ago.

Later in the afternoon, we stopped to hike Virginia’s Natural Bridge trail. The next morning we wound our way through the mountains of West Virginia and then coasted the rest of the way home.

So here’s where I’ve landed with my thinking on these hallowed Civil War sites. It’s important to remember the carnage of that terrible war. I think of all the women who lost sons and husbands. I think of the gruesome conditions at the camps, on the battlefields and field hospitals. I think of the destruction of homes and towns and families.

I admire the honor and respect shown by Lee and Grant in bringing the war to an end. I’m grateful to President Lincoln for preserving the United States as one nation and for ending the institution of slavery. I rejoice for the four million slaves who were freed.

But mostly I am full of sorrow that this war ever happened and that we as a nation felt such animosity toward our neighbors and were unable to find peaceable compromises to our disagreements. It is my fervent hope that we learn from it.

____________________

Here are some links to the hotels where we stayed, places we visited, and the restaurants we enjoyed.

Hawks Nest State Park in Ansted, WV

Old Stone Presbyterian Church in Lewisburg, WV

Lunch at Niko’s Grille in Lexington, VA

Oakhurst Inn in Charlottesville, VA

Dinner at The Local in Charlottesville, VA

Monticello in Charlottesville, VA

Lunch at Provisions Market Table in Orange, VA

Kenmore Inn in Fredericksburg, VA

Lunch at Soup & Taco in Fredericksburg, VA

Dinner at FoodE in Fredericksburg, VA