Linny and Tiki: Civil War, Day 3

Day 3 of the tour started where the Civil War began in July 1861 at the Battle of Bull Run. Here Union General Irvin McDowell faced Confederate General Gustave Beauregard, starting the Civil War.

*Ps, I'm taking these words straight from my itinerary, is that plagiarism?? How about I just tell you upfront most of these words are Alan McKay's, not mine. All better? All right, let's move on.*

There stands Jackson, like a stone wall.

Mom and Marlene at the Bull Run Battlefield

One of the casualties of the artillery fire was Judith Carter Henry, an 85-year-old widow and invalid, who was unable to leave her bedroom in the Henry House. As Ricketts began receiving rifle fire, he concluded that it was coming from the Henry House and turned his guns on the building. A shell that crashed through the bedroom wall tore off one of the widow's feet and inflicted multiple injuries, from which she died later that day.

Stone Bridge near Bull Run

Stone House near Bull Run. During both battles of Bull Run, Federals turned this former tavern into a field hospital. Although most houses became crowded with wounded men, many diaries of soldiers mention this particular structure.

It's hard to notice, but there are two different canons still lodged in the building. There is one just to the right of the door.

Then it was lunch at Arbys where mom had the worlds longest curly fry.

We then visited Harpers Ferry, one of the most beautiful and well preserved antebellum (don't know what that means, it's an Alan word" towns. Harper's Ferry is situation in the Blue Ridge Mountains at the northern tip of the Shenandoah Valley. (That sounds like it should be in a song...oh wait, it is. Way to be there John Denver.)

Here in an old armory in Harpers Ferry, abolitionist John Brown and his raiders started their rebellion against slavery in 1859.

Such a neat little town!

In front of where the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers meet.

Jefferson Rock

On October 25, 1783, Thomas Jefferson visited Harpers Ferry. He viewed "the passage of the Potomac through the Blue Ridge from a rock which is now named for him. This stop took place as Jefferson was traveling to Philadelphia and passed through Harpers Ferry with his daughter Patsy. Jefferson called the site "perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in nature."