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A Pilgrimage to Appomattox
Retreat Trail Leads to New Knowledge
 
By LYNN and GLENN PRIBUS
 
 
A day trip which dips into Civil War history follows much of the route of Lee’s Retreat after the April 2, 1865, collapse of the Confederate line between Richmond and Petersburg. Radio narration along the way brings the history to life. (See sidebar.)
 
The Retreat Trail starts in Petersburg or can be picked up on Route 360 at Amelia Court House. County routes at Jetersville take us to Sailor’s Creek Battlefield State Park where between a fifth and a quarter of Lee’s army—more than 7700 men—became casualties or prisoners on April 6.
 
The Trail continues west through Farmville and ends at Appomattox, named for the Appamatuck Indian tribe.
 
Our first stop is the Appomattox visitor center where we ask volunteer Evelyn Chernault what the best thing to see is. “I couldn’t tell you in four hours!” she says with a twinkle, filling our hands with brochures. 
 
Walking tour map in hand, we stroll to the Courthouse Square where the “new” courthouse (built in 1892 after the old one burned) is next to the County Historical Museum. There are also several eateries and gift shops and the Appomattox Gallery, a Mecca for antique hunters with between 20 and 30 dealers at any time.
 
 
Peaceful Rolling Hills
About three miles north of today’s town of Appomattox is Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, marked by snake-rail fences and peaceful rolling hills. When we sign the register, we see visitor signatures from many places, some with notations such as “GGG grandfather and his 2 bros. surrendered with the 57th VA.”
 
We ask Ranger Mike Brennen if many people come seeking ancestors. Oh, yes, he says, reaching under the counter to show us a book listing all 28, 231 names of the men receiving paroles after the surrender. In addition, the park’s bookstore has a database of about 3 million names of soldiers on both sides (but no Navy listings) which the staff will search for free.
 
 
Surrender at Appomattox
Grant, Brennen explains, had been pursuing Lee’s starving Army of Northern Virginia since April 3. Lee was expecting crucial supplies at Appomattox Station, but the Federals captured the three trains on April 8. After a final futile battle on the morning of April 9, Lee saw only useless loss of life in continuing to fight and sent word of surrender to Grant.
 
They met, not at the court house which was closed for Palm Sunday, but in the nearby private home of the McLean family. Grant’s terms were considered generous and gracious. He did not, for example, demand Lee’s sword and simply paroled the Southerners, permitting them keep personally owned sidearms as well as horses for spring planting.
 
On April 12—four years to the day after the firing on Fort Sumter—there was a formal surrender of weapons, munitions and battle flags.
 
“After all the battles and effort,” Ranger Brennen says quietly, “it was a very simple conclusion to the war.”
 
Three days later, President Lincoln was dead. When Ranger Brennen tells us this, we are as stunned as the other visitors. We’d never known the surrender was the catalyst for the assassination.
 
 
The Buildings Remain
We continue on a self-guided tour of the buildings—the tavern, a lawyer’s office, general store, the jail—then pensively stroll the lane where one tattered regiment of Rebels after another lay down their arms and battle flags in an hours-long parade. Some flags, however, were secretly kept, often torn into small pieces for the troops to share as a memento.
 
Our own memento is learning so many things—both large and small—about the reconciliation that began at Appomattox.
 
 
Glenn and Lynn Pribus travel from their home base in Charlottesville.
 

Make Your Plans
The Visitor Center at Appomattox Court House National Park is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Federal Holidays during the winter. www.nps.gov/apco or (434) 352-8987.
 
For a downloadable map of the road trip, visit www.varetreat.com and click on Lee’s Retreat. Call 1-800-6-RETREAT to receive the map by mail, allowing 2–3 weeks for delivery.
 
Marked roadside stops offer short-range radio information. The text of the radio messages is available at www.civilwartraveler.com. Click on Radio Scripts under Southside Virginia.
 

Modern-Day Detours
Our stop in Farmville let us time warp to today. Green Front Furniture’s big brick buildings were once tobacco warehouses and have the original walls and wood floors. A map lists the items available in each of the 15 buildings—some interconnected—and we’re overwhelmed by everything from beds, bars and carpets to lamps, clocks and linens and so much more. Oriental rugs are displayed on special hangers like pages in a book, and in the clearance room, rugs are piled in an amazing heap to rummage through.
 
In Appomattox, we enjoyed the beautifully restored Babcock House. Although this can easily be a day trip, we overnighted at the B&B, where the Oriental rugs are from Green Front, of course. The dining room is open to the public and serves up a very nice lunch and dinner. www.babcockhouse.com or (800) 689-6208.

Annapolis for Landlubbers
Weekend is Filled with Shoreside Charms
 
By LINDA BARRETT
 
We did something I’ve always wanted to do on a vacation. We parked the car and left it. In Maryland’s historic capital, everything is within walking distance.
 
We stayed at the Inn at 30 Maryland, a Queen Anne Victorian bed and breakfast perfectly located on a quiet side street, just steps from shopping, dining and attractions.
 
According to innkeeper and former chef Robert Dunn, the Inn formerly served as a “drag house,” a place where midshipmen’s girlfriends could rent a bed. Current guests enjoy the warm fire, 24-hour snack bar and huge tubs—you can lie down without touching either end!
 
We began our walk into the past at the Hammond-Harwood House. Built in 1774, it is filled with 18th-century decorative arts, a large collection of John Shaw furniture and 16 portraits painted by Charles Willson Peale and his family members. The elaborate front entrance is called “the most beautiful doorway in America.”
 
Annapolis boasts homes of four signers of the Declaration of Independence, including William Paca, whose Georgian home features a recreated Colonial pleasure garden. A print titled “The Battle of Bunker Hill” still hangs here—a gift presented to each Declaration signer.
 
 
A Preserved Cityscape
Annapolis was originally laid out in 1694 as a walled, gated city, and served as a major seaport. The one third-square mile historic area features more than 20 styles of architecture, covering a 300-year period. It was almost destroyed until a 1970s Historic Preservation Commission was founded to preserve the cityscape.
 
Watermark Walking Tour guide Julie Brasch’s fascinating tidbits brought history to life. She demonstrated a man’s stance often depicted in period portraits as “putting the best foot forward.” Since a man’s attractiveness was judged by his calf muscles, he extended one foot (the best one) while sitting or standing. Wealthy women wore stays to achieve a conical body shape. Women not wearing stays were called “loose women.”
 
Annapolis is known as “America’s Sailing Capital” and is home to the U.S. Naval Academy. A tour takes visitors inside campus life (ID required). See a plebe’s sparse room, Naval tributes and the crypt of John Paul Jones. He died in France and after 131 years was brought to America. It is said he was buried so well, his skin is still supple. His impressive resting place within the Chapel is created of Grand Pyrenees marble resembling an angry & frothy sea. Carved dolphins carry the coffin.
 
Our tour ended at the Maryland State House, where all streets connect at the State Circle roundabout. Here in the wonderfully preserved Old Senate Chamber, the Treaty of Paris was ratified and General George Washington resigned his Army commission.
 
 
Food and Drink
Reynolds Tavern (c. 1747) offered the perfect afternoon tea. We lingered over scones, savory tarts, finger sandwiches, cakes, pastries and pots of fine teas, then peeked at the upstairs guestrooms before we left.
 
For dinner, we enjoyed the authentic atmosphere of an Irish pub at Galway Bay, just steps from our inn. Our crab cakes were stuffed with large, moist chunks of meat, and the melt-in-our-mouth corned beef, explained owner Finton Galway, “is the result of the best cut and a slow 10-hour simmer.” Don’t miss Galway’s famous after-dinner drink, “Sean’s Whisper,” a heavenly concoction of amaretto, coffee and Godiva chocolate topped by fresh cream.
 
The next day, breakfast at Chick & Ruth’s Delly provided the “local” experience. At first, we were put off by the close quarters as we hugged the counter to let the servers pass. Seating was no less intimate—we literally rubbed elbows with our neighbors.
 
But within minutes we were chatting it up with the locals and passing the ketchup. The restaurant was packed except for the first booth. That is always reserved for the Governor. Join in as owner Ted Levitt stops the bustling business to lead diners in the Pledge of Allegiance each morning.
 
 
Down to the Waterfront
Afterward, we wandered the quaint streets to take in the waterside city’s charms. Strolling down Main Street toward the waterfront, we popped into shops like Annapolis Ice Cream, where over 5000 decorated plastic spoons adorn the walls, and the dreamy Dragonfly Garden.
 
Pick up a sports-themed item at Sports Edition, or caffeine and characters at Hard Bean Café & Booksellers on the way to the dock, where during boating season seafarers test their skills in turning their yachts without hitting the walls (or another boat) in what is affectionately known as Ego Alley. Sign up for water tours here.
 
See the Kunta Kinte memorial—a four-piece bronze sculpture depicting “Roots” author Alex Haley reading to children. (For more Colonial-era African-American history, visit the Banneker-Douglass Museum.)
 
Then wander through the Historic Annapolis Foundation’s History Quest where you can compare views of old Annapolis to current views from the third-story windows, and the foundation’s Museum Store, renowned for its decorative sailboat selection.
 
I can’t imagine we spent time in Annapolis without going on the water, but with so much to do shoreside, I guess we’ll have to make another trip.
 
 
Linda Barrett is a freelance writer and owner of All the Buzz, a corporate communications agency in Richmond, Va. www.allthebuzz.net.
 
1708-2008
Annapolis Alive!
Annapolis celebrates its 300th anniversary with a year full of signature events.
See www.annapolisalive.org.

 

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