Virginia, of course, was the nation’s Civil War epicenter. Scores of battles occurred here. Union soldiers tried repeatedly to capture the South’s capital city, Richmond. Confederate troops fought to defend their land, and even made a foray or two that threatened Washington D.C. All this left deep scars—on the war’s participants, on American memory and, importantly, on the ground servicemen fought so hard to take and defend.
Most of these wounds have long since healed. Most, but not all. In fact, if you look in the right places, ask the right people, you’ll find the war’s few remaining physical traces.
“Earthworks are the most visible reminder of Civil War soldiers and the days they spent on the ground,” says David Lowe, a historian with the National Park Service in Washington D.C. “Everything else, you have to dig for. These earthworks were thrown up by flesh-and-blood soldiers using shovels, sometimes even bayonets.”
Earthworks—wartime trenches and forts fashioned from dirt and felled trees—remain part of Virginia’s landscape, 150 years after soldiers constructed them.
Lowe has spent 20 years studying and mapping surviving Civil War earthworks. He and colleagues often do their field work in winter; the trees have shed their leaves, and the enhanced view of the terrain gives observers a better appreciation of the breadth and complexity of the earthworks. It’s easier to place them into context, to see them as Civil War soldiers did, without much foliage obstructing their view.
Many of Virginia’s earthworks are braided by trails that trace the footsteps of Civil War soldiers, and the value, the beauty of these sites lies in their versatility. The trails are ready made for a history lesson if you choose, often marked by signage indicating what transpired where. But for those who just wish to be outside, to leave the confines of their four walls, the trails that twist silently through the earthworks offer the perfect opportunity to simply stretch your legs in the great outdoors.
Latest Comments