The final program of the 150th Anniversary of the battle that I attended at Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park dealt with the aftermath of the battle. We started at Belle Grove and then went to the Stickley Farm and St. Thomas Chapel in Middletown.Like the church and Belle Grove, this farm was turned into a hospital site, as there were thousands of wounded soldiers needing emergency care.
The farm is privately owned but the park service had permission to bring the tour there. I've been there on tour before (see Lone Confederate Grave and the Stickley mills).
The Confederate grave in the yard is a bit mysterious. Long ago a marker was placed there inscribed "John Helms of Atlanta, GA [who] was killed Oct. 19, 1864 in the battle of Cedar Creek", but Ranger Driscoll said he has been unable to find a John Helms in Confederate records of the battle. (A clear picture of the marker is in the Handley Library collection.)
Since Cedar Creek Battlefield is not far from our home, I've done many posts about it over the years. In contrast to it's dramatic history, it's now a lovely and serene place, unless you happen to arrive during a reenactment.
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Hi Linda, this is a very interesting post. Thank you so much! We live very near the Manassas Civil War Battlefield and have visited it often. Thanks for visiting my post. I agree about the poem, I would love to find out who the author is. Unfortunately whenever I have found it on line it always says author unknown.
ReplyDeletethe home is gorgeous!
ReplyDeletethat farm is a beautiful place. nice of the owners to allow the tours.
ReplyDeleteQuite an enigma, but a beautiful place!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to live such historical setting. Tom The Backroads Traveller
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures! That's a beautiful home. It does look so peaceful there.
ReplyDeleteI love this wonderful historic site. Your photos are awesome! I would visit there often as well if I lived close by! Interesting about the Confederate soldier whose name isn't able to be documented.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful place. Love the red buildings! Thanks for linking up this week!
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