The View from Squirrel Ridge

November 11, 2009

Lone Confederate Grave

This grave is inside a rail enclosure on the old Stickley farm between Strasburg and Middletown. The marker tells us that John Helms was killed at the battle of Cedar Creek.

According to Professor Noyalas, Helms was brought to the farm by his brothers, who buried him under an apple tree and said they would return for the body when they could. However, they never returned and their fates are unknown.

Sheridan's Ride

Professor Noyalas pointed out this point on the Valley Pike as the place where Phil Sheridan's famous ride ended. You probably heard the romanticized poem by Thomas Buchanan Read, Sheridan's Ride which concludes:

Hurrah! hurrah for Sheridan!

Hurrah! hurrah for horse and man!

And when their statues are placed on high,

Under the dome of the Union sky,

The American soldier's Temple of Fame;

There with the glorious general's name,

Be it said, in letters both bold and bright,

"Here is the steed that saved the day,

By carrying Sheridan into the fight,

From Winchester, twenty miles away!"

November 10, 2009

Cemetery Overlooking Middletown

Professor Noyalas Lectures at Mount Carmel Cemetery

Shenandoah at War summarizes the action here in this sentence:

The Federal line began to stabilize as elements of the Federal VI Corps fought hard in and around the cemetery on the west side of Middletown.

Several months ago I stopped by and made this brief video to record the setting of this cemetery. It has a distant view of Signal Knob on the Massanutten Range.

Meadow Brook

Meadow Brook near Middletown was one scene of activity during the Battle of Cedar Creek. See the US Army's staff ride description.

128th New York Monument

This Civil War memorial is located south of Belle Grove on US 11.

The 128th New York Volunteer Regiment Monument

"In memory of the men of this regiment who lost their lives at the Battle of Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864. Erected by their comrades and friends, dedicated in 1907."

November 9, 2009

Belle Grove in Autumn

Belle Grove Plantation, Middletown, VA

You can see more photos of Belle Grove on my Civil War field trips site or at the official Belle Grove website. Also, you can search this blog for all posts mentioning Belle Grove.

Trouble at the Trenches

Old Truck Abandoned at Civil War Trenches

There's a trail at the 128th New York Monument at Cedar Creek Battlefield that goes to the Union trenches. Here Federal soldiers faced a Confederate attack from an unexpected direction and had to rush to the "wrong" side of their trenches in order to mount a defense.

Prof. Noyalas is seen at the marker entitled Union Trenches.

November 7, 2009

Monument to the 8th Vermont

Near Middletown, Virginia

Cedar Creek

The 8th Vermont Vol's,

Genl. Stephen Thomas

Commanding Brigade

Advanced across the Pike

The morning of Oct. 19, 1864.

Engaged the enemy near

and beyond this point,

and before sunrise lost

in killed and wounded 110 men...

Hear the short video in which Professor Noyalas reads an account of the struggle for the flag in this early phase of the Battle of Cedar Creek. Behind him is Mr. Ratcliff, who kindly hosted our visit to this site.

Tour at Thoburn's Earthworks

The Federal entrenchments still exist but are hard to discern among the trees and natural slope near Cedar Creek.

Previous Post introducing this tour

Later: Living History at Thoburn's Redoubt

November 6, 2009

Civil War Field Trip Noyalas-Style

The most exciting parts of Saturday's field trip were visiting places I've never seen before because they were not open to the public. Professor Noyalas had obtained permission for our group to tour there:

Thoburn's redoubt position (now pasture-land along Bowman's Mill Road).
The 8th Vermont Monument (on a hill behind a private home)
The Stickley Farm (Residence and farm along US 11 southbound at Cedar Creek)

We also went to Belle Grove, Meadow Brook, the end point of Sheridan's ride, Ramseur's position at Miller's Mill, Cemetery Hill, and we followed the trail at the 128th New York monument.

Above: Jonathan Noyalas lectures at Thoburn's Final Position

I enjoyed the field trip. Noyalas is very knowledgeable about Cedar Creek Battlefield and just had a book published called The Battle of Cedar Creek: Victory from the Jaws of Defeat.

November 5, 2009

View from Thoburn's Camp

Seen from Hill above Bowman's Ford, Cedar Creek

Looking toward Massanutten Mountain

Site of the first attack at Cedar Creek Battlefield, October 1864

See Wikipedia Story about Cedar Creek

November 4, 2009

A Barn near Middletown, VA

Fellow Students

These young women were on the LFCC field trip Saturday. As you may notice, we were in a light rain in the afternoon.

I didn't take photos of the people who carpooled with me, but they were very knowledgeable about local Civil War sites. One of them, Fred, was a re-enactor and had a Stonewall Jackson beard.

November 3, 2009

Resource: Old Photos Related to the American Civil War

Today I opened an email that announced an interesting online resource at Southern Methodist University in Texas. The first link I clicked on brought up old photos of the Fishers Hill Battlefield.

The Civil War: Photographs, Manuscripts, and Imprints digital collection contains a variety of photographs related to the people, places and events surrounding the U.S. Civil War. For example, the collection includes a unique set of cartes-de-visites of Civil War generals and related officials. The collection also contains an album of photographs by T. Dwight Biscoe (1840-1930) and Walter S. Biscoe (1853-1933) on a trip through Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania primarily of Civil War battlefields and locales in 1884. Mounts include detailed descriptions about the battles, and the date, time and weather when the photographs were made. Sites include: the battlefields of Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek near Winchester, Virginia, Harper's Ferry, Antietam and Hagerstown, Maryland.

Ducks with PaintShop Pro Effects

I'm just learning Paint Shop Pro. I altered this image for a lesson requiring saturation and filters.

Now I wish I'd made some photographs of just the water plants. I could filter them and come up with a Monet look.

November 1, 2009

Our View on Different Days

Looking toward Great North Mountain

Above: October 25

Below: October 28

It's hard to believe October is already gone. It was a glorious month in western Virginia, with lots of fall color.

We were very busy but we found the time to take some scenic drives (although around here, every drive is scenic). You can see highlights in my October posts, including Fort Valley, Woodstock Tower, Gordonsville, Front Royal and the Shenandoah Valley, and nearby West Virginia.

Old House Since Collapsed

Above we see a decrepit old building I photographed on a field trip to Cedar Creek Battlefield in 1997. It was said to have been used as the headquarters of one of the generals and was on the field of a battle that took place near Miller's Mill.

	And here we see the ruins of that building in Spring of 2009. Only the end walls are standing, and they look ready to collapse. A local resident told us that this building was not the mill, which makes sense to me because the walls are not built as strong as walls of a mill should be.
	I was reminded of this on a battlefield tour on October 31. Here's a current view so you can see the ruins with less foliage masking it. Ramseur was mortally wounded near here (October 1864).