Rebels and Yankees

I've been brushing up on my history as I seek out photo ops. I never cared much for History during school, but being able to walk through the land where so many vicious battles took place brings the old lessons into a new light. To imagine the cannons roaring, the men yelling and firing, and the horses reeling with wild looks in their eyes brings the war into sharp relief in my mind. The sheer loss of life during many of these battles is overwhelming. We routinely hear about groups of 20-30 soldiers dying during the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of the battles during the Civil War resulted in many thousands of fighters dying in one afternoon. Much of the ground I walked in Chancellorsville would have been covered with fatally wounded soldiers. Quite sobering to realize that many of the graves in the cemeteries have headstones indicating that upwards of 30 soldiers are buried in each plot.

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On a lighter note, I posted this photo of a cannon because I had to work at getting the picture. The cannon in the previous post is perched atop a hill on one side of what used to be a large farm field. The cannon above is 1200 yards away, aimed to return fire towards the top of the hill. I walked the full 1200 yards down the hill, across the open field and back before I realized that there is a park road that connects the two locations. I could have saved myself the torturous hike if I had consulted the map before setting off! So enjoy the results of my walk!