Civil War History Archives - Currently Wandering

We love old forts. The history, the architecture, the sheer size, all of it makes for a fascinating visit. Fort Picken is located in the Gulf Island National Seashore – a barrier island along the panhandle of Florida. The seashore also stretches into parts of Mississippi, although somehow skips Alabama? Still not sure about that.

When We Visited: December 2013

Ages of Kids: 8, 6, 3

Fort Pickens is the largest of 4 forts that once guarded the Pensacola Bay and the Navy Yard. It definitely seemed bigger than Fort McHenry, mostly because we could crawl through smaller places and explore more inside the walls of the fort. We started out by picking up our Jr. Ranger Books at the visitor center and then sat down on benches for the ranger tour. In the middle of the history of the fort, the ranger stops and points out this guy walking across the grounds:

Armadillo! I was ridiculously excited. Sam had seen a few around camp, but I hadn’t had the privilege yet. These things are so awesome looking.

Fort Pickens is built on a giant sandbar. Turns out, forts are rather heavy and they were worried about the whole thing sinking into oblivion. To help with the weight, under every arch, they also built a reverse arch to help distribute the weight from underneath the pillars. There were only a few excavated so we could see the result. Pretty impressive.

Fort Pickens played a critical role in the Civil War. The Fort was reinforced the day after Fort Sumter surrendered, preventing the Confederates from seizing control and using the nearby Navy Yard. At one point, the batteries on the fort even fired on nearby Forts Barrancas and McRee, the navy yard, and several independent batteries spread along the bay shore. Heavy damage caused the Confederates to withdraw.

We also *finally* found our kids their Jr. Ranger Hats. We had promised them hats after their 5th Junior Ranger Badge, but that number came and went before we found a National Park Store that had them in stock. We finally came through on our promise. Total excitement ensued.

Nothing makes history come alive like standing where it all happened. If you have not visited a historical site recently, consider this our friendly nudge to get out there!

Manassas National Battlefield Park

Convenient to our house in Virginia (which we house-swapped into, prior to Airstream travel) were two National Parks. The first was Prince William Forest, and the second was Manassas National Battlefield. Our visit here required a wait, as the 2013 government shutdown placed it just out of reach. We visited the first day the National Parks reopened.

When We Visited: October 2013

Ages of Kids: 8, 6, 3

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Though the day was cloudy, the visit was wonderful. We explored the battlefields, and enjoyed the wonderful outdoor exhibits as the kids worked on their Junior Ranger booklets. We also brought our FRS radios to the joy of our kids, who ran around playing with the radios most of the time outside.

Manassas was the location of the first Civil War battle, and it didn’t go at all as expected. Prior the battle, rifling had been discovered, and the spiral grooves in gun barrels made firearms much more accurate than muskets. As a result, the casualties were extremely high on both sides. Mix in a heavy dose of confusion on account of the hundred or so uniforms present, and the entire thing was a disaster. The present spectators (!) were thrown into confusion. They had expected this battle to solve the present issues once and for all, and the disaster that unfolded caused most to scatter.

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I’ve had moments in our travels that had a deep connecting impact upon my soul. One of those moments happened on the Manassas Battlefield. As I stood in the row of artillery on the north side of the field reading about the confederate soldiers, I read about Stonewall Jackson.

Stonewall Jackson was one of those famous people mentioned in grade school that was significant for some reason, but I couldn’t tell you much about him. As I read the signs present, and considered the close placement of the opposing artillery lines, I came to understand how Jackson became ‘Stonewall’ Jackson.

Throughout the confusing and pandemonious battle, Jackson and his men held their line. History credits Brigadier General Bernard Bee with saying “Look! There stands Jackson like a Stone Wall!”

Standing there, on that very hill, helped me understand this bit of history just a bit more clearly. Stonewall Jackson is no longer just someone who’s name I vaguely remember, but a major participant in the early history of this country. This experience has motivated me to seek out these moments that connect me with the land, and with the past.

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