Today I cross the James River heading south. This is a very important moment on this trip, because the James River marks the southernmost point I have ever been. At this point, I leave the places I have seen before for something new. The day had two very distinct halves. The first was a final exploration of Civil War sites near Richmond. The other was the long drive into Georgia. Seige of Petersburg As the Civil War wore on, Ulysses S Grant realized he was not going to take Richmond by force. The Confederate defenses were too good. He decided to take Petersburg instead. Petersburg was a crucial railroad junction for supplying Richmond. If it fell, Richmond would follow. The Confederates also knew this, and raced to build fortifications. Grant’s forces broke through the initial line, ... read more

Richmond Virginia is a very odd place culturally. Most of the city feels and acts like a modern regional capitol that is slowly being absorbed into the Washington DC exurbia. The rest feels like an important outpost of a distinct regional culture. This difference appears most dramatically where the Civil War is concerned. The former viewpoint sees the war as a complex conflict over many issues, particularly slavery, and discusses the less honorable parts of the southern war experience. The latter viewpoint sees the war as a highlight (WARNING: Link may be offensive) of everything that makes Southern culture distinctive and valuable (honor, valor, family, etc.) and celebrates Richmond as the Confederate capito... read more

I spent today in a smallish city with a very large history: Fredericksburg Virginia. George Washington spent his boyhood here, and several siblings lived here their entire lives. The city was essential to providing armaments during the Revolutionary War. During the Civil War, the city found itself exactly half-way between enemy capitols, and four of the most destructive battles were ultimately fought here. These battles destroyed Fredericksburg so completely that it basically disappeared from noticeable history for the next century, until the civil rights movements of the 1960s. Fredericksburg Area Museum The history of the city is amply documented in a museum called the url=h... read more

Arlington National Cemetery Today is my first day in Washington DC. The capitol of the US, it’s an area I have visited many times over the years. For this trip, I decided to focus on things I have not seen in a long time. The first of these was Arlington National Cemetery. For a military cemetery, it receives a large number of visitors. Arlington is America’s Valhalla, a place to pay respect to heroes. The cemetery came into existence partly due to convenience. The land was originally the estate of George Parke Custis, the half-grandson of George Washington. His daughter married a then cornel in the U... read more

In the early days of the republic, political debate was intensely partisan, and split on many issues. Fundamentally, it came down to the type of society that people viewed was ideal. One side, led by Alexander Hamilton and other New York and New England merchants, believed the future of the country lay in large scale industry. The country would grow wealthy and strong from selling goods, and compete with Europe as an equal. They promoted a strong central government, with regulations to ensure predictable and orderly commerce, development initiatives to create the necessary infrastructure, and a central bank to aid financing it all. The other side, led by url=http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/brief-biography-thomas-jeffers... read more