My
brother, John, and I squeezed in our compulsory rounds of golf, even getting a
round in at the Bull Run Golf Course. Being a Civil War junkie, I enjoyed
wandering the grounds in the area of this famous battle site. A couple of years
ago we attended a reenactment of the Battle of Bull Run on the actual site. It
was fascinating watching as the opposing forces maneuvered and parried with
their troops, canons, and cavalry. The Confederate forces called this the Battle
of First Manassas. Union forces called it the First Battle of Bull Run after the
name of a stream in the area. This was the first major battle of the Civil War,
and it was a stunning loss for the boys in blue, dashing all hopes of a quick
end to the recently begun dustup.
The
primary reason for Isaura and me coming back east was to attend the 66th
Annual Coppage-Coppedge Family Reunion (ours is Coppedge from my mother’s
mother), being held this year in Williamsburg, Virginia. We drove down on
Wednesday, settling into our reserved cabin on a military base just a few miles
from our reunion site. Referred to as the Cheatham Annex (part of the Yorktown
Naval Weapons Station), John, Isaura and I were able to spend four nights in a
great little cabin on the banks of the York River as part of the MWR (Morale,
Welfare and Recreation) program for military personnel. We’re going to have to
come here again!
The
whole area of eastern Virginia drips with history. Revolutionary War battles
and Civil War battles took place at every turn, including sea battles like the
Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack (aka, the “Battle of Hampton Roads,” March
9, 1862), the first battle between two ironclad warships which changed the way
naval warfare would be conducted forever. Though the exchange of cannon fire
resulted in a questionable draw, there was no going back to the wooden sailing
ships.
The
most interesting part of our visit here was our tour of the original settlement
site of Jamestowne (old English spelling). Go back in American history and
you’ll recall that it was settlers from England in 1607 that first found safe
harbor in what would later be called Jamestown. Can you name even one of the
three ships that brought these first settlers? They were the Susan Constant,
Godspeed, and Discovery. Our guide was actually part of a six-person team of
archeologists digging up thousands of artifacts just in the past six years,
providing a much clearer picture of the people who first settled here. Captain
John Smith and Pocahontas are all part of this, but it may not be quite the
story of romance that we’ve been led to believe. It is true that Pocahontas was
a princess of the Powhatan tribe, albeit, a very young princess of about ten
years of age. Captain Smith was likely in his late 20s. Pocahontas did play a
significant role in maintaining peace between the settlers and her tribe.
However, a few years later she was kidnapped by Indians from another tribe
along with some English sailors, meets an Englishman by the name of John Rolfe
whom she marries, moves to London when she is just twenty and becomes the toast
of the town. Just as she and her husband are sailing back to the Americas she
takes ill and dies at age 22.
The
most intriguing bit of information that has been recently unearthed about the
Jamestowne Settlement has to do with Jane. Our guide explained that when the
sickness of 1609-10 occurred, it decimated the settlers, reducing their number
to 60, down from several hundred. Conditions grew so bad that they were eating
anything and everything, including horses, rats, dogs, snakes and so forth.
Besides all of this, the most disturbing bit of information drawn from the
diaries and records of that time was that “an untold number of the English fed
on the meat of their dead fellows.” This report of cannibalism has been
verified and validated by the archeologists who discovered the remains of a
young girl of about 14 who was a victim of this barbarous act. Not knowing who
this girl was, she has been named Jane. There are several books about her and
this sordid matter. The archeological dig in Historic Jamestowne continues.
What else might they discover?
A
true blessing from this part of our trip was the chance to visit with my friend
and retired Navy chaplain, Rick Wilkins. Rick drove up from his home in
Virginia Beach and had lunch with John, Isaura and me at the Langley Air Force
Base Officers Club. After lunch, Isaura went shopping at the Exchange while we
three guys played a round of golf at Eaglewood, the base course. I was soundly
thrashed by my two ingrate opponents! Licking my wounds, we rejoined Isaura and
had a delightful dinner at The Olive Garden before saying goodbye to Rick.
Isaura
and I will begin our trip back to California by first heading west to visit
Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello! We’ll be stopping in Jackson, Tennessee;
Sulphur Bluff, Texas; Dodge City, Kansas; and Delta, Utah before returning home
to Ripon, California.
I’ll
check back with you next Wednesday!
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