Rozum.net Washington DC Vacation
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Rozum.net Washington DC Vacation |
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A Vacation Notebook - Washington DC, October, 2003 As one might expect from a family-oriented site, we post our family experiences. This is one such page. During October 2003, the family (most of it) vacationed in the Washington DC area. We had a blast! This page documents the trip and shows some pictures. Day One & Two - On the Mall We stayed at the Capitol Hilton, a nice place. Only two blocks from Lafayette Park and the White House. Fredric was especially interested in the protestors that we saw there (remarkably few). When we cruised by there in the evening, it was cool to see the line of black cars there. I'm not sure why we weren't invited to the party. I'm always amazed when standing on the Capitol steps. This experience has been significantly changed by the events of 9/11. More guards and fences are there now. But there is still a feeling of standing on the shoulders of giants. The Vietnam Memorial has an interesting effect on the people visiting it. There is always a sense of quiet. Fredric used our time to seek a Marine that we lost there. The Lincoln Memorial is also a place that generates thought. The words of his second inaugural address are inside. Clearly, he had moved to a theme of forgiveness and rebuilding. On the steps outside, the place where Martin Luther King, Jr. stood when delivering his "I have a dream" speech has been etched. We visited much more, including several Smithsonians and the Korean War Memorial. Hence the hiking boots you see in the pictures. We estimated that we walked about 10 miles in those two days. Day Three - Manassas We drove to Manassas, Virginia for day three. Manassas was the site of two major Union defeats, the first and second battles of Bull Run. The battles were significantly sized. The first Battle of Bull Run was expected to be quick, and to end the "uprising". However, the Union troops were poorly prepared. A significant action occurred on Henry Hill. Here, Karla and Fredric examine a Confederate artillery piece pointed toward the Union positions, with the Hill farmhouse in the background. There was great loss of life in the field beyond. The second Battle of Bull Run was more heavily fought. Stonewall Jackson fought a significant action at an unfinished railroad bed. Longstreet arrived and attempted to crush the Union flank as it collapsed. However, a stand on the Union left by a small artillery detail, bought the main body enough time to withdraw. Day Four - Gettysburg It was a beautiful drive to Gettysburg from DC. The leaves were starting to turn. Pennsylvania was agrarian and unaffected. Gettysburg was Lee's invasion of the North. It was an attempt by the Confederacy to either convince the Union to come to a negotiated piece, or to convince the English and French to recognize them, and therefore provide the Confederacy with armaments. Unfortunately for Lee, he was separated from his cavalry, and so never knew where the Union army was until stumbling on a detachment at Gettysburg. The fighting was intense, with horrendous losses. At Little Round Top, the Union left was nearly overrun. The 20th Maine had arrived on the scene 10 minutes before the battle began. When they ran out of ammunition, they fixed bayonets and charged down the slope, defeating the Alabamans they faced. Here, Fredric stands at the very end of the Union left. On July 3, 1863, Lee committed 12,000 of his infantry to attack the Union center. The charge, known as Pickett's charge, had as it's goal a copse of trees that stood on a hill behind a stone wall. The Confederate troops had to walk about 3/4 mile over an open field before attaining the copse. They failed; 6,000 didn't return. Here Karla and Fredric stand at the copse. In the distance is a statue of Lee, showing about where his headquarters were. In this shot, Fredric stands at the beginning of the Confederate charge, the cannon points at the copse. Day Five - Arlington We left Washington in the early afternoon. However, before leaving we paid our respects at the Arlington National Cemetery. We saw the eternal flame over JFK's grave, and the Tomb of the Unknowns. The shear number of graves there was a reminder of the individual shoulders upon which we stand. We found it interesting that we saw the greatest number of foreign visitors at Arlington. A fun trip - Here are some links: Washington DC |
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