Gettysburg National Battlefield

Books Purchased 18

Vicksburg - James Reasoner
Gettysburg Experiences: A Biographical Collection - Diana Loski
Human Interest Stories of the Gettysburg Campaign - Scott L. Mingus, Sr.
Human Interest Stories of the Gettysburg Campaign Vol. II - Scott L. Mingus, Sr.
War Stories: A Collection of 150 Little Known Human Interest Accounts of the Campaign and Battle of Gettysburg - Gregory A. Coco
Gettysburg Remembers: President Lincoln: Eyewitness Accounts of November 1863 - Linda Giberson Black
Civil War Curiosities: Strange Stories, Oddities, Events, and Coincidences - Webb Garrison
20 Good Reasons To Study The Civil War - John C. Waugh
Ministering Angel: The Reminiscences of Harriet A. Dada, A Union Army Nurse in the Civil War - Edmund J. Raus, Jr.
The Gettysburg Diaries: War Journals of Two American Adversaries - Mark Nesbitt
Scandals of the Civil War - Douglas Lee Gibboney

Iwo Jima

On our way out of Washington DC we stopped by the Iwo Jima Memorial. The memorial was created to honor our marines who fought for our country. Around the monument is the names of all the conflicts and battles that the marines have fought in.

The monument itself is of the flag raising that occurred on February 23, 1945 on Iwo Jima. Five marines and a navy sailor raised a second flag on Mount Suribachi. The flag raising was photographed by Joe Rosenthal. This photograph became a symbol the marines and of the war.

The men in the photograph were Sgt. Michael Strank, Cpl. Harlon H. Block, Pfc. Franklin R. Sousley, Pfc. Rene A. Gagnon, Pfc. Ira Hayes, and PhM. 2/c John H. Bradley.

Sgt. Michael Strank - died 1945 on Iwo Jima, Japan

Cpl. Harlon H. Block - died 1945 on Iwo Jima, Japan

Pfc. Franklin R. Sousley - died on March 21, 1945 on Iwo Jima, Japan

Pfc. Rene A. Gagnon - survived the war and died on October 12, 1979. He is buried in Arlington

National Cemetery.

Pfc. Ira Hayes - survived the war but had a hard time being labeled as a hero. He felt that the

heroes of Iwo Jima fought and died on the battlefield.

PhM. 2/c John H. Bradley - He survived the war and returned home. He was married for 47

years and had eight children. He died on January 11, 1944.

The memorial was designed by Horace W. Peaslee and was dedicated on November 10, 1954 by President Eisenhower. The figures are 32 feet high holding a 60 foot flagpole. A cloth flag hangs from the flagpole.

On the memorial is inscribed "In honor and in memory of the men of the United States Marine Corps who have given their lives to their country since November 10, 1775."

http://www.nps.gov/achieve/gwmp/usmc.htm

http://www.iwojima.com/raising/raisingc.htm

Holocaust Museum

Ms. Edwards and Ms. Wood went to the Holocaust Museum and walked the three floors of exhibits that were dedicated to the time period in history when the Jewish people of Europe were persecuted against by the Nazi Party and Hitler. They were not able to take pictures inside the museum and they wouldn't let me out of the backpack. Below are two pictures that Ms. Edwards took outside of the museum.

The museum also had exhibits to other cultures and time periods of history when people were persecuted against. A current example being the people of Darfar. It is amazing and horrifying that events like this still go on today. At least there are people out there who are courageous enough to share their stories and let the world know what is going on. Hopefully there are courageous people out there to stop these events from occurring as well.

Fords Theater and Petersen House

Ms. Edwards and Ms. Wood visited the location that Abraham Lincoln was shot and the location that he died.

We were not able to go into Ford's Theater because it has been closed down for renovation. It is still an active theater and inside is the box that Abraham Lincoln was sitting in when he was shot by John Wilkes Booth. Abraham Lincoln was sitting with his wife, Major Henry Rathbone and his fiance.

Across the street from the theater is the Petersen's house. This is the boarding house that Abraham Lincoln was taken after he was shot. Lincoln died on April 15, 1865, at 7:22 AM. He was 56 years old.

Morning Tour of Washington DC

On our only morning in Washington DC. Ms. Edwards and Ms. Wood decided to go on a morning tour of Washington DC. The tour guide supplied a lot of information about the city and the sites of DC.

One place that the tour stopped at was the Capitol building . The bus driver dropped us off and we stood in line and picked up ticket to see the inside of the building.





While waiting to go into the capitol Ms. Wood walked around and took some interesting pictures. At the U.S. Botanic Garden there were several globes around the outside. They were a fundraiser to raise money for environmental programs.










Here is another example of one of the globes that was seen at the garden.










The United States Capitol is the home of the legislative branch. Both the Senate and the House have chambers. The building is located on Capitol Hill and is at the end of the National Mall. Construction began on September 18, 1793.

The original design for the building was created by William Thornton and was changed by Stephen Hallet, Benjamin Latrobe, and Charles Bulfinch.

At the center of the Capitol is a central dome and rotunda. There are two wings to the left and right. One side is the home of the Senate and the other the Home of the House of Representatives.




Inside the dome are eights paintings of different scenes from American history. The scenes were painted by different artist.
The Baptism of Pocahontas - John Gadsby Chapman
The Embarkation of the Pilgrims - Robert W. Weir
The Discovery of the Mississippi - William H. Powell
The Landing of Columbus - John Vanderlyn
The Declaration of Independence - John Trumbull
The Surrender of General Burgoyne - John Trumbull
The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis - John Trumbull (which can be seen above)
General George Washington Resigning His Commission - John Trumbull.



On the dome is an amazing painting that was painted by Constantino Brumidi. He painted The Apotheosis of Washington which he completed in 11 months. Washington is painted with 13 maidens surrounding him. Surrounding the inner ring are many Greek and Roman gods and goddesses.




Below the dome is a chronological, pictorial history of the United States. It starts with the landing of Christopher Columbus and goes through to the Wright Brother's flight in Kitty Hawk.



From the outside of the of the Capitol one has many views is of the Washington Monument and the National Mall.

Inside the Capitol is this star that marks the center of the Capitol city. There are many markers inside of the Capitol that deplicts many different historical events that occurred. One can see the the spot where many historical men sat in the House and Senate. There is the spot that John Q. Adams desk was located and where he died. There is also the spot where a cat walked across the floor and left its pay prints in the cement. In one of the stairwells is bullet holes from when the British stormed into the Capitol during the War of 1812.

There are many statutes throughout the Capitol as well. Each state was allowed to make two statutes to represent people of their states. Throughout the capitol can be found the different statues. The statues that represent Maine are Hannibal Hamlin and William King

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Capitol

Books Purchased 17

As God Is My Witness - Carl Rosenberg
The First Ladies of the United States - Margaret Brown Klapthor and Allida M. Black
The White House: An HIstoric Guide
Lincoln At Home - David Herbert Donald
Where The People Speak: The United States Capitol and Its Place in American History - United States Capitol Historical Society
The Presidents of The United States of America: - Frank Freidel and Hugh Sidey
"White House History" Magazine - White House Flowers Embellishing the President's Table (Number 23)

Mount Vernon

On the way into Washington DC we stopped off at Mount Vernon the home of George and Martha Washington. Mount Vernon is located in Alexandria, Virginia.

The house had been in the Washington's family. The originally house was built in 1741-1742. Washington's father inherited the land in 1726. In August 1742 the house was first called Mount Vernon in public record.

In April 1743, Washington's father passed away and his brother Lawrence inherited Mount Vernon.

In July of 1752, Lawrence passed away leaving the estate to his half-brother George Washington. George Washington began construction on the house that appears today in 1757. He did not completed adding onto the house until after the Revolutionary War began.

Here is a picture of Kennedy and myself. We are looking good as George and Martha Washington.

Here we are hanging out with the hay. We took a walk down to see what the working farms looked like at Mount Vernon. There was a horse plowing the field and tons of croups growing. There were slave quarters and a beautiful view of the the water.

Washington was able to return home to Mount Vernon after leading the American troops in the American Revolution. He remained home from 1785-1786.

He became President of the United States from 1789-1797 and was able to spend short periods of time at his home in Mount Vernon.

He returned to Mount Vernon after his presidency where he had the time and opportunity to enjoy his land and his house. In 1797 he became one of the largest distillers of whiskey in the United States.

George Washington died at his house in 1799. He was buried on his plantation. He was later moved to a family crypt in 1831.

The House is under the ownership of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union. They have owned and managed the house since 1858.

The interior of the house is absolutely amazing. Ms. Edwards was not able to take photographs inside the house. Inside the house is a beautiful dinning room that demonstrates Washington's love for agriculture. There is his study as well as the room that he died in. After his death Martha Washington never slept in the room again. In the entry way there is a key to the Bastille. Throughout the house you can see Washington's love of the land and his country. Across the river the National Park Service has purchased land so that visitors will be able to share the view that Washington would have had.

There are statutes that represent George and Martha Washington and their grandchildren. George Washington never had children of his own. He helped raise her two surviving children from her marriage to Daniel Parke Custis. Their names were John Park Custis and Martha Parke Custis. Martha and George will also raise John's children upon his death in 1781. They raised Eleanor Parke Custis and George Washington Parke Custis.

Here is the final resting place of George, Martha, and some of their descendants. At least once a day they have a laying of the wreath at the tomb.

Here is a monument that is dedicated to the slaves who lived, raised their families, worked, and died at Mount Vernon. Around the base of the monument are the following words: Faith, Hope and Love.

The monument itself says "In Memory of the Afro Americans who served as slaves at Mount Vernon. This monument marking their burial ground dedicated September 21, 1983. Mount Vernon Ladies' Association."

Here is a view of the sight that George Washington could have had from his property. What an amazing view to be able to look at every day.