September 2009

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The Lincoln Highway and Wyoming Monument

Our first and last historical stop for our trip was not actually a historic place in itself, but a monument dedicated to Abraham Lincoln and the Lincoln Highway. This monument sits on the side of the road at a rest stop in Wyoming between Laramie and Cheyenne. We actually passed this on our way east the first day of our trip. On our way back three weeks later, we made sure to stop and take a few pictures. The tall "Lincoln Head," as I like to call it, stands on a high point and is hard to miss.

This Lincoln Monument commemorates the Lincoln Highway, which was the first paved transcontinental highway in the United States. It is also dedicated to Henry Bourne Joy, who is sometimes called the father of the country's modern highway system. He became the first president of the Lincoln Highway Association in 1913. The route of the highway ran from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, California. Using this, people could now use their new automobiles to travel cross-country.

The highway became an example of the superiority of roads made out of concrete instead of improved dirt. Improved dirt roads were graded and even lucky to be reinforced with gravel or brick. These improved roads were only located around towns and cities for a few miles. Most of the 2.5 million miles of dirt roads were bumpy and dusty in dry weather and impassible in wet weather. The construction of the Lincoln Highway and other federally funded roads paved the way (no pun intended) to our modern highway system.

Standing at this point, the old highway sits on the crest of the hill seen beyond the Lincoln Monument and the one dedicated to Henry Bourne Joy. This was the summit of the highway, the highest point on the original route. It was the last historical stop on our trip and with that, we headed back to Idaho. This trip was one I won't soon forget, and my next post will contain some of my reflections about it.

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Abraham Lincoln's House and Tomb

Even more moving and memorable than the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum was the Lincoln Home National Historic Site not far away. After learning more about Lincoln's life, I especially wanted to see where he had lived. The house was Lincoln's home for seventeen years before he left for the White House in 1861. Upon arriving at his house located in a historic Springfield neighborhood, we were able to go on a tour with a park ranger. This was the only home he ever owned.

Lincoln came to Springfield in 1837 while he was a young lawyer. Many important events took place while he lived there, including his marriage to Mary Todd, the birth of his four boys, his time as a lawyer, his service in the Illinois state legislature and the death of his son Eddie. Lincoln, being elected as president in 1860, said goodbye to Springfield on February 11, 1861. Lincoln never returned while he was alive, but after his assassination in 1865, his body returned to rest in Springfield's Oak Ridge Cemetery.

We made our way to Oak Ridge Cemetery to pay our respects and it was a fitting end to the day. Lincoln's Tomb is quite a sight to see, with its incredible statues, its marble rooms and corridors leading to the burial chamber, and the massive granite gravesite marker. Lincoln's body rests in a concrete vault ten feet below the marker. It was placed there in 1901 to deter any attempts to steal Lincoln's body. Lincoln's wife and three of his sons, Eddie, Willie, and Tad are also interred there. I especially liked the different Civil War statues on the outside of the tomb.

Lincoln's House and Tomb gave me a deeper understanding of how human Lincoln was. He played with his kids in the sitting room of his house, wrote many speeches at the desk of his bedroom, used the handrail of the staircase to get to the second floor, and used the shaving kit and mirror that sits high on the wall of his room. Many of the objects in the house are originals, like the boy's stereoscope and Lincoln's wardrobe. Lincoln's Tomb was reminder of his greatness in the face of the nation's darkest hour and the tragedy of his death for the whole country.

I really enjoyed our time in Springfield and had a great time there, not just with visiting the Lincoln sites, but with our experience overall. For more pictures of our time in Springfield, please visit my photo set on Flickr.

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Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois is a must see for anyone interested in Lincoln. My family and I were not able to visit the library since it was closed that day, but the museum across the street and other Lincoln sites in Springfield were worth stopping for on our journey. The experience of learning more about Lincoln's life was something I will not forget.

We made sure to get the museum early to get there when it opened. Once we came in, we were directed firstly to a video about the Lincoln Presidential Library. I liked this video presentation but I enjoyed the next video we saw even more, called "Lincoln's Eyes." This video gave a good overview of Lincoln's life and the difficulties and tragedies he faced, with special emphasis on his experience as president in the four years of the Civil War. We then browsed the exhibits on Lincoln's life.

The first exhibit on Lincoln's life covers the time from Lincoln's birth up to the time he was elected president in 1860. There are exhibits and artifacts on Lincoln's boyhood years, his early business failures, his marriage and family, and his time as a lawyer. I really enjoyed the exhibits on the Lincoln-Douglas debates and the 1860 election. They gave a good feel of the looming crisis that was about to hit the country at that time.

My favorite part was hands down the exhibit on Lincoln's years in the White House. It is hard to imagine the difficulties he faced as the President of the U.S. during the Civil War, not only politically but also emotionally, as he lost a son during those years. The war took an incredible toll on Lincoln, as can be seen in his photographs, and I got a better understanding of why. I especially was struck by the exhibits on the Civil War and the War Gallery. The photographs and artifacts once again gave the war a human side and a deeper meaning for me.

One of the last things we did at the museum was look at the Treasures Gallery, featuring an amazing collection of Lincoln artifacts, like papers signed by Lincoln. On display that day was one of Lincoln's top hats where you could see his finger marks. After finishing up, we walked across the street to Union Square Park to get pictures with a couple of Lincoln statues. It was a special time being there during the year celebrating Lincoln's 200th birthday and also being able to visit with my family, especially my grandma. With plenty of time left in the day, we headed out to more Lincoln sites around Springfield.

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Burnside's Bridge - Antietam Battlefield

One of the last major stops on our driving tour of Antietam was Burnside's Bridge. This bridge that crosses Antietam Creek and the area around it played a key role in the battle in the afternoon of September 17, 1862. Union troops commanded by Ambrose Burnside, future commander of the Army of the Potomac, tried to take this bridge that day. They were held back by only a small number of Confederates in strong defensive positions on the other side who fired on anyone trying to cross.

Burnside's Bridge

Finally, later in the afternoon, a Pennsylvania and a New York regiment made a desperate dash across the bridge and cleared out the Georgian defenders. Federal forces pushed Southern troops back to the town of Sharpsburg and almost cut Lee's line of retreat. However, the Confederate army was saved in the nick of time when A.P. Hill's Division arrived from Harper's Ferry to push them back to the creek. The fighting ended in the evening with neither side gaining a significant advantage. But Lee retreated back into Virginia the next day, ending his first invasion of the North, and it was counted a Union victory.

Antietam National Cemetery

The very last stop of our tour was Antietam National Cemetery. During the battle, it was a positon for Confederate artillery. Now, over 4,000 Union soldiers are buried there. This brought it all home for me. It was a good time to visit as all the graves were decorated with American flags for Memorial Day earlier that week. I spent time walking among the markers, making sure to read some names and what state they were from. This was what the battle is really about. It is about real people who really died, not statistics.

It seemed very surreal to me to be leaving the Antietam battlefield that day. I gained a new understanding of the battle and appreciation for those who fought there that I didn't have before. Having actually been in such places as Dunker Church, Bloody Lane and Burnside's Bridge is ten times better than only reading about them. I encourage anyone studying the Civil War, and even history in general, to visit the actual places one reads about.

"Not for Themselves but for Their Country."

Speaking of historic places, my family and I headed back west after leaving Antietam to stop in Sringfield, Illinois. We planned a day of visiting a few Lincoln sites around the city, which I will cover next.

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The Bloody Lane at Antietam

The Bloody Lane at Antietam is quite a sight to see. This landmark of the Antietam Battlefield sticks out in my mind the most. While on our driving tour, I made sure to spend extra time here taking pictures and remembering what took place. At the time of the battle, Bloody Lane was a sunken farm road that had been worn down by wagons. This trench became a strong defensive position for the Confederates. It also became an open grave for the hundreds of dead and wounded.

Bloody Lane

In mid-morning of September 17, 1862, the fighting shifted from the Cornfield and Dunker Church on the Confederate left. Two divisions under Edwin Sumner turned south to attack the center of the Confederate position in Bloody Lane. About 2,000 Confederates held off about 10,000 Union troops for about three hours. Wave after wave of Union troops were cut down, leaving the fields northeast of the sunken road strewn with the dead. The famous Irish brigade suffered heavy casualties in this attack.

The Confederate View from Bloody Lane

Just after noon, Union troops finally broke through and cleared the lane of the Rebels. This attack turned into a slaughter, as hundreds of Southern soldiers were killed and the bodies piled up one top of another. The remaining Confederates fell back to the Piper Farm several hundred yards away. Union General McClellan had a chance to possibly destroy the Confederate army by sending in reinforcements to exploit this breakthrough, but always cautious, he refused to do so.

Irish Brigade Monument

Bloody Lane was the scene of incredible carnage after the battle. Many soldiers testified that a person could walk along the road without ever touching the ground. The famous photographs taken by Alexander Gardner of Bloody Lane two days after the battle show it. On our visit, Bloody Lane was a somber place with a few monuments dedicated to the soldiers that fought there. It is definitely a place to contemplate what happened at Antietam, why it was important, and the incredible cost.

Burnside's Bridge also played a key role in the Battle of Antietam. This was the next major stop on our driving tour, and it is the subject of my next post about Antietam National Battlefield.

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