Visiting Hallowed Grounds
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington, VA
and
Fort Marcy
GW Parkway, VA
I woke up inspired this morning, with new insights into a current project swirling through my brain. Love when that happens. Not wanting to waste such a moment of clarity, I started the day with school work, however, by mid-day I was ready to ditch campus and get outside for the afternoon.
Arlington
Cemetery
Section 67
Section 35
Memorial Section I
The cemetery grounds are absolutely gorgeous, especially on a beautiful early fall day. Green grass, blue sky, bright white headstones… picture perfect.
Memorials
I found several of the various memorials scattered throughout the cemetery.
Coast Guard Memorial
USS Maine Memorial
Civil War Unknowns Tomb
The United States Coast Guard Memorial is dedicated to the Coast Guardsmen who lost their lives during World War I, particularly the crewmembers killed aboard the USCG cutters Seneca and Tampa. It’s inscribed with the names of those lost. The Seneca lost eleven crew members in September 1918 aboard the torpedo-damaged British steamer Wellington. The men went down with the stricken allied vessel while maneuvering it to the closest port. Ten days later the Tampa was sunk by a German U-boat torpedo while crossing the Bristol Channel, killing all 131 crewmembers on-board.
The USS Maine (ACI-1) Memorial is inscribed the names of the 266 crewmembers lost when the battleship sank in Havana Harbor in February 1989. The memorial consists of the mast of the battleship, as well as an anchor similar to the one aboard. It sits near a section of the 208, most unknown, crew sailors and Marines that were returned to the US. The sinking of the Maine, believed to have been due to a Spanish mine, propelled the US into the Spanish-American War.
The Civil War Unknowns Monument marks a vault in the Arlington House rose garden containing the remains of more than 2,111 unknown Civil War soldiers gathered from the Manassas battlefields and surrounding area. Union Quartermaster MG Montgomery Meigs chose the location to deter Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and his wife from returning to their pre-war home.
Individuals
As usual, I also made my way around various sections visiting individual graves. There are certainly some interesting stories within the cemetery walls. This trip I found quite a few Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients and five-star Generals, among other interesting military figures.
GA John Joseph “Black Jack” Pershing, USA
MM1 Robert Raymond Scott, USN
CAPT Charles Frank Burlingame, III, USNR
During the ‘Great War,’ President Woodrow Wilson appointed John Pershing as the commander of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). In recognition of his service, he was later promoted to General of the Armies of the United States, a rank created for him, in 1919. Additionally, he served as the Chief of Staff of the Army and was awarded the 1932 Pulitzer Prize in History for his WWI memoir, My Experiences in the World War. His two grandsons, Richard and John, are buried next to him. Richard, an Army lieutenant, was killed in action during the Vietnam War.
Robert Scott was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions aboard the USS California during the December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor attacks. After battlefield was struck by a torpedo, the mechanic refused to leave his station in a flooding air compressor compartment and continued to operate the air compressor until he died. In doing so, he continued to supply air to numerous trapped sailors within the ship and to those manning its guns.
Charles Burlingame was a Naval Academy grad and Navy aviator during the Vietnam War. As a long-time Naval Reservist, he volunteered for active duty during the Persian Gulf War. He piloted American Airlines Flight 77 on September 11, 2001, which was hijacked and struck the west façade of the Pentagon.
In addition, I found the Sullivan brothers (5 siblings killed aboard the USS Juneau during WWII), Joe Hooper (the most decorated soldier of the Vietnam War), Audie Murphy (the most decorated soldier of WWII), Ira Hayes (one of the Iwo Jima flag-raisers), and Hap Arnold (the only General to hold a 5-star rank in two services – Army & Air Force) and many more.
Fort Marcy
So, on the way home, I made one last stop along the GW Parkway – Fort Marcy. The earthwork fort was built as part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington, DC. It never saw action during the war, but was manned by units through it.
The park area was almost completely empty, although it wasn’t surprising. It sounded more interesting than it was. The mounds that made up the ‘walls’ and batteries are still visible, but extremely overgrown. There’s isn’t much information available for the site. It’s set up as a park, with picnic tables and benches, and is located along the Potomac Heritage Trail.
Today’s Flickr set: Virginia pics
Trip down memory lane
The Fort
Fort Frederick
Parade Grounds
West Barracks
The fort was built as a frontier defense post during the French & Indian War. It saw relatively little action, other than an Ottawa Indian uprising in 1793. It was used as an American prison during the Revolutionary War and Civil War Union post. In between wars, the surrounding land was farmed.
Park Grounds
Sulter Souvenir and Concession Shop
Big Pool
The State of Maryland eventually repurchased the property and assigned a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) unit to begin work on its first state park. Displays focused on each piece of the fort’s history are now housed within the barracks. Additionally, the CCC has a museum on the grounds.
Canal
C&O Canal
The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal and its accompanying towpath pass through the park on its way between Georgetown in Washington, DC and Cumberland, MD.
Today’s Flickr set: fort photos
This place brought back some memories for me. I grew up not too far from the park, which was a favorite afternoon trip for my family. During my early childhood, we’d pack up the car and drive out to camp for random summer weekends. There was always plenty to do. The campgrounds are right next to the Potomac River. The park often held various live Colonial period firing demonstrations, as well as other activities. My dad would also get us something little from the souvenir shop, as a bonus. Good times.
“Oh say can you see…what so proudly we hailed”
Baltimore, MD
Things worked out today in such a way I had an opportunity for a mid-week walk, always a nice addition to my schedule. It’s a therapy day, so I have to leave campus early anyway and since I was already in the area on such a beautiful day, I went to see Fort McHenry.
The Fort
Enlisted & Junior Officers’ Quarters
Parade Ground and Flag
The five-point star shaped fort was built after the American Revolution on Baltimore’s Locus Point peninsula to defend the Port of Baltimore. It’s most notable for its role in the Battle of Baltimore during the all-but-forgotten War of 1812. The fort endured a 25-hour bombardment from British Navy warships in the Chesapeake Bay on September 13, 1814. The ships were unable to pass the harbors defenses and withdrew the following morning, ending the naval portion of the conflict.
The fort was later used as a Union Civil War prison and, with the addition more buildings on the grounds outside of the fort, as a military hospital during World War I. Finally, during World War II, the US Coast Guard used it as a base to defend the port. In the mid-1920’s the National Park Service took it over and restored it to its original condition.
Misc
View of the Chesapeake Bay from the fort, with some of its Civil War-era guns
During the Battle of Baltimore in 1814, the British Navy, including Francis Scott Key’s truce ship, would have been straight ahead in this view.
The Statue of Orpheus, honoring Key
Francis Scott Key, an American lawyer, had traveled to Baltimore in September 1814 to negotiate the release of a friend held as a prisoner by the British and watched the fort’s bombardment from a truce ship in the Bay. Seeing the oversized American flag, sewn by local Mary Pickersgill, still flying unscathed the following morning as the fighting eased inspired him to pen the poem The Defense of Fort McHenry. Sound familiar? The poem was later set to music and renamed The Star Spangled Banner.
The site is very well maintained. This is what a National Park area should look in my opinion. The fort itself was in great shape. The buildings inside were in good condition and housed exhibits providing information about the fort, life within the fort and the people who occupied in during various times. The grounds were kept up nicely. Overall, definitely worth the trip and $7.00 entrance fee.
Today’s Flickr set: site photos
A quiet Fourth at Fort Washington
Fort Washington, MD
I don’t know why I chose Fort Washington as my mid-week holiday destination. It’s not relevant to Independence Day at all, but it was at least a local spot I had noticed on the National Parks Service’s website. Perhaps a more appropriate spot would have been Fort McHenry in Baltimore, the birthplace of our national anthem, but I assumed it would be packed, since it hosts several Fourth of July events. Oh well, it worked out.
Fort Washington
The War of 1812-era fort was the only defense of Washington along Potomac River until the Civil War. The original fort was destroyed 1814, when the British invaded and burned the capital, but was reconstructed immediately. During the Civil War, it was used as part of the circular system of defenses around DC, most of which were temporary earthwork forts and battery positions. The post was eventually abandoned, obviously.
Main Gateway
Battery White, view from the fort
The fort is under construction at the moment. I’m not sure what’s happening, but it’s being restored to some extent. Large portions of the fort’s interior area were fenced off and the buildings were closed. The grounds were a mess. Needless to say, there wasn’t much to see. It would have been nice had there been a note on the website about the construction.
The Park
Battery Meigs
A few abandoned and run-down “modernized” concert batteries are scattered throughout the rest of the park. The murky gray skeletons are over grown and fenced off as well. At this point they are more of an eye sore than anything else. Like the fort, they could use some work.
However, as opposed to the former military installations, the remainder of the park is very well maintained. I was impressed. There are several walking and biking trails lacing the green grass fields. It’s a great place to get out and get active, which was apparent with the number of individuals and groups out doing just that. There were a lot of joggers, walkers and bikers around.
Fort Foote Park
Foot Foote Park
On the way to Fort Washington I noticed a few signs pointing to a local state park around Fort Foote, another Civil War time-period fort and decided to go on my way out. However, I had some trouble finding the park and once I did I wasn’t sure what to do. I found the park sign, but wasn’t clear on where I could go. It had a gravel driveway leading to a small off-road ‘parking lot.’ I didn’t see a fort or anything resembling a temporary fort. I didn’t even see a trail of any type. I just didn’t know what to do, so I turned around and headed out. Oh well.
The rest of my day has been enjoyable as well. One of my housemates had a small cookout this afternoon for the holiday, which I attended. It was a nice end to the day. We sat out on the deck, grilled up some hamburgers and chatted. She and I have lived together for a few years now, but have very little in common, so we often struggle to keep up a conversation. She’s the only one of the group not a student, so we can’t even fall back on ranting the perils of being grad students. Yet, despite that, we had fun. I had a good time.
Today’s Flickr set: fort photos
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