LOOKING BACK AT 2025 - PART 3

 This will be the final part of My 2025 Travel Review as I am getting ready to kickoff 2026 with my Annual Trip to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. But before I get to 2026, let’s finish up with 2025.

After returning home from my trip out through the upper Midwest, I stayed close to home for the rest of the year with a short day trip down to Saltville, Virginia. Saltville is known as the title "Salt Capital of the Confederacy" because of its industrial-scale salt works. Saltville produced up to two-thirds of the salt necessary to preserve food and cure leather for Confederate forces during the Civil War. Saltville along with the lead mines near Wytheville were vital to the Confederate Army and both were often targets of Union Forces

After the Civil War, the industrial salt works continued to operate for more than a hundred years. Finally, the Environmental Protection Agency forced the Olin Corporation to close its operation after finding massive amount of mercury in the North Fork of the Holston River.

Saltville was also the home of Elizabeth Henry Campbell Russell, who was the sister of the famous orator and Governor of Virginia, Patrick Henry. She married General William Campbell who was the Hero of the Battle of Kings Mountain during the Revolutionary War.

After General Campbell Died, She Married General William Russell. The couple moved to Saltville where Elizabeth became seriously involved in the Methodist Church. She is credited with bringing Methodism to western Virginia and Upper East Tennessee. The Madam Russell United Methodist Church in Saltville was named in her honor.

For my last trip of the year, I chose to stay in Virginia. This was a trip that really had no planning and really just progressed hour by hour and day by day. My first stop was a visit to Luray Caverns. I had been to Luray Several time but hadn’t been to the Caverns in about 30-years.

I was a good start to the trip. I remembered a few thing from my previous visit but a lot of it I didn’t remember. The last time I was here I was part of a group who participated in a guided tour. This time I was alone and could explore one of Virginia’s Largest Caverns at my own pace.

From Luray, I drove up and spent the Night in Winchester. The next day I drove over to Manassas and toured the Manassas National Battlefield. This was one of the first battles of the Civil War and it was here that General Barnard Bee of South Carolina urged his troops to “Rally around the Virginian’s, There Stands Jackson Like a Stone Wall.” From that day forward, General Thomas J. Jackson was known as “Stonewall”
Jackson.

While important parts of the battlefield has been protected, it is rally sad to see businesses and home encroaching on the battlefield boundaries every day.

I spent most of the morning touring the battlefield and I seriously considered staying in the area and riding the Washington Metro into Washington D.C. However, with the current political climate and the number of large protest taking place on a daily basis in our Nations Capital, I decided to abandon those plans.

I ended up making the short drive down to Fredericksburg and Visited the Wilderness and Chancellorsville Battlefields. It was here during the Battle of Chancellorsville that General Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded by his own Men.

He was taken to Nearby Elwood Plantation where his left arm was Amputated. After the surgery he was moved about 30 miles away to the Chandler Farm at Guinea Station where he died on May 10, 1863.

From Chancellorsville, where General Jackson was wounded, I made the short drive over to Elwood Plantation where General Jackson’s Left arm is buried in a small grave about 100-yards from the main house.

I spent the Night in Fredericksburg, and the next morning made my way down through Richmond to the Colonial Area of the Commonwealth. I had wanted to visit some of the presidential Plantation along the James River. However, Sherwood Forest, the birthplace of President John Tyler is still private residence and is open by appointment only.  I could have toured the grounds but decided not to when I found out that Near by Berkley Plantation, the birthplace of President William Henry Harrison was closed for a private event.

So, I continued and ended up in Yorktown. In recent years, I have visited both Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown. But it has been several years since I have visited Yorktown. The last time was about 10 years ago and I only had limited time to spend there. This time I had most of the afternoon to do the driving tour of the battlefield where the Revolutionary War ended.

I spent the rest of the afternoon following the map I had picked up at the Visitors Center driving around the battlefield. I also spent an hour or so walking around the town and seeing some of the old Historic Buildings. I must say, Yorktown is very tourist friendly as most of the historic buildings are either highlighted on the map of there are historic plaques nearby.

I spent the night in Williamsburg, and the nest morning began my journey back toward home. On the way I decided to stop off in Petersburg and visit a few of the sites associated with the siege of Petersburg during the Civil War.

One of the places that I have wanted to visit but never found the time was City Point. So, today I had the time and made my way down to the confluence of the James and Appomattox Rivers.

City Point was significant site during the Civil War as it sits as the confluence of the James and Appomattox Rivers. It served as General Ulysses S. Grant's crucial supply base and headquarters during the Siege of Petersburg in 1864 and 1865.

From City Point it was a short drive over to the Blandford Church and Cemetery.  The Blandford Church is now a museum and is known for its amazing stained-glass windows. The 15-windows were commissioned by the Ladies Memorial Association in memory of the soldiers buried in the Adjacent Cemetery.

The windows were completely designed and installed between 1901 and 1912, under the direction of Louis Comfort Tiffany of New York. Mr. Tiffany charged the Ladies Association $350 per window plus $35 for installation of each 15 window. Today, these amazing windows are priceless.

I opted to pay for the guided tour of the Church, and I must say the lady that conducted my tour was amazing. She also pointed out a number of historic graves in the large adjacent cemetery.

Before leaving the Cemetery, I made a quick stop at the Grave of actor Joseph Cotton. He was born here in Petersburg on May 15, 1905, and when on to become a noted actor both on Broadway and in the Movies. He died in Los Angeles California on February 6, 1994, and is buried here with his parents and other members of his family in the family plot.

Petersburg was the last stop on this little adventure. It was mid-afternoon and after a quick stop as a WaWa I headed west on Route 460 arriving home about 7:30 p.m.