Sailor's Creek (or Sayler's Creek) Battlefield is not one of the well-known Civil War sites. But, it is the site of the last major battle of the Civil War. After the Union capture of Petersburg and Richmond on April 3, 1865, Robert E. Lee evacuated his Confederate forces south towards North Carolina. When Union forces blocked his way down what is now US Highway 360, the Confederates sought to cut across to Farmville to seek supplies. On April 6, 1865, the Union Army caught up with the Confederate columns at the Hillsman Farm near Sailor's/Sayler's Creek. At the end of the battle, more than 7,700 Confederates had been killed or captured. The battle and dramatic reduction in forces and supplies available to him led directly to Lee's decision to surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9. There has been little development here and the topography of the battlefield probably looks today much as it did in 1865. The battlefield park is well marked with signs and historical markers. But, there is no museum or interpretive displays. (There are occasional interpretive tours of the battlefield. Check the web site.) The Hillsman House, used as a Union field hospital and headquarters, is undergoing restoration at this writing and is scheduled to reopen to visitors in 2009.

Friday was a beautiful day. Sunny and warm, but not hot. Perfect for tours and travel!

Julia drove the three of us over to the Longwood University campus at 10:00 a.m. The program began with a talk by about the university’s undergraduate programs, followed by a tour of the campus. Longwood is now a general public university, but was founded in 1839 as a college for women. It became a state teacher’s college in 1884 and was called the State Normal School. ("Normal School" was the usual name for teacher-training colleges in the 19^th century.) The name Longwood was later taken from the name of the 18^th century plantation house that now serves as the university president’s home. The campus is a mix of buildings dating to 1839 together with a newly completed Science Building, a new Fitness Center, and a Communications/Theatre Arts building under construction. Our tour guide around campus, a former Longwood student herself, was very enthusiatic in her description of the campus and its traditions.

After the tour, we went to lunch at a Ruby Tuesday's. Then it was time to delve into history!

Not far from here is the R.R. Moton High School historic site. The high school, once on the edge of the town, was the school for African-American students in the time of segregated schools. In 1951, the students staged a demonstration to protest the overcrowded and substandard conditions at the high school. The resulting lawsuit was incorporated into the landmark Brown v. Board of Education anti-segregation case.

Back in town is the Norfolk & Western Railway station, built in 1902, and now a community center and town meeting place. Of course, I had to get photos of this structure.

Up the street from the station, one finds the historical marker for Bizarre. (The state historical marker, dating from 1929, is a vintage item itself!) The marker tells of the existence of this curiously named estate and of the Randolph family that owned it. But, it doesn’t tell of the early American scandal that took place in 1792. Ann Cary, a relative of the Randolph and Jefferson families, had come to live at Bizarre with her sister and brother-in-law, Richard Randolph, a few years earlier. Rumors spread that Ann and Richard were having an affair, seemingly confirmed by her pregnancy. Richard stood trial for murdering the child, but was acquitted for lack of evidence. (Ann later stated she miscarried.) Richard died under mysterious circumstances in 1796 and Ann lived at the house with her sister, under a strained relationship, until 1805. Bizarre burned in 1813. (Ann later married Gouverneur Morris of New York, a member of the Continental Congress and figure in the Revolution.)

It was now mid-afternoon and time to begin our trip home. On the way back to US Highway 360 was the turnoff for Sailor's Creek Battlefied State Park. We stopped here to view this Civil War battlefield and learn of events that led to Appomattox.

Charleys Waterfront Café is located in an restored 1850 warehouse building in the old mill area of Farmville. The waterfront in the restauran't name refers to the Appomattox River. The shaded outdoor dining area is situated on the riverbank. The interior retains much ambaince with a prevered wooden floor and industrial lettring and advertising visible on the plaster walls. Charleys menu offers a range of entrees from steak to pasta to seafood. I enjoyed the crab cake dinner, with ample crab meat in the cakes. Entrees come with a house or Caesar salad and a vegetable. Sandwiches include burgers, French dip, Reuben, and a variety of wraps. A specialty at Charleys is the Roasted Red Pepper and Crab soup. Delicious and highly recommended!

The Hampton in Farmville, Virginia, is a new hotel. The mid-rise hotel is located off of US Highway 460 on the main approach to Farmville from Richmond. Ample free parking is provided. The hotel is similar to others in the chain. (Hampton is part of the Hilton family.) Rooms are spacious and comfortable. (The bathrooms are espcially spacious. One of the largest I've seen in a motor hotel.) Apparently, guests soemtimes miss finding the closet in the room, which is located behind full-length mirror. Amenities include an outdoor pool, exercise room, cable TV channels, a small convenience shop, in-room Internet access, and an Intenrt workstation in the lobby. Complimentary coffee and tea are always available. A complimentary breakfast buffet is provided in the breakfast area in the lobby. Continental Breakfast items juices, cereals, and a daily hot breakfast entree are all included. The front desk staff provide suggestions and directions to restaurants and points of interest in the area. The hotel is a convenient place to stay when visiting Longwood University or Hampden-Sydney College, or when touring the historic and Civil War sites in south central Virginia.

Our objective for this trip was the town of Farmville, Virginia, home to Longwood University. One of the traditions of Senior Year for American high school students is the College Road Trip--a chance for the student and parents to check out prospective universities and their programs of study. This day, Susan and I would be taking Julia to investigate Longwood University, a state-supported university in south central Virginia.

Almost by definition, a college trip is a road trip--and a road trip brings with it all the attendant possibilities for new experiences and discoveries. The road would take us south to Richmond and then into the countryside of the Southside region of Virginia. It’s an area replete with the history of colonial Virginia plantations, events immediately leading to the end of the Civil War at Appomattox, and happenings in more modern times.

Our trip began with the usual route south, the “back way” via Occoquan to pick up Interstate 95 south of the congestion around Springfield. We left at 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon.  (We knew we had to be on our way before 3:00 p.m. to avoid rush hour traffic.) Traffic was moderate for a Thursday afternoon in summer. We reached Richmond by 4:10 p.m. How now to proceed? Richmond does not have a complete “beltway” (circumferential highway) on its west side. (It does on its East side, to permit traffic for Williamsburg, the Virginia Peninsula, and the beaches to bypass the city.) Susan had mapped one route while I had mapped another. Well, I decided to take my route for the “outbound” journey. It was rush hour now in Richmond, anyway, and I thought we should not try to go through the city. Nevertheless, mine was a roundabout route: from I-95 south to I-295 west to I-64 west one exit to Virginia 288 south. VA288 is a new outer bypass expressway. It has the appearance of going from nowhere to nowhere. (I suppose its purpose is to foster development in the outer Richmond suburbs.)

VA288 did lead after about 20 miles (34 km) to US Highway 360, the road to take us to Southside. The intersection was a bustling with recent development. New housing and commercial zones and all sorts of restaurants and “big box” stores lined US 360 here. But it soon came to an abrupt end, with farmland opening up beyond. Now began an approximately 50 mile (84 km) drive to Farmville. The route is lined with numerous historical markers describing Virginia’s expansion in colonial times and chronicling the retreat of the Confederate Army to Appomattox after Union forces captured Richmond and Petersburg on April 1, 1865.

We arrived in Farmville at 6:00 p.m. after taking the scenic route to get there. (We followed US 360 all the way to the junction with US 460 rather than take a shortcut.) I hadn’t known quite what to expect. Farmville is the largest town in south central Virginia between Richmond and Lynchburg. The town was founded in 1798, laid out by the Randolph family from land from their estate called Bizarre. (With a name like that, you know there has to be a story. More on the story of Bizarre in tomorrow’s blog.)

We checked in to the new Hampton Inn on Third Street (US 460). This area, on the outskirts of Farmville, has a new multiplex cinema, shopping center, and apartment complexes. For dinner, we went to at Charlie’s Waterfront Café in the old industrial section of town. Several large 19th Century brick textile mills and tobacco warehouses have been restored and converted to retail and commercial spaces.

After dinner, we took an evening drive around the Longwood University campus before our tour the next day.