GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes
If it’s still here tomorrow… I may ignore it again
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2007
Chapter 4: The Peninsular Campaign
Phase-1
Operation: Glass House
1730 hours, 22 June, 2012
The EM25 has been fully provisioned and all personnel are accounted for.
Detatchment-301 departed fortification and preceded via routes 77 & 85 toward operational area.
2300 hours, 22 June, 2012
Strike team arrived Petersburg vicinity; intended bivouac site held by enemy forces; improvising solution.
The EM25 has been fully provisioned and all personnel are accounted for.
Detatchment-301 departed fortification and preceded via routes 77 & 85 toward operational area.
2300 hours, 22 June, 2012
Strike team arrived Petersburg vicinity; intended bivouac site held by enemy forces; improvising solution.
When I was a younger man
A much younger man
It was completely within the realm of reason to expect that one could just hop in their vehicle of choice and head off into the great unknown confident in the fact that once you traveled as far as seemed prudent, thered likely be some type of acceptable lodging available.
This is no longer the case.
And Ill not be making that mistake again.
Background: not knowing precisely how late on a Friday it would be before we could get on the road, I did not know how much ground I was going to be able to cover before sleep would become a priority. As such I left to chance that Id find a decent hotel somewhere in the central Virginia area. I mean it wasnt like I was going to New York, or even as far as DC; we were just shooting for Petersburg, Virginia. Its not like thats a burgeoning metropolis unable to cope with an unexpected influx of the teaming masses.
Or so I thought.
Like I said, Ill not be making that mistake again.
When we got into the area, the hotel of choice was full up. Cie la vie. I went across the street to a slightly less desirable spot and they had one room left a smoking room. I shoulda taken it. Continuing on down the road the next two places were also full up. I began to inquire as to what might be going on that was causing such a severe shortage of domiciles for hire in the greater Petersburg area but no one really had an answer other then its always like this.
In Petersburg! Really!
I later learned that there was a good sized softball tournament in town that weekend but I figure it probably had a good bit more to do with the sizable military base that is also in the area. In either case, three more hotels later and I was still without lodging. The last place was even rather high end and far more expensive that Id originally planed. Still no good but the fella at the counter said, If youre not that concerned about overall quality, I think theres room at the place across the street.
The place across the street turned out to be a Quality Inn (Code Name: Dry Gulch). They did have a room at Dry Gulch but there wasnt much quality about it. We opened the door to said sanctuary and were hit by a blast of hot air similar to that received when you flip open an oven door. To save money, the folks at the Dry Gulch chose not run the A/C units in their unoccupied rooms, and left it to guests to tough it out while waiting for the unit to catch up once theyd switched it on themselves. The other unmistakable trait of the air was the harsh smell of cigarettes, which the proprietors assured me was merely my imagination (like I said, shoulda taken the first room). The rooms were a might rundown. Bedspreads we a bit ratty and they and the various seat cushions came with a litany of stains and the added bonus feature of burn marks (cigarette burn marks, mind you, but I suspect that was merely my imagination as well).
Scared yet?
The bedspreads hit the floor and stayed there, the sheets seemed somewhat more acceptable, but even with the heat we slept in more clothing then normal. The room finally cooled off enough to matter somewhere around 2am. The next morning well needed showers were taken and the complimentary Continental breakfast was consumed (Ive had worse, so that wasnt too bad). We then bid good riddance to that fleabag and put it quickly in our rearview mirror.
At this point I surmised that the rest of the trip could only get better form here.
On that assumption at least Id be proven correct.
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Crossing the James
0900 hours, 23 June, 2012
Arrived at embarkation point: Scotland Wharf, loading operations commencing
Arrived at embarkation point: Scotland Wharf, loading operations commencing
The Virginia Peninsula is just one of several such geographic features created by the numerous wide and deep river inlets that make up the Tidewater region of the state and also make the area so important to all things naval and marine. This peninsula however, just happens to be historically the most significant (thus the name). Created by the inlets of the York and James rivers, this is where the very concept of Virginia began over 400 years ago. In May of 1607 three ships sailed up the James River until they reached a defensible but marshy and mosquito ridden island, naturally this is where they decided to establish a colony.
Jamestown to be specific
the oldest successful English colony in the New World, and the first stop on our little summer expedition. The trick is that if you are traveling into the area from the south, that very important geography also makes it difficult to drive directly to your destination. The Interstate route takes you all the way to Richmond and then back to the Southeast along I-64. I would take this path on the way back home. In so doing, determine that unless one were headed north in the first place, its a long way around your elbow just to scratch you back (and right rather boring to boot). The best method for getting in and out from most anywhere south of the Tidewater is the one that I chose mostly for selfish reasons
because there was a ship to be boarded.
(If youve read any of my previous writings, this decision will seem quite obvious)
The James is too wide and too heavily traveled by maritime traffic for a bridge in the Jamestown / Williamsburg area to be considered the best idea. You could build it, but given the marshy ground combined with the height and length needed the price would be horrendous and the permanent population of the area wouldnt justify such. VADOT however has a more affordable option. They operate a ferry line that carries thirty or forty vehicles at a crack and departs from either bank pretty much on the half hour. The service also happens to be free to the public and there are some Interstates that cant say that.
Generally two double-ended ferries cover this route; the MV Pocahontas and the MV Williamsburg (which would be providing our conveyance this day).
Highlander had never been of any type of ferry boat before and found this to be a unique experience (an added bonus that I was not actually anticipating)
The rest of the team had been on numerous such ships on several previous missions but still enjoy the opportunity to repeat the experience. It was a nice diversion. A chance for everyone to get out and stretch their legs and an opportunity to experience the James River and to see our destination from the water just as those first settlers experienced it
Of course there were no structures there at the time
And the Island was physically a bit larger
And the locals that had long dwelled in the area got this same view all the time
(and werent all that impressed)
But still
It was a unique experience.
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The Settlement
0930 hours, 23 June, 2012
Tiger, Tiger, Tiger surprise has been achieved, successful disembarkation: Glass House Point, primary objective in sight, executing attack plane Bravo, repeat: Tiger, Tiger, Tiger
Tiger, Tiger, Tiger surprise has been achieved, successful disembarkation: Glass House Point, primary objective in sight, executing attack plane Bravo, repeat: Tiger, Tiger, Tiger
There are actually two Jamestowns. First there is Historic Jamestown, the actual landing site that is now part of the National Park System. First establish as a monument site in the 1930s its more park then museum, but still something that needs to be explored. The original site of the fort was only recently indentified in the 1990s and is an ongoing archeological dig. For the history purist this is the site that you need to see.
The other Jamestown, however is known as the Jamestown Settlement. This is a living-history park located right next door and is sponsored mostly by the State and the Jamestown Yorktown Foundation. First opened in 1957 to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the landing, its a recreation, but a faithful one and there are actually more things to see and interact with at the Settlement at this time then at the actual site. If you can Id take the time to explore both, but if you have to pick one, you may want to start here (especially with younger kids). Thats the Plan Bravo we executed.
Heres a few pictures from the museum part of the site
Theres a theater and a fairly sprawling exhibit area delving into the native peoples first and then into the colonists focusing on backgrounds, class differences, the changes between the world they left and the new one they entered
A lot of really interesting stuff
None of which I took pictures of, but trust me it was well done.
I did a little better when we got to the recreation of James Fort.
First off, heres the best guess on the original layout of the fort based on accounts and what has been learned so far at the actual site
And heres some of what we encountered in the recreation at The Settlement
Inside the church
Lodging for some of the well to do that made the voyage
(the not so well to do slept in barracks and mostly on the ground)
Inside the main storehouse and a bit more of the grounds
One of the three raised bulwarks built to defend the fort
Some impromptu clowning around by the troops
The blacksmiths hut
That last one also illustrates something that I havent gotten into yet. The settlement is set up as a Living History experience. That means that there are docents and volunteers in period garb throughout the site available to answer questions and working at the various tasks that would have been done on a daily bases. Theyre quite knowledgeable and very easy to engage in conversation.
OK runnin out of room here so Ill post this much for now.
I hope to get the rest of this part up some time this evening.
But for now, well take a brief intermission and see if we can get the second reel up on the projector is short order.
My, my, how times have changed .
Next up: The naval engagement and an encounter with the indigenous peoples