A side trip taken..........

[dusty27]

This past weekend, I was invited to visit the site of the 18th GA, Texas Brigade, winter quarters in Dumfries, VA. They were camped there in 1861, manning river batteries on the Potomac but left to go fight the Pennisula Campaign. Some archaeological work had been done there, as well as some relic hunting.

My friend had several first person accounts from soldiers in the 18th GA and one from an area landowner who was complaining to the CS government about the soldiers destroying his house near the river to use the bricks for their cabins along Rte. 1.

We walked down to the site and saw several areas where the huts had been constructed, with tell-tale signs of chimneys and foundations. I found a brick from Mr. Cunningham's house as well as a hand-forged nail and some green glass from the period.

How is this related to preservation, you ask?

The bulldozers moved in today to start the new housing development

Thanks again, Eric.

[FC Barlow]

Re: A side trip taken..........

Dusty:

I was fortunate to visit the site with expert guide and NPS historian Eric Mink a few months ago too. One of the best preserved winter camps I had ever seen!!

Will the entire site be developed now? I thought something was going to be saved.

Regards,
Todd

[dusty27]

Re: A side trip taken..........

Todd, as far as I know, nothing is being saved at the site.

[paulcalloway]

Re: A side trip taken..........

Dusty -
That's awful - thanks for letting us know though. Too aggravating to forumulate coherent sentences.

[Charles Heath]

Re: A side trip taken..........

Dusty,

Thanks for passing that along. A while back a handful of us portrayed a section from one of the 18th Ga. companies in that Dumfries camp circa winter of 1861-1862. Only we were at the White Oak Museum winter huts courtesy of DP Newton, knowing it was only a fair substitute for the actual location. Sad to hear that will be gone by the end of the week. Those Georgia boys had a fine record and were loved by the rest of the Texas Brigade, and they left behind a good amount of information, as I recall.

Charles Heath

[AzTrooper]

Re: A side trip taken..........

I bet that was really something to get to see. This place has stood the test of time for all these years...it's painfull to think that it is going to be gone with just a few passes of a bulldozers blade.I would have loved to been able to see it also, to walk away from the camp knowing that in a few days it would be gone forever must have left a sickening feeling inside.I know that not every place of historic significance can be saved but it almost seems like a lot of these places are singled out because of their historic past.I was at Borders yesterday and there was a magizine there called Archaeology, that had a article in it about endangered Civil War battlefields, I am going to buy it the next time I go there, it looked like it was a good article.
Respectfully, John Rogers

This past weekend, I was invited to visit the site of the 18th GA, Texas Brigade, winter quarters in Dumfries, VA. They were camped there in 1861, manning river batteries on the Potomac but left to go fight the Pennisula Campaign. Some archaeological work had been done there, as well as some relic hunting.

My friend had several first person accounts from soldiers in the 18th GA and one from an area landowner who was complaining to the CS government about the soldiers destroying his house near the river to use the bricks for their cabins along Rte. 1.

We walked down to the site and saw several areas where the huts had been constructed, with tell-tale signs of chimneys and foundations. I found a brick from Mr. Cunningham's house as well as a hand-forged nail and some green glass from the period.

How is this related to preservation, you ask?

The bulldozers moved in today to start the new housing development

Thanks again, Eric.

[Dignann]

Re: A side trip taken..........

Todd,

Unfortunately, it appears that the 18th Geo. camp will not be preserved. Different angles toward its preservation were met with bueacratic walls and disinterest. Archaeologists were able to get into the camp and at least some information was retrieved before it vanishes. With the rapid development here in Northern Virginia, camps lack preservation sex appeal when stacked up against diminishing battlefields.

Although it looks like the 18th Geo. camp will disappear under the blade of the bulldozer, some Union camps in Stafford County are receiving attention and I feel pretty confident that we'll see some preservation there in the near future.

Eric