In order to maximize our time and $$ while in Fredericksburg, we purchased a package that gave us access to many of the historical buildings and battlefields in the area. Some of the attractions we wouldn't have necessarily wanted to see, but since they were part of the package, we went anyway. The first stop on our tour today was one such place, the Gari Melchers Home & Studio at Belmont.
Mr. Melchers was an American impressionist artist that lived from 1860 - 1932. The house is unique as a historical home in that Corinne Melchers, Gari's wife, willed the house and all of their furnishings and belongings to the state of Virginia. The house on the inside is as they left it upon their deaths. Mr. Melcher's had a studio built on the grounds where he did his painting, which is now filled with his artwork. Although Belmont was not something we would have chosen to see, we thoroughly enjoyed the tour through the house and viewing his artwork. There was a misty rain falling all morning, so we were glad for an activity to do inside.Before I continue on with our tour of Fredericksburg, I want to take up this space to defend my son's passion for Civil War history, particularly that of the southern states. As Christian has studied this period in our nation's history, he has examined the facts surrounding the causes of the conflict and found that he believes the cause of the South was just (as does our whole family). Since I have your undivided attention, I would like to share a little history lesson . . . . .
Just as the War for American Independence of 1776, the War for Southern Independence of 1861 was fought over "taxation without representation." The North was constantly trying to raise taxes on Southerners through high tariffs on imported goods in order to protect the inefficient big businesses in the North. These big businesses could not compete with the manufactured goods from England and France with whom the South traded cotton. The South did not have factories and had to import most finished products.
The Industrial Revolution allowed England and France to produce and ship products across the Atlantic that were cheaper than the products of Northern manufacturers. When Lincoln was elected President, he and the U.S. Congress immediately passed the Morrill Tariff (the highest import tax in U.S. history), more than doubling the import tax rate from 20% to 47%. This tax served to bankrupt many Southerners. Though the Southern states represented only about 30% of the U.S. population, they paid 80% of the tariffs collected. Oppressive taxes, denial of the states' rights to govern themselves, and an unrepresentative Federal government pushed the Southern states to LEGALLY withdraw from the Union.
Since the Southerners had escaped the tax by withdrawing from the Union, the only way the North could collect this oppressive tax was to invade the Confederate States and force them at gunpoint back into the Union.
It was to collect this import tax to satisfy his Northern industrialist supporters that Abraham Lincoln invaded the South. Slavery was not the issue. The War for Southern Independence was not fought over slavery or racism. The Emancipation Proclamation consists of two executive orders -- the first issued on September 22, 1862, declared the freedom of all slaves in any state of the Confederate States of America that did not return to Union control by January 1, 1863. The second order, issued January 1, 1863, listed the ten states which the first executive order applied to. Now, if Lincoln were truly concerned with freeing slaves, then why did he only free slaves in the states which he had no control over? Why not free the slaves in the north as well? His only motivation in issuing the Emancipation Proclamation was to cripple the Southern producers of cotton who relied on their slaves for their livelihood.
Our family believes in freedom of all people, regardless of their skin color. There is one race, the human race. Skin color is irrelevant. We believe in a government that is limited, and that states have a constitutional right to govern themselves. We grieve the loss of over 600,000 lives, regardless of which side they fought on, between the years of 1861 and 1865. We believe that our Southern brothers in 1861 fought against a government that was far less oppressive than our own . . . . .
And that concludes our little history lesson!
Our next stop was at the Fredericksburg Visitor Center, which is located a few hundred feet from the Stone Wall and the Sunken Road. Here is Tom and the kids in front of what remains of the original wall. Christian had read much of the battle that was fought here, and was thrilled (and sobered) to be standing here.
Some of the graves are marked with individuals stones engraved with the name of a soldier. Many are like this one, only identified by a grave number on top, and the number of soldiers buried here underneath.
The kids sitting at the top of a ridge overlooking the town of Fredericksburg. Stretched out below them (but unseen in the picture) are the graves of thousands of soldiers.Andrew asked for the camera while we were at the cemetery -- here are some of his shots -
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