To the People of the Confederate States of America.

From President Jeff’n Davis

Danville, Va., April 4, 1865. (Excerpt)

     “The General in Chief of our Army has found it necessary to make such movements of the troops as to uncover the capital and thus involve the withdrawal of the Government from the city of Richmond.”

 

Before I delve into our trip to Danville Virginia today let me start by telling you that I love visiting places with historical markers and especially Civil War Markers. There were two of my McCoig ancestors who served in the War Between the States, both were from Jefferson County, Tennessee. One of them served in the Confederate Army and the other in the Union.

My wife, however, has seen most of these historic sites as a child vacationing and visiting relatives around the southeast. Her father would stop at most battlefields and places of interest and tell her the story of why that particular location was historic.

She prefers visiting places that have great craft stores, shoe stores, or beautiful scenery .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For reference, we have traveled to Fort Sumter at Charleston, South Carolina (Sweet Grass Baskets) and read the Civil War plaque at Ocracoke Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. (Light House tours) We’ve stopped for lunch near Stuart, Virginia, named after General Jeb Stuart of the CSA (Blue Ridge Parkway and Mabry Mill) and watched our nieces and nephews dance around in and on the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond Virginia. (Arts District downtown Richmond) We watched a couple from Ohio wonder why the trunk of their car smelled so bad at Appomattox Courthouse (she just read plagues here) only to find out they were trying to take home some southern fried chicken, un-refrigerated, that they purchased three days earlier. In Saltville, Virginia we met the Sheriff and were told of the invaluable commodity of salt during the War between the States. (They have a museum with Mastodon bones) There was the Shot Tower in Virginia, (Overlooks her childhood home and has a restroom) Harpers Ferry, WV (shopping and photo opportunities) Missionary Ridge (Downtown Chattanooga shopping) Concord, North Carolina, (near a bead store) and the list goes on and on. Every location we travel, well nearly 90%, have a Civil War site and a “reason” that she’ll agree to go.

   Danville , Virginia has the South’s best collection of Edwardian and Victorian mansions that we have ever seen in a single town. Street after street and row after row revealed more houses that are incredible. This is the town that I envision when thinking about what other towns would look like if they cared about maintaining their history.  The downtown area is built on a hill and the slope of Main street runs up and down. There is a huge Historic Tobacco warehouse district that is very close to the downtown area. The Dan River building is visible from downtown as well.  Both the new Dan River offices and the old Textile mill building with the metal rooftop letters. The “Dan” letters or part of the sign is falling over.

  Visiting the Sutherlin House was the most awesome though. It serves as the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History. They allowed us to wander around on a self guided tour. We poked around all of the rooms and in the parlor there was a coffin in the center of the room because they were in post mourning over the anniversary death of the house’s namesake William T Sutherlin.

According to the Danville Museum of Fine Art Website, “This date provides an opportunity for the Museum to interpret Victorian Funerary Customs. The black crepe, covered mirrors – and, of course, the antique coffin in the parlor – provided insight into the rituals of our ancestors.”  This was very creepy cool.

I almost forgot. The house served as the “Last Capitol of the Confederacy.”  It turns out that Major William T Sutherlin opened his home to the fleeing Confederate President Jefferson Davis from April 3 until a day after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. on April 10th when Davis departed. I read a story about his departure which included Mrs. Sutherlin offering President Davis $1,000 in Gold because Davis only had Confederate money. He refused in tears and told her that he doubted he’d need any money in his future. 

Lest I forget the most important detail of the story though, is how my wife found this awesome four foot tall wooden African art sculpture at a downtown antique store. It is watching me write this at this very moment.