After that, I took Maggie to the groomer. I wanted her cut shorter for summer. It is supposed to be 100 this week end. I had two hours to my self, so I stopped at this beautiful old covered bridge.
Sachs Bridge was built in 1852. In July of 1863, part of the Confederate Army of Northern VA used this bridge to retreat. In 1938, the PA Highway Department determined that Sachs Bridge was the most historic covered bridge in the State and it was put on the National Register of Historic places. In 1996 flood waters cause the bridge to be swept off its abutments. The county rehabilitated the bridge by using steel supports and raised it 3 feet. I am glad they did as it is such a pretty bridge with the cross-hatch design. I still had time before I had to pick up Maggie so my next stop was the New Museum and Visitors Center. I wanted to pick up a pamplet for a self guided tour so that I could take Maggie with me. I was also in time to listen to one of the many talented Park Rangers tell about the life of the average Civil War Soldier. She was very interesting. She picked one young man from the group and dressed him in authentic Civil War soldier attire while she explained each piece before he put them on.
She said the average soldier only fought about 2 weeks in an entire year. The rest of the time they were either traveling of camped out. The lived in horrible conditions for months on end where all the refuse, human and animal, were left in the camp. Can you imagine the smell. Just think about your garbage if you don't get it out of the house. No cushy cot for them. They only had what they could carry, like a blanket for sleeping. Forget about a pillow. They ate "hard tack", which is like a cracker the consistency of granite. They would soak it in hot coffee until it softened and all the worms and bugs in it would float to the top of the coffee to be scooped out before eating it. Yuk! They were lucky if they got to bathe every three weeks. They had no knowledge of bacteria, so many died from infection. In actuality, most soldiers did not die from injuries but from disease and malnutrition.
I also stopped at the Virginia Memorial. At the top of the monument, Gen. Lee sits upon his horse. At the base, the sculpter has depicted the kinds of men who made up the army. They are: a professional, a mechanic, an artist, a boy and a businessman.
These men came from all walks of life on both sides.
The loss of life was staggering. Regiments were made up of people from the same town. Often fathers and brothers fought and died side by side and some families were divided and they fought each other. Tomorrow is another day, stay tuned.......
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