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<\/a><\/p>\nFor one thing, I don’t have to schlepp all my stuff in and out every day. If you are smart, you book for three nights – Friday, Saturday and<\/em> Sunday. Or you do what I did, and forget about Sunday night. No bother! I got to visit another place that I had on The List on Sunday.<\/p>\n Permit me to digress from Petersburg for a moment and discuss lodging. Those of you who travel and stay in moderately priced hotels may be familiar with the concept of a “Hospitality Promise” that comes with toiletries and a threat.<\/p>\n For goodness sake! Their “guest room amenities” can’t possibly be that popular!<\/p>\n By this time, I was getting pretty familiar with the complimentary breakfast bar. This time, I got to see something I hadn’t seen in years.<\/p>\n A woman out in public with curlers in her hair. Perhaps she had some special event, like a wedding or some such thing, where she was going to get fixed up once she got there.<\/p>\n It’s fun to look at the people you see along the way and make up backstories for them.<\/p>\n The reason I had been looking forward to visiting Petersburg is that it is the site of was a major battle in the Civil War. When I was younger, I could have told you a lot about it. At this point, however, all I could remember were the words “siege” and “crater.”<\/p>\n Petersburg has been on “The List” forever. \u00a0I’ve been close several times, but just couldn’t work a visit in. Today was the day!<\/p>\n Upon my arrival, I learned that Petersburg was the longest battle of the Civil War, lasting 9 months and 18 days. I happened to arrive on June 17, on the 144th anniversary of the beginning of the battle, and there were people on hand to help explain the battle. I arrived just in time to join a tour with a ranger.<\/p>\n After talking to us for a bit about the scope of what happened here, including a total of about 70,000 casualties, he guided us to a spot where some reenactors were waiting to talk with us.<\/p>\n They had camp set up. Can you believe that this is a tent? Well, I am sure you can believe that it is a tent, it’s just tents have certainly progressed a lot through the years.<\/p>\n Since this was a nine-month siege, there must have been a lot of “hurry up and wait” time. I imagine that whittling, like this guy is doing, was a major source of entertainment.<\/p>\n Our reenactors told us about the problem of shoes wearing out and what they would do to try to make them last longer. I had never seen real hobnail boots<\/a> before.<\/p>\n They even demonstrated what went into firing their rifles. I can’t even imagine firing and reloading with people an equal distance away firing and reloading at me. Yet, somehow they managed to do it.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n