Pointless Prize: Civil War History

[BicycleBeth]

Civil War History Pointless Prize

I am sponsoring a Civil War History pointless prize. We have so much Civil War history in the DC Metro area, and I’d love for us to explore more of our nation’s heritage. I’ve had a great time cycling to Civil War sites this year including circle forts, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the Maryland Campaign of 1862. I’ve even designed and rode bicycle routes to follow troop movements leading up to the Battles of South Mountain, Antietam, and Gettysburg.

The Rules

For this contest, there are two ways to earn points, each of which will have a hashtag on Strava. You can earn a maximum of 7 points per day. That is, your ride can have both hashtags: #CivilWarMarker #CivilWarStreet. If you have multiple rides in one day and both rides are hashtagged for this prize, only the first ride of the day counts.

1. #CivilWarMarker +5 points
-Find Civil War Markers like monuments, historic signs with descriptions, circle forts, battle sites, and similar. Take a photo of the historic marker with your bicycle. Write a short description of the marker on Strava. This could be as simple as retyping the text of the marker or talking about where you found the marker or why it caught your eye.
-Hashtag the ride on Strava as #CivilWarMarker.
-One Civil War Marker counts PER DAY.
-Don’t repeat the same exact historic marker for the duration of Freezing Saddles. You’re on the honor system here.

2. #CivilWarStreet +2 points
-Find streets named after Civil War generals, key figures, and streets that were critical to the Civil War. Take a picture of your bike with the street sign. Write a short description of who this general/key figure was or why this street/street name was critical in the Civil War in the comment section on Strava.
-Examples for streets critical to the Civil War:
*”Military Road” in Arlington and in DC was designed to connect the circle forts defending the perimeter of Washington.
*Roads that were critical in battle movements also count as long as you annotate why they were important. For example, “Bolivar Road” is the approach that Union troops used to to engaged with Confederate troops at Fox’s Gap (on Reno Monument Road) at the Battle of South Mountain in September of 1862.
-Hashtag the ride on Strava as #CivilWarStreet.
-One Civil War Street counts PER DAY.
-Do not repeat the same street in the same city/town but you could find the same street name in a different city. For example, “Lee” Street appears in multiple cities in the region. You could ride “Lee” Street in 5 different cities on 5 different days and have them all count. But don’t just ride another block down the same street and count that as a new sign (unless it’s in a different city). You’re on the honor system here.

RULES EDITED on 1/3/2021 TO ADD:
1. Hashtags, photos, and Strava captions/ride comments must be completed no later than 3 days after the date of the ride. No saving up those points for the last minute!

2. You must be willing to accept my Strava friend request or have a public profile that I can follow so that I can read your civil war posts and audit them for accuracy and completeness.

3. If your Civil War Marker is not clearly connected to the Civil War on the marker itself, then you must explain the connection in your comments. For example, you see a courthouse or fort sign that you know was relevant to the civil war but is otherwise not explained on the sign. You take a picture with the marker and your bike. You should also explain what the connection is to the Civil War.

4. (2/7/2021 clarification) The Civil War streets, other than those used for troop and supply movements, should be named after historical FIGURES from the Civil War to include topics related to secession, slavery, abolition, the Underground Railroad, and Reconstruction and the politics of these events. Just to be clear, a key figure or historical figure is a PERSON not a city, battlefield, park, ship name, etc. The key figure should be historically remembered in some way that was relevant to one of these topics. Streets do not need to literally be named after the person. They can just be the same name as the surname of the historical figure.

5. (2/8/2021 edit, clarification, and grandfather clause). From the original rules under #civilwarstreet, I wrote “Write a short description of who this general/key figure was or why this street/street name was critical in the Civil War in the comment section on Strava.” This grammatical construction (in particular, “street name”) may have legitimately led people to believe that additional categories other than the two intended categories were allowed. Thus, I will grandfather in all entries referring to places, ships, ship movements, etc until 2/8/2021 as long as all other rules were followed.

To be very clear, I will rewrite this sentence into two sentences.
For Historical Figures: Write a short description of who this Civil War figure was and what role they played in the Civil War in the comment/caption section on Strava. Historical Figures includes both prominent and historically-recorded figures as described earlier.
For Troop Movements and Critical Civil War Routes: Write a short description of why this street was critical to troop and/or supply movements in the Civil War in the comment/caption section on Strava. The idea is that you will ride your bike in the same place that troops or supply wagons used during the Civil War so that you can experience the terrain they encountered. You can use the same street for troop movements multiple times as long as each time you use it it is in a different jurisdiction. The reason for this is that terrain varies between jurisdictions, and I want you to relive the troop movements.
-For example, Georgia Avenue (the Seventh Street Turnpike) was used both for the Battle of Fort Stevens (Confederates attacking and retreating and Federals in pursuit) and for Burnside moving troops and material up to Gettysburg. Based on my research, I can get Georgia Ave in DC, Silver Spring, Wheaton, and Olney since these are four generally viewed as distinct jurisdictions.

–What is not allowed, example: Appomotax Court in Springfield, Virginia would NOT count. Why you might think it would count: Troops fought in Appomattox and Gen. Lee surrendered at the Appomattox Court House. But does it meet either of these two tests:
*Does it share the name of a historical FIGURE (a person) from the Civil War? (No. Appomattox is not a person but rather a place.)
*Did Civil War troops or supplies move on this street and in this jurisdiction? Are you riding your bike in the same place that troops/supplies were documented to be during the Civil War? (No. Gen. Lee did not surrender in Springfield, VA on Appomattox Ct. And Appomattox Court did not exist during the Civil War so documented troop movements for this street are highly unlikely.)

Prizes for the Top 3 Winners!!!
The top 3 winners will be honored on the Freezing Saddles forum and receive their choice of the following Audible audio books delivered electronically. If there is a tie for more than 3 top place finishers, then I will go through a subset of the hashtagged Strava posts, view the photos, and read the descriptions posted to Strava and subjectively decide who was more thorough in documenting civil war history.

1. The Great Courses: The American Civil War
2. The Great Courses: The History of the United States, 2nd Edition
3. Another Great Course on American history of your choice by one of these professors: Allen C. Guelzo, Gary W. Gallagher, or Patrick N. Allitt

For this forum, we can post and discuss our Civil War history finds. However, this is just for fun and not for points. The points are counted on Strava.

Track how you are doing in each category here:
Civil War Marker: https://freezingsaddles.org/pointless/hashtag/civilwarmarker
Civil War Street: https://freezingsaddles.org/pointless/hashtag/civilwarstreet
https://freezingsaddles.org/pointless/civilwarhistory

Topic

[bikesnick]

Helen L. Gilson served as a Union Army nurse during the Civil War. Being too young (under 30), she initially was rejected, but was allowed to work with her uncle as an assistant. She was present at almost every battle of the Army of the Potomac. She tirelessly provided a great relief to the sick and dying.

Gilson Street (Falls Church, VA)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24788[/ATTACH]

[bikedavid]

A statue honoring Winfield Scott who was an important advisor to Lincoln during the early stages of the Civil War. “Scott developed a strategy, later known as the Anaconda Plan, that called for the capture of the Mississippi River and a blockade of Southern ports. By cutting off the eastern states of the Confederacy, Scott hoped to force the surrender of Confederate forces with a minimal loss of life on both sides. Scott’s plan was leaked to the public, and was derided by most Northern newspapers, which tended to favor an immediate assault on the Confederacy.” (Wikipedia) He served every President from Jefferson to Lincoln leading forces in several wars from War of 1812 to the Civil War! His statue is the first of many sculptures honoring Civil War generals to be installed in DC’s circles and squares.

[BicycleBeth]

I just want to bring your attention to a line in the rule clarification of 2/7. “Streets… can just be the same name as the surname of the historical figure.”

I have seen at least one instance of a player using the street sign name as someone’s FIRST name. This is clearly not allowed in the rules. For example, you may not use the street “Jefferson” for “Jefferson Davis.” You may use the street name “Davis for “Jefferson Davis.”

“ 4. (2/7/2021 clarification) The Civil War streets, other than those used for troop and supply movements, should be named after historical FIGURES from the Civil War to include topics related to secession, slavery, abolition, the Underground Railroad, and Reconstruction and the politics of these events. Just to be clear, a key figure or historical figure is a PERSON not a city, battlefield, park, ship name, etc. The key figure should be historically remembered in some way that was relevant to one of these topics. Streets do not need to literally be named after the person. They can just be the same name as the surname of the historical figure.”

[bikesnick]

Emily E. Woodley, was a nurse for the Union Army for the entire duration of the Civil War. She was commissioned as a Captain by Lincoln, was at 33 battles and granted a lifetime pension. She was an organizer and president of the National Association of Army Nurses of the Civil War which worked for the welfare of nurses.

Woodley Road (McLean, VA)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]24829[/ATTACH]

[bikedavid]

Statue of David Farragut in Farragut Square, one of two sculptures honoring Union admirals in DC. He lead an attack to capture New Orleans, an important port for the Confederates, and helped extend control up the Mississippi River. After the Civil War, he was promoted to Admiral, a rank never used, and became the first Admiral of the US Navy.

[AlanA]

The most generic and boring marker!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]24876[/ATTACH]

[bikedavid]

A statue in McPherson Square honoring Major General James McPherson who was killed at the Battle of Atlanta. He was the second-highest ranking Union officer killed in action during the war.

[bikesnick]

Jennie Wade was the only civilian directly killed during the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War. While baking bread, she was killed by a stray bullet. Her mother was granted a pension, because Jennie was killed serving the Union – baking bread for soldiers. Her house is now a museum. Her grave, outside of Gettysburg, has a flag that always flies. (The Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia is the only other site devoted to a woman that flies a perpetual flag.)

Wade Place (Falls Church, VA)
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[consularrider]

#CivilWarStreet – N Davis Ave for Jefferson Davis, President of the CSU. Corner of Monument Ave next to his memorial now sans statue.

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#CivilWarMaker – Richmond Evacuation Fire. They burned down part of their own capital city six days before Lee surrendered.

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[Boomer Cycles]

#CivilWarMarker
The Falls (Episcopal) Church (Falls Church VA)

During the American Civil War the church was used by Union troops as a hospital and later as a stable. Use of the building for worship services resumed after the war; the sanctuary has now been in continuous use since about 1873. The interior was repaired after the war, with the Federal government paying for damage caused by Union forces.

Sent from Boomer_Cycles via my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bikesnick]

“Civil War Action at Vienna
On June 17, 1861, at this bend in the railroad, a Union train carrying 271 men of the 1st Ohio Volunteers was ambushed by nearly 700 South Carolina infantry and cavalry. Amid artillery fire, the Ohioans jumped from the platform cars and took cover in the woods. …”

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[bikesnick]

Fanny Wilson, and her friend Nellie Graves, enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War, disguised as men, to server with their boyfriends. They served in the defense of Washington DC and in the Battle of Fredericksburg, VA. After their boyfriends both died, they became ill and were discovered as women at a hospital. Both were discharged. Wilson danced with a ballet company, but after only two performances quit and re-enlisted with another army unit, disguised as a man, of course. She was wounded at Vicksburg, treated, but not discovered to be a man. Later she was stopped by a guard and thought to be a female spy. Under questioning, it was clear she was a Union soldier and then was discharged being made to promise not to enlist again.

Wilson Boulevard (Falls Church, VA)
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[Laurie E.]

3/9/21 Civil War Marker I found this yesterday (3/8/21), but had to go back today to put the bike in the picture. This is the site of the Historic Surratt House and Tavern in Clinton, MD There’s a sign/marker on it that says it’s part of the Civil War Trails, which I didn’t know. I’m posting two pictures, the 1st one, is the sign/marker with my bike. The 2nd one, has a Civil War Cannon with my bike in the distant background.

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[consularrider]

#CivilWarMarker – Confederate Memorial Chapel. Not built until 1885, but was with R. E. Lee Camp Confederate Soldiers’ Home also opened in 1885

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#CivilWarStreet – N Stuart Ave. General J.E.B. Stuart. His statue was removed from Monument Ave in 2020.

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[bikesnick]

Arlington Mill
The land along Four Mile Run in this area belonged to George Washington and was known as Washington Forest. Later it became part of the Arlington Estate. The Columbian Turnpike was built through here in 1808 to link the Long Bridge at Washington with the Little River Turnpike to the West. In 1836 G.W.P. Custis built a grist mill here where the turnpike crossed Four Mile Run. It was destroyed during the Civil War (as the supposed property of R. E. Lee), but was rebuilt in 1880, continued in operation until 1906, and was destroyed by fire in 1920.

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[Author]

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