An Introduction to the Project

I started this project in April 2013 and it has grown and grown to the point where I have well over 200,000 completed words, a growing library on many aspects of the American Civil War in Northern Virginia, I can now quote from lengthy Civil War videos and documentaries, and my friends and family will tell you that I am consumed by this.

So what is this project?

It all began when I went to visit the Virginia Quilt Museum in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  I needed a day away from teaching and grading and the normal hectic life we lead in Northern Virginia and so I went to visit this wonderful museum as part of a weekend trip.  I love all aspects of fiber arts, and went through all the rooms at my pace, taking in the colors and the patterns of the spectacular modern and priceless antique quilts in their extensive collection.

I found myself going back to their Civil War collection. As you can see from this photograph from their website, the museum does a lovely job of explaining quilting and other aspects of needlework done by women of the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War.

There was also a great deal of information on the story of the Virginia Military Institute cadets who went through Harrisonburg on their way to fight with General John Breckinridge at the Battle of New Market in May 1864.  I had not heard this story before, and as I have have friends and colleagues and students who have attended VMI, I was intrigued.  The battlefield is located a few exits north of Harrisonburg on I-81, so I decided to stop there before I went home.

I explored the Virginia Museum of the Civil War, learning more about the lives of the cadets who died in the fighting that took place around this farmhouse and the larger home the Bushong family built nearby.  I had hoped to walk around the farmhouse and look at the field where the "Field of Lost Shoes" took place.  Unfortunately, it had also been snowing in the region, so the ground was soggy and I thought my own shoes would suffer the same fate!

Scouring the books in the souvenir shop which is located within walking distance from the Bushong Farm and the "Field of Lost Shoes," I found a book that looked interesting:  A Southern Spy in Northern Virginia by Charles Mauro, I decided that this would be my souvenir of my trip.

Little did I know that this trip and the book that I purchased would change my life!




References:

• Virginia Quilt Museum:  http://www.vaquiltmuseum.org/exhibits/civil-war-gallery/
• Virginia Museum of the Civil War:  http://www.vmi.edu/vmcw/