Rob's Historic Sites

While in Richmond, Virginia this past weekend I visited the Triple Crossing which is the only place in America where three different railroads cross over one another at the same spot. I first learned about it from old postcards, but it has been a popular attraction for train enthusiasts for over 100 years. Triple Crossing began back in 1853, was an important rail line during the unCivil War, and is still in use today. I included photo op photos and old postcards showing 3 trains passing at the same time along with photos I just took. ADDITIONAL READING: Triple Crossing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_Crossing| American Rails Triple Crossing: https://www.american-rails.com/triple-crossing.html

One of the most intense moments in America’s history took place here. It was here during a 9-month long attack/siege of Petersburg, Virginia that Yankee troops secretly tunneled under the Confederate defensive position and set off 8,000lbs of explosives, instantly killing nearly 300 Confederates and leaving a huge crater still seen today. Incredibly, despite the surprise attack, initial losses, and being outnumbered, the remaining Confederates rallied to inflict over twice as many casualties on the Yankees; 3,800 Yankee vs 1,500 Confederate casualties. The Confederacy’s win at this battle further preserved and saved this city and others from invasion until a later time. The explosion and subsequent battle, now known as “Battle of the Crater” is depicted in the movie “Cold Mountain” and appears like a scene from the movie 1917 (link below). Many are surprised to discover that trench warfare largely originated during the War between the States and was just as brutal on American soil...

Sharing brief stories of the ignored and forgotten on this International Women’s Week: Sally Louisa Tompkins (1833-1916) became the first woman military Officer in American history when she was commissioned as a Captain in the Confederate Army in 1961 (over 70 years before the US Army). She is best remembered for the hospital she opened and ran throughout the entire war and is honored for having the lowest mortality rate of any hospital during the War Between the State’s (Civil War) with a 94.5% success rate. She requested not to receive any pay from the Confederate government, insisting on using her personal fortune. Born in Matthew County, Virginia, Captain Sally was buried with full military honors at her childhood church cemetery. Phoebe Yates Pember was a Jewish southerner who escaped the ravages of war in Georgia to serve as a leader of Chimborazo, a Confederate hospital in Richmond Virginia that was reportedly the largest military hospital in the world in the 1860s. Pember se...