The next stop on my trip to Moscow was the Central Armed Forces Museum, which is also known as the museum of the Soviet Army. The former is probably now more accurate, since there are exhibits from the post-soviet period as well as sections being developed that cover the whole history of Russian arms back to the middle ages.

The first hall we visited was a display of artifacts and paintings of scenes from the Russian Civil War.  The large dioramas were impressive. The central piece in the room was a tachanka machine gun cart, which I had read about. It was interesting to see one up close.

By far the largest subject covered in the museum was  the Great Patriotic War (World War II) Certain battles had their own rooms (Leningrad, Stalingrad) while there were many general exhibits. There was a substantial display on partisan warfare. Also, there was a room with displays honoring the western allies. There was a large diorama of the Normandy Invasion complete with a jeep. Interestingly, a TV screen on the wall in this area was showing “Saving Private Ryan” dubbed in Russian.

From the room, we passed through a series of exhibits on the Holocaust, and then into the great hall which houses displays from the Victory Parade in 1945. This was most impressive and featured many Soviet and captured German artifacts, including the huge bronze eagle which had topped the Reichs Chancellery. Also on the display were the cast-down German Banners, which Soviet soldiers threw on the ground in front of Lenin’s mausoleum at the end of the parade.

Past this hall, we viewed post-war displays and finally post-Soviet Russian military exhibits. There is a large outside display area, which was apparently closed for the winter. Outside we also passed a bronze statue in memory of the crew of the Russian submarine, Kursk, which sank in August of 2000.

This another great museum in Moscow, and one not to be missed by the history buff, if you are in town.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Armed_Forces_Museum

Always on the lookout for something new to do, I spent the last two weeks of November in Moscow, Russia. Needless to say, there is some history there. One of my stops was at ‘Victory Park’ which commemorates the victory over Nazi Germany in WWII. Unfortunately on the day I was there, the main museum was closed for cleaning, but the outside exhibits were open. This collection by itself, was impressive. Also, as you can see from the pictures, the exhibit is still being developed, with the addition of a recreated trench and bunker display. Since they are still under construction, you couldn’t go into them, but I was able to get some pics from the footpath.

As is obvious from the photos, there is a huge assortment of armor, artillery and aircraft, as well as other interesting and sometimes unusual displays.  Also, the memorial itself, at the top of the hill, is  awe-inspiring. The central obelisk is engraved with figures of soldiers and scenes from the war all the way to the top, as far as I could see. It was too big for me to get a good pic, given the light I had at the time.

If you are able to make it to Moscow, this is a must-see.

If you’ve ever watched the History Channel for 12 hours straight you’ll soon discover that approximately 450,000 years ago aliens from Nibiru, the Anunaki, landed on Earth looking to mine gold to repair their atmosphere.  They used genetic engineering to make a race of “workers” which is different from slaves because they gave them mathematics, education, and some really cool building techniques.  But the aliens were undecided about what they should reveal and unrest soon led to members of the higher council issuing out specific information to certain individuals and that became the stories of legend in all ancient cultures.  As of present their Visa has expired and they can only observe discreetly behind fast balls of light.

Fast forward to Atlantis where all of this information was stock piled until the great cataclysm that destroyed the island which led to some people making it off the island to establish civilizations in the Americas and Egypt.  The Egyptians kept the knowledge in the hands of the powerful in order to rule and keep the masses ignorant.  This lead to specialized societies/cults/guilds that eventually became the masons.  The masons protected the knowledge and the treasure and were a powerful force for thousands of years.  An off branch of the masons became the Knights Templar who traveled to the Holy Land to retrieve artifacts.  This is also part of the Arthurian Legend in a non-Monty Python sense.  The Knights Templar protected treasure, knowledge, and pilgrims and eventually threatened the Catholic Church and a very insecure French king.  They either tried to bribe the church or were the envy of the powerful.  I’d like to point out that Nostradamus predicted all of this before his actual birth.  The Knights Templar took the treasures/sacred artifacts from the Holy Land and deposited them at St. Clair Castle in Scotland and later moved them to North America in 1362.  The final resting place of the ark of the covenant, holy grail, crucifixion cross, etc is either in the Money Pit on Oak Island, Illinois, or Wisconsin.  At this point the Knights Templar joined forces with their old allies the masons and became a Satanic cult with the purpose of establishing a utopian society in the New World.  They laid dormant until the American Revolution, which was actually a cover to find the lost Templar treasure by the British.  George Washington found the Templar treasure and that was what enabled him to win the American Revolution against great odds.  Since then the power and secret knowledge has passed down only to the elite, rich and powerful families in the U.S. with the purpose of uniting the world under one leader, the antichrist.

This disturbance in dark matter and dark energy (turns out it’s dark matter and dark energy that binds the galaxy together not the Force but you can call it whatever you want) has lead to Aliens from all over the galaxy to investigate our doings which backfired on the aliens because we have really smart reverse engineers that can’t talk about their work and always have to be video taped in shadow.  As of now aliens, or Extraterrestrial Biological Entities as they prefer to be called, are working with our government in secret.  They get to abduct so many humans for experiments and we get access to their technology and text books.  By the way you can pick up some very high quality ancient alien artifacts from your local pawn stars and have them shipped anywhere in the world including the ice roads of Alaska.  Who knows the next tree you cut down in Washington could have some valuable clues as to whereabouts of the Lindberg baby, Amelia Airheart, and Adolf Hitler.

Justin Eubank

The following article was originally submitted by Linda Donegan to the Charleston, WV Civil War Roundtable:

Henrietta Fitzhugh Barr

In 1835, Henry Fitzhugh and his wife Henrietta settled in Ravenswood. They had acquired land and built a home on the corner of Walnut and Race Streets. They had come to Ravenswood from Fauquier County Virginia and being of aristocratic stock brought their black servants (slaves) with them. (At this time there were only fifty-five slaves in Jackson County.) It is believed that the Ravenswood property, owned and surveyed by George Washington, was inherited by Henrietta who was a grandniece of his. The Fitzhugh family established a saw mill and a grist mill which more than adequately provided for the needs of the family.

Henry and Henrietta had a daughter whom they also named, Henrietta. Henrietta married David Barr; thus we have Mrs. Henrietta Fitzhugh Barr. The Barrs built a home on the corner of Mulberry and Race Streets and had a daughter named Molly.

Mrs. Barr lost her husband prior to the start of the American Civil War. Her daughter Molly died of diphtheria on December 5, 1860. During the war, her mother and her sister, Ann, lived with Henrietta. Henry Fitzhugh, her father, had died by this time.

Some of the other prominent families of Ravenswood were from the Virginia aristocratic/slave owning class. The Flemings and the Parks are often mentioned in Henrietta’s diary. These families often visited one another for “tea”. Other social contacts were made in the local Episcopal church of which these families were members. Henrietta’s diary mentions attending Sunday school and states that there was “no preaching.” Her sister, Ann, was the Sunday school superintendent. In Ann’s absence, Henrietta filled the position of superintendent. It is uncertain as to the reason for “no preaching”. Perhaps a minister simply wasn’t available.

Henrietta Fitzhugh Barr had a turn of character that made her appear less then congenial to her neighbors. She was an aristocrat and tended to place herself above others. She was easily offended and often referred to her neighbors as “Union Black Republicans.” Any “ill” that came her way she blamed on these Republicans.

During the Civil War, the Union Army took control of the family saw and grist mills to support army needs. This was a substantial financial loss for Henrietta and even more reason to despise her “Union supporting” neighbors. She did maintain a garden and raised pigs and chickens; however, these too were required to supply Union troops in the Ravenswood area. She was not without sustenance but she did resent feeding northern troops. Items such as flour, salt and sugar were in short supply and had to be acquired from Wheeling. When her order would arrive at the Ravenswood wharf, the wharf master would not release her goods to her. He insisted that she first take the oath of allegiance and then pay the eighty cent fee due him. She refused to do both and her goods were returned to Wheeling. Food was scarce to “Southern Sympathizers” and her Northern neighbors had no pity on such a one as Henrietta Fitzhugh Barr.

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Henrietta always described Union troops as being “rude and ruthless”. They were always begging for food; breakfast, lunch and dinner. She had a particular dislike for Union Cavalry Commander Dan Frost. On the other hand, she noted that the Confederate troops, under Jenkins’ command, were “polite and mannerly”.

Henrietta preferred the summer months when the river was low because the Union gunboats could not maneuver and the Confederate troops were more prominent in the area; even then she complained about the “dust”. During the winter months and the return of the rains, the Union gunboats were back in action and the Confederate troops would retreat. Henrietta then complained about the troops and the “knee deep mud”.

The diary of Henrietta Fitzhugh Barr begins at the time of Fort Donelson; February 1862. Four of her five brothers were in the military during the war. Her brothers Theodore and George were at Fort Donelson but were unable to enter combat due to sickness. Nick and Henry were stationed in the Virginia theater of action. Her brother, Burdick (?), had died before the war or during the war’s early months (1862?). Her diary ends abruptly in August of 1863. We know that at that time all of her brothers in the military were still alive. We know that Theodore survived the war because he returned to Ravenswood and built a home there.

Henrietta does make mention of her slaves in her diary. She speaks of Rosella and Virginia by name. She reported the escape of many slaves crossing the Ohio River on the “Logan”. We aren’t certain if the Logan was a boat or a train or some other means of transport. But by boarding the Logan the slaves were “bidding adieu to Dixie”. By 1863 all slaves were gone from the area; they remained listed on the census but they were gone.

The war years weren’t all gloom for Henrietta. She recorded trips to Louisville with her sister Ann. They would stop in Cincinnati, Ohio, to shop. It was during one of her trips that she reported of an opportunity to gall her Northern neighbors. She was traveling aboard a sternwheeler. In the dining area, she overheard a conversation regarding Mr. Lincoln’s request for the nation to fast in order to better provide for the Union Army. In defiance, she ate heartily and urged her companions to do the same. She may not have dared to speak aloud her disdain for the North but she could speak ever so noticeably by her actions.

Henrietta believed that the news was biased toward the Union. Her preferred information source was the Cincinnati Inquirer. (Cincinnati: The most disloyal city in the Union). Accurate information was difficult to obtain. No telegraph existed in Ravenswood. Much of the news was passed on by word of mouth. People were often left to fit together the bits of information received as best they could and draw their own conclusions. Needless to say, the conclusions

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drawn were not always precise. In fact, Henrietta’s diary, which ended in 1863, indicated that she believed that Lee had won the day at Gettysburg. It wasn’t until

the Confederate loss at Vicksburg that she realized that “defeat” was the fate of her beloved South.

As stated, Henrietta’s diary comes to an abrupt end in August 1863. At that time, she moved to Charleston to live with her sister, Sara Cotton. Since Charleston has been mentioned, let’s note that Charleston was evacuated in 1862 due to Confederate invasion. In her diary, Henrietta reports seeing a “wagon train six miles long” heading to Ohio from Charleston. It was two days journey from Charleston to Ravenswood at that time. It appears that the normal route would be from Charleston to Ripley. You would rest overnight in Ripley and then complete your journey to Ravenswood and cross the river into Ohio.

Our diarist lived to the age of sixty-nine. You can still see the home of her parents in Ravenswood today. The Barr home was destroyed by fire in 1920. The home of her brother, Theodore, also remains in Ravenswood.

This information was presented at a meeting of the Civil War Roundtable of Charleston, West Virginia, which meets every third Tuesday of the month (September – May) at the South Charleston Library. Meeting hours are from

7:00 PM to 8:30 PM. The review of the Henrietta Fitzhugh Barr Diary was presented by a member of the roundtable–Monty. Thank you sir for a very enjoyable evening.

Respectfully submitted by: Linda Donegan

On Sunday, September 19, I toured the cruiser USS Olympia with my friend, Don Taylor. We were in Philadelphia for the Russian Mosaica Festival and took the opportunity to check out this historic vessel. I had, of course, seen many pictures of ships of the “Great White Fleet”, but had never experienced actually boarding one. I must say that I was very impressed. The ship is beautiful and the areas into which we could walk were amazing. It definitely was a trip into the past. The 1890′s were a period of transition in ship building and you could see the older influences in the generous use of wood throughout the ship. However, this was packaged in the framework of an all-steel warship packing some impressive armament  for the period. I took many picures, but I doubt they come close to conveying the effect of actually being on this ship. Just to go up on the bridge and stand on the brass footprints which are labled as being where Admiral Dewey stood during the Battle of Manila Bay, and look out over the bow of this ship is an amazing experience.

The sad part of this story is the fact that the Olympia is in serious trouble. The ship has not been out of the water for decades and desperately needs maintenance below the water line.  It is estimated that it would take ten million dollars to make all the necessary repairs for her to remain afloat and the Independence Seaport Museum which owns her doesn’t have the money. There is serious talk of scrapping her or towing her out to sea and sinking her as a barrier reef.  If this happens, it will be a horrendous loss to American history and heritage. Additionally, this ship serves as an amazing example of the technology of that period, which once it is gone, it will be gone for good.

There are two other pre-dreadnaught all steel warships in existance to my knowledge: The Russian cruiser, Aurora which is anchored in Saint Petersburg and the Japanese Battleship, Mikasa which resides at Yokosuka. Both of which are newer than the Olympia. These other countries have had the presence of mind to preserve their treasures, why do Americans continue to ignore the value of such irreplaceable artifacts?

I know that the money to make the needed repairs is great, but surely there is some way to find it. Can not another entity take it over? Ten million is a drop in the bucket for the Department of Defense. Why can’t the Navy take it back and pull it into a permanent dry dock and thereby avoid the need for the repairs? We have some pretty impressive military museums in this country, why can’t this ship become one as well? The Air Force Museum in Dayton is first class. We just built a first class museum for the Marine Corps (article to follow this fall) which is an amazing place that every American should visit. I’m pretty sure that it cost more than $10 million bucks. I’m just brainstorming here.

I have heard that a decision on the Olympia’s fate may be made as early as November. I have included some links to the Olympia situation. Check them out and write your Congressmen, donate money, or make other people aware of the situation. (I didn’t know about this until a couple of weeks ago myself and I try to stay up on these things!)

http://www.phillyseaport.org/historicships/olympia.html

http://www.cruiserolympia.org

http://cruiserolympia.org/site/

http://www.spanamwar.com/olyhelp.htm

My family and I decided to have a mini-vacation since we had done no other traveling in 2010.  What better place to get some quality family bonding time than Gettysburg, PA.  None of us had been there since the new visitors center had opened in 2008.  I’d heard many good things about the new facility and couldn’t wait to see it.

Our first stop, upon arriving in Gettysburg, was the visitors center.  It was situated away from the main parts of the battlefield in a secluded area, but not too far.  Landscape nearby was left as natural as could be and could still accommodate parking and visitors.  Signage was well organized and things easy to find.

The exterior of the building was stone and glass.  Several post looked like hand hewn logs.  The middle area, accommodating the Paul Philippoteaux cyclorama painting, was built to resemble the cyclorama buildings of the 19th century.

We entered the facility via the main entrance and found it spacious and well organized.  After a quick trip to the easily found restrooms, we purchased tickets for the video and cyclorama.  Tickets were $10.50 per adult, $6.50 for 13-18 year olds.  Discounts are offered to “active duty” military personnel.  The film and cyclorama run every half hour from 8am to 4:30.  After a short wait in line we were ushered into the theatre.  Special seating for handicap was in the rear, all others were asked to descend the steps and take seats.  The screen was arced and large.  Seating was arranged to make the film easily viewed by all.

The film was excellent.  Hosted by everyone’s favorite sergeant-major, Morgan Freeman.  The explanations given for the start of the war were unbiased and tried to show both sides.  Reenactors used in the film were, unlike yours truly, young and slim, adding to the accuracy thereof.  The sound quality was unbelievable.  After explaining Lee’s artillery bombardment of 3 July 1863, the sound system was kicked into overdrive.

After the video we were ushered into the hall and directed to an escalator.  We were taken directly into the cyclorama.  The cyclorama had been completely redone to its original quality as it had been displayed in Boston in the 1880s.  The 14 feet of missing sky was back.  The viewing platform was raised higher than the 1963-2005 facility.  The diorama foreground was back.  Between the viewing platform and painting was dirt, grass, equipment, roads and more.  Things were matched so well, it was hard to tell where the diorama ended and the painting began.  Wheel tracks lined up perfectly.  A figure, drawing water from a well, had originally been painted to have the third leg of the well’s tripod be actual wood extending into the diorama.  It was restored.  The tripod had had just two legs for over 40 years.  The only bad thing was we did not get to spend near enough time viewing.  We were ushered out and back to the lobby.  There are also special events called “an evening with the painting”  in which you can spend an hour and a half with a paining expert.  These are only held on certain days, about twice a month.

After exiting we looked at a small area concerning some of the history of the painting.  There had been five versions, one each in Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, New York and Wake Forrest.  Gettysburg houses the Boston version, the only one known to still exist.  Each version had subtle differences.  Gen. Armistead is incorrectly portrayed on horseback in the Gettysburg painting.  In other versions Philippoteaux corrected this mistake.  Other cycloramas of other battles also existed in the 19th century, but with the invention of the moving picture show, the cycloramas soon fell out of favor, were neglected and lost.

We then showed our tickets once again to gain access to the museum.  The museum was a series of rooms that wound to and fro.  The rooms were themed on Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.  It was well organized as well.  Civil War buffs will recognize some of the displays from the old museum, but there was plenty of new displays as well.  There was an interactive touch screen for kids next to a set of equipment that could be lifted to feel the weight a soldier carried.  Near the end of the museum were photos of hundreds of soldiers, North and South who had served at Gettysburg.  For fun, I thought I’d see if I could recognize any faces.  I couldn’t believe it!  At the bottom, on the Confederate side was Upshur County’s own Col. John C. Higganbothom.  It was the charcoal likeness his sister had draw after his death at Spotsylvania.

We then visited the very well stocked book store.  Be careful, you could spend a bunch of money in there.  I did purchase a $20 book on the cyclorama’s history and restoration.  All profits go to preservation efforts at Gettysburg.  Photography is allowed in the lobby, but not in the museum or cyclorama.  The museum also has a sizable restaurant.  We didn’t eat there but it looked very nice.

I then drove my family around the battlefield, being careful not to spend too much time there before getting them to the tourist shopping areas.  We saw the old museum has been razed.  There is no longer evidence of its existence.  The old cyclorama is fenced in and scheduled for destruction.  This should give Zeigler’s Grove a far more authentic look.

This proved to be one of the best outings I’d ever had with my family.  God has certainly blessed me with a wonderful family.  I highly recommend the new Gettysburg visitors center to all Civil War enthusiast.  I also recommend it to all Americans, enthusiast or not.  This is a portion of our common history we should all know.

Submitted
Matthew P. Gillespie
3 August 2010

On April 24, Mark Tennant and I drove to Oakland, MD for a scheduled Civil War living history. We were to meet up with some other reenactors at the gazebo by the train station,  however, to our dismay, we learned that there had been a glitch and the event had been cancelled, but no one had called us. While this was disappointing, we took the opportunity to examine some of the attractions of Oakland. First of all there are a number of antique shops around the area and we set about checking out one of those. After making a few small purchases, we started back home when we noticed that the Garrett County Historical Society Museum down the street was open. So, we decided to stop for a look.

We were pleasantly surprised. The museum is clean and well-maintained. Although small, it boasts a number of quality exhibits which mostly reflect local history in terms of what has happened in this area or to the residents of the area. Each room in the museum has it’s own particular theme.  There are some wonderful B&O railroad exhibits including a model engine which was exhibited at the 1893 World’s Fair. An adjoining room showcases items of interest from local hotels. The Victorian Room and the Cabin are set up as actual rooms from their time periods.

However, for me the main attraction was the military room which features as it’s centerpiece a beautiful brass Gatling Gun which was built for the US Navy in 1901. The room is also chock full of artifacts from American conflicts from the Civil War up to Desert Storm.

Our visit to the museum was a bit brief and we could have stayed a bit longer, but it was quite enjoyable and unexpected. It wasn’t what we were expecting, but it was worth the drive. If you are in the Oakland area, you should check this one out. It is definitely worth the quarter to park.

We received this notice from Lt. William King, USN concerning an interesting event upcoming in
May. It sounds like a fascinating endeavor and should be of particular interest
to those of the maritime pursuasion. Good luck and Godspeed to all involved:


On May 15-16 2010 a crew of 10 will attempt to row and sail a 26-foot monomoy surf boat
across the entrance to Chesapeake Bay.  The transit, covering 14 miles of open water
skirting the Atlantic Ocean from Cape Henry to Cape Charles, will terminate at Kiptopeke
State Park on Virginia's Eastern Shore.  The park is noted for its sunset vistas and a
line of 9 sunken WWII era ships that form its breakwater.  The crew will land at the
park, camp overnight and then return to Virginia Beach the following day.

This test of traditional seamanship skills is being held in conjunction with local
environmental interests to raise awareness about pollution in the Chesapeake Bay
watershed.  It does not commemorate any particular event, but celebrates the historical
use of small boats throughout the Chesapeake and the age-old seamanship and navigation
skills required for long transits over open water.

No modern navigation equipment will be carried, with the exception of hand-held VHF
radios and an emergency locator beacon.  Rather, the boat's coxswain will navigate by
magnetic compass, leadline (a primitive depth finding tool, literally a weight on the end
of a small rope) and a chip log (another primitive device used to estimate speed).

Both the US Coast Guard and Virginia Pilot Association have been consulted and have
agreed to help prepare the crew and monitor its crossing.  Both have said they await the
event with great anticipation and interest.

The boat being used in the crossing was carried aboard US Navy and US Coast Guard vessels
from 1963 to 1974.  It has no mechanical propulsion system, relying on the power of eight
oarsmen or a single large sail to move it.  Boats of nearly identical design have been
used on the east coast of the US for more than 250 years.

For more information, contact LT William King, USN at william.r.king2@navy.mil.

A public buffet and a program by noted Civil War historian Dr. Bob Meadows will be held

on Friday, January 22 at WVU Jackson’s Mill to mark the birthday of Stonewall Jackson.

The buffet will run from 5-7pm at Mount Vernon Dining Hall, featuring a hearty roast beef

entre. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 4-12; no reservations are

needed.

The buffet will be followed by a talk on Stonewall Jackson’s Valley

Campaign of 1862 by Dr. Bob Meadows at 7pm in the Greenbrier Room. Dr. Meadows made

over 100 presentations to organizations, school groups, and university classes, and has

led 50 group tours of various Civil War battlefields. He has served as a re-enactor and

written many articles based upon his extensive research. There is no admission charge

for the program. For more info:

http://www.wvu.edu/~exten/depts/jmill/calendar.htm

To contact the Mill:

WVU Jackson’s Mill State 4-H Camp
160 WVU Jackson Mill
Weston, WV 26452-8011
(304) 269-5100 or 1-800-287-8206
Fax (304) 269-3409
E-mail Jacksons.Mill@mail.wvu.edu