Central Virginia Battlefields Trust organizes an Annual Youth Day
Originally published March 2018 · p. 25
FREDERICKSBURG, Va.— While many of their peers slept in, a group of 20 students decided to wake up early and brave freezing temperatures to help preserve a local Virginia battlefield. Central Virginia Battlefields Trust organizes an annual Youth Day for impassioned young persons looking for a way to serve their community through performing the much needed maintenance tasks necessary to keep battlefields neat and orderly for visitors and local residents. This year that meant clearing and expanding drainage ditches, picking up litter, and cutting down heavy brush which had grown up in several retaining ponds. Providing key support was the 47th Virginia, who not only brought chainsaws, but also shared their knowledge about Confederate Major John Pelham and his important role during the Battle of Fredericksburg. Using only a handful of horse-artillery he was able to enfilade the Union right flank and thereby delay the attack being undertaken at what would shortly come to be known as the “Slaughter Pen.” When asked why they had decided to come out, students cited the importance of preserving American Battlefields. Boy Scout Xavier Gonzalez stated, “It’s what makes us who we are and it’s important to know where we’ve come from in order to move on into the future and to show past generations to our future generations one day.” After hearing about Major Pelham the students boarded the Fredericksburg Trolley which took them over to Slaughter Pen for an artillery demonstration courtesy of Stribling’s Battery.
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Portraying the 1st Connecticut Light Artillery Battery for the day, Stribling’s Battery crewmen talked to the students about how young men manning the guns were not in fact all that different from themselves. Matthew Devor confided privately afterwards that, “War is a terrible thing, war is a godawful thing that should be avoided but the fact is they did remarkable feats during these battles, during these marches. Their ancestors did incredible tasks that they need to realize.” A Riverbend High School Senior, Katie Scarbeck, was surprised with the opportunity to pull the firing lanyard herself. She later commented that, “I learned a lot about artillery and about the dangers that come with the job and how the men who used to do this, how brave they were to do it.” After all the excitement, the volunteers were went home with a t-shirt, a complimentary copy of CVBT’s Journal with articles relating to the Battle of Fredericksburg, a free digital student membership, and a personally signed letter from CVBT President Tom Van Winkle thanking them for their time and effort.
The youth group stands ready to go.
