History can be humbling

Looking out over the vast area where lengthy battles left thousands of fallen soldiers is extremely humbling for Sam Pauley.
Because she enjoys the historical value of places such as Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Shiloh and other places where Civil War battles took place over a century and a half ago, Pauly continues to trek easterly every few years.
"I have been to a lot of battle sites; too many to count," she said.
Pauley, who lives in Ghent, then made a list of the places pertaining to the Civil War that she and her father, Jerry, have taken in over the years. Sometimes her mother, Marla, comes along on the trips, too.
Pauley's interest in the Civil War began when she was only nine years old, accompanying her parents to Connecticut to visit family members.
"We stopped at Gettysburg and that spurred my interest in the Civil War," Pauley said. "I started reading some books about the Civil War and have been reading ever since."
When Pauley graduated in 2002 from Marshall High School, her family made a return trip to Gettysburg.
"I got to plan everything," said Pauley, who has worked for Cenex and AgPlus for the past 14 1/2 years. "We toured a lot of the museums and other Civil War places of interest."Pauley and her father recently returned from a trip to Vicksburg, Mississippi in late May; the seventh trip of that kind to battle sites Pauley and one or both of her parents have embarked on.
"When I go to these places, I take my time and read every single plaque because I find them so interesting," said Pauley.
Because Pauley has read so many books about the Civil War and the battles at each location, she can envision the battles taking place when she visits each location.
While standing and looking out over the large area where Pickett's Charge took place on the last day of the battle at Gettysburg om July 3, 1863, Pauley experienced an almost indescribable feeling.
"It was very humbling," she said. "That battle was the hottest day of the Gettysburg battles and soldiers did what they were told without batting an eye, even though they had to know it was likely they would be killed or injured. The courage they had is amazing."
Another humbling experience Pauley encountered during one of her trips was when she visited the National Prisoner of War Museum in Andersonville, Georgia, which features the history of POWs throughout American history.
Andersonville is just a few miles from Fort Sumter where the first shots were allegedly fired to begin the Civil War and where an "End of the War" celebration took place on April 14, 1865; the same day President Lincoln was shot.
"I actually got to visit Fort Sumter on April 12, 2019, which was the anniversary of the bombardment of the fort," said Pauley. "It is very well preserved."
The Confederate Army captured 30,000 Union soldiers and held them captive in the stockade in Andersonville that was designed to hold only 10,000. The Union soldiers ate food that was often rotted, drank from a polluted stream, and had little shelter. Half of the Union soldiers held captive died before the end of the war from starvation, infection or diarrhea.
"I felt cold chills there," she described. "It was really sad to read the stories (from diaries)​ from actual prisoners of war."
While many of these battlegrounds can be sobering, there are also many sites that are intriguing and compelling.
These are some of the many Civil War battle sites and places of interest Pauley and her family have taken in over the years: Gettysburg (1993, 2002, 2015), 1st and 2nd Manassas, also known as Bull Run to the Northerners (2012, 2015); Chancellorsville (2012, 2015); Fredericksburg (2012, 2015); Richmond (2012); Appomattox (2012, 2015); Ford's Theater (2012); Arlington (1993, 2012); The Wilderness (2015); Spotsylvania (2015); Guinea, VA (2015); Locust Grove, VA (2015); Harper's Ferry (2015); Sharpsburg, also known as Antietam to the Northerners (2015); Shiloh (2018); Chickamauga (2018); Chattanooga (2018); Franklin (2018); Stoners River (2018); Fort Donaldson (2018); Corinth (2018); Andersonville (2018); Fort Sumter (2019); Charleston (2019); Vicksburg (2021).
"One things that was really cool was standing where (Thomas) 'Stonewall' Jackson got his nickname during the Battle of Manassas Junction in Virginia (also known as the Battle of Bull Run in 1861)," Pauley noted. "It was interesting to know that I was standing in the spot in Chancellorsville where he was shot."
Jackson's never-give-up attitude and his ability to remain calm during the most difficult situation is how he got his nickname "Stonewall". He was accidentally wounded on May 2, 1863, by friendly fire during a battle near Chancellorsville, Virginia. He was shot twice in the left arm and once in the right hand.
Jackson's left arm was amputated and buried at Locust Grove, VA. He died eight days later from complications from pneumonia and is buried in Guinea, VA; both places which were visited by Pauley.
Pauley also went to Appomattox Court House where Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant. There, Pauley had her picture taken with costumed lookalikes of the two generals during the 150th Commemorative Anniversary of the Surrender in 2015.
"Inside the house are replicas of the desk and tables used during the signing, and a few household items like beds, dining table, etc.," said Pauley. We were also there in 2012. I really enjoyed it there and I'd like to go again."
Among Pauley's favorite places she has visited was the 2nd Minnesota monument in Shiloh, Tennessee in 2018.
"I liked it because it was very well preserved, and because it's one of the more well-known battlefields in that area," Pauley said about the monument to the troops from Minnesota that fought in the Civil War Battle of Shiloh that stands in Shiloh National Military Park along the Tennessee River. "
"Some of places we have been to more than once because you learn something different every time you go," said Pauley.
"Every trip has been an overwhelming experience."