When you walk through the forest the first thing that you think of is not about battles, but rather about what nice scenery it is. When walking through the woods at Malvern Hill makes it hard to picture this luscious land to once be a battlefield where many men lost their lives. For me especially, seeing places that are now used for conventional uses like farmland make it harder to picture it being the location of a great battle between Confederate and Union forces. However, that is what many of the battlefields of then are today. It is just land that used to be where many fought and lost their lives, but today all we see is an empty field, and never think twice about it, and sometimes find it hard to think of it as battleground like it was to the men of the Civil War.
Unlike Civil War battles like Gettysburg, the Seven Days Battle took place in a number of locations; it was not fought in only one place. There was strategizing to win the battles that were fought until dark. Historians have discussed about the Seven Days Battle and have many different perspectives about it; was it the women that caused the confederates to lose, what about Lincoln. For any side to win, they needed constant support from their people, which they did not always get from them, especially when it began to look dire that they would win this war. Lee used desperation to win his battles and would always fight on the offensive side, which may have led him to surrender earlier than could have happened if he fought defensively, which historians debate today about whether the Confederates could have lasted longer, or whether they are surprised about their lasting as long as they did. When it comes to battles, no matter what the outcome, there will always be debate about why it turned out the way it did, and whether or not it could have turned out differently if there were different scenarios occurring than the ones that were.
The Battlefields that we saw were very interesting to think that there was once a battle fought there, because if one only looked at it that would never had crossed their mind. In fact, when troops were fleeing they were not expecting to come into confrontation with the enemy. When the Confederated were leaving, they did not expect to encounter the Union troops at the Battlefield of Gaines Mill because that place was not existent on Lee's map. Troops always had to be prepared for what could be around the corner. For me, seeing places that are for me a calming place is a revelation to realize that what we see as peaceful may not have always been like that. If one went through those trees during 1863, they would not think of it as a calming place like we do today; rather, they would think it a stressful place with all the gun shots coming from left and right making you fearful for your life.
Berkeley's plantation is an interesting place because of its importance to American history like being where the military song at funerals was composed, or being the place of former presidents like Henry Harrison, or opening its door to 12 presidents over its history. This plantation has seen a lot of history from the Revolutionary War to today because it is still a working plantation with people still living in it even while people visit this historical landmark. Berkeley survived the civil war and was not burned, which is fortunate for them, and historians alike. Losing the history would matter to everyone today, but that does not necessarily mean that everyone will understand what history they have lost that existed in that plantation.
If you just visit places like Berkeley plantation, or battlefield in the forest you do not necessarily understand the history behind it unless you study about it. Many of the places have a background to them, and we may not know about them all right away, or understand its true significance. However, studying it will improve our understanding of history and locations to see that even if it looks just like a farmland, it may have more historical significance than you think that helped shaped the nation to what it is seen as today.