One of the more penetrating experiences of this tour has been visiting a few civil war sites in Virginia, particularly this little cottage pictured above. Behind here was one of the bloodier battle scenes in Va. Martha "Granny" Stephens owned this house and resided here throughout the war. Some of the writings on the plaques around these sites gave me chills:
"Legend holds that Martha Stephens, unlike most local residents remained in her house throughout the battle. She purportedly made repeated, dangerous trips to her well and tore strips from her own garments to bind the wounds of the fallen."
"Local children knew Martha Stephens as 'Granny.' They also remembered her ever present apron, the pipe often clenched in her teeth, and her matronly form. But Martha Stephens was no typical granny. At a time when women rarely owned property, she owned no fewer than 7 tracts, including a 92-acre farm in Spotsylvania County. For a time she ran a saloon in her home. A local resident rembered her as 'uneducated and too free and outspoken in what she said and did and how she did it.'"
I absolutely love hearing stories of strong women like Martha. She reminds me of the kind of women I hear my Grandma Babara was. I've carried her courageous spirit with me in my travels since I learned of her!
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