The Gilmore cabin was built in 1870 by George Gilmore, a freed slave, on land leased from the Montpelier Estate (see this post ). The cabin was constructed from material salvaged from the remains of a nearby Confederate camp which was occupied during the winter of 1863 and 1864. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia had numerous encampments in Orange County, and in 2002 Montpelier archeologists determined that the camp located close to the Gilmore cabin was occupied by General Samuel McGowan's South Carolina Brigade.
The Montpelier Archaeology Department has mapped these camps around Montpelier and excavated several of the original hut sites. These are the only known camp sites on protected land that have survived undisturbed since the Civil War.
On August 20 and 21, 2011, General McGowan's encampment was recreated on the grounds of Montpelier near the site of the original Civil War Camps. Join me this week as I explore life in a Civil War camp in photographs.
Tomorrow: Morning in camp.
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