We hiked through Balls Bluff Virginia Battlefield, using sticks as fake guns. Crouching behind long since fallen and rotted trees we pretended to be Civil War soldiers.

There was a quietness to the atmosphere, the ground wet from the mornings rain. We could almost see and feel the ghosts of long dead Yankees and Rebs.
Stopping to read grave markers from the brave of both the North and South, we reflected on what happened to those who gave their lives, many were very young.
Taking photos as we hiked down to the water, watching a small waterfall, finding a salamander under a rock. Writing our names on a tree to mark our presence there for perpetuity.

We heard the sound of birds or the whistling of the tree branches in the breeze.
Back at the car, scraping mud off our shoes, but still glad we spent the day outdoors, having the battlefield all to ourselves, lone tourists appreciating our nations history.