Strasburg > Hupp’s Hill Civil War/Karst interpretive walking trail
The Lunette CWK 4 trail marker is on the Hupp’s Hill Civil War/Karst Interpretive Walking Trail at the Hupp’s Hill Civil War Park north of Strasburg, Virginia.
Civil War troops could rapidly construct sophisticated earthworks, especially when they were targeted by vastly superior numbers of enemy forces. A well-designed earthwork could more readily absorb a projectile and was therefore more effective against artillery fire than was a masonry fortification, which tended to shatter when struck.
The artillery emplacement facing you, termed a lunette because of its half-moon shape, was originally built muzzle-high in order to discharge the cannon across the top of the lunette while still protecting the belly of the gun from enemy fire. This lunette, originally constructed after Hupp’s Hill had been deforested for colonial settlement, was totally swallowed up by the secondary forest growth after the war. Careful removal of brish, briars, vines, and other foliage in 2002 revealed this almost perfectly preserved earthwork.
Native American Use of Local Trees
Indians equipped with stone tools fully utilized 680+ indigenous species of American trees as sources of food (nuts), medicines, dyes, fuel, canoes, dwellings, bowls, paddles, boxes, clothing, masks, religious images, totems, handles, and tools. Several species are marked on this interpretive trail.
Catalpa comes from the Muskogee Creek word katalpa, meaning “head with wings.” Catalpa is nicknamed “Indian cigar” and “Indian bean tree” for its pendulous, slender, cylindrical, foot-long seed capsule. Two species of catalpa grow 100 feet tall and produce white flowers with yellow stripes and purple-brown spots.
Hickory comes fro the Virginia Algonquian word pawcohiccor, meaning, “food prepared from pounded nuts.” Hickory trees produce plentiful nuts that Eastern Indians pounded into “hickory milk” that was blended into stews and bread. Seventeen species of hickory also produced hardwood that was idea for making bows.
Cedar wood was used for bows and teepee poles, branches for combs, split roots fot he foundation of woven baskets, and boughs for cot mattresses. The conifer was burnt on the altar of the Sacred Woman during the Sun Dance and the sacred Thunderbird was said to nest in mountain cedars.
Red Ash was used in California to make pipes, which Indians smoked to induce dreams, to show respect for a visitor, and to cure illnesses.
