Continental U.S. Civil War Sites

[STFeryus]

Hey everybody,

Just looking for a few opinions. Here's the deal. I'm almost a senior in high school and for a graduation present my aunt has promised me a trip anywhere within the continental U.S. I definitely want to take a Civil War related trip. I'm located just around Baltimore, MD, so I would like to go out of driving range, making Gettysburg and VA fairly close. What area would you suggest, with any good museums or battlefields in the area, that could take up a week or two? Just looking for some good ideas.

Thanks for the help!

[JohnTaylorCW]

Re: Continental U.S. Civil War Sites

Hi Stephen,

If you are located in Baltimore, and you have the chance to something do special, perhaps you should look at the Western Theatre. Consider Vicksburg as a destination for example.

Alternatively, do you have a specific unit that you're interested in? Consider researching and visiting several of sites where they fought in a grouping. I did a trip several years ago centering around sites where a unit that I'm interested in (the 49th NY) fought. (Eastern Theatre.)

Do you have a family member or historical personage you're interested in? What sites, both military and civilian would he (or perhaps she) have been associated with?

Just some suggestions for you. Research can be really fun.

John T

[STFeryus]

Re: Continental U.S. Civil War Sites

I'm not looking for anything that's super specific. As far as family goes, I have a few distant cousins who fought with the 42nd Indiana, but only from Oct. '64 until the end of the war.

Just looking for some "must see" special sites, as well as some smaller lesser known ones that are around. Trying to get some discussion going...

[BobbyHughes]

Re: Continental U.S. Civil War Sites

If you are ever down here in the Peach State, I would recommend Lookout Mtn, TN, Picketts Mill, Chickamauga, and Kennesaw Mtn, and of course Andersonville. On the lesser known side you could pop into Lithia Springs, GA and visit Sweetwater Creek Conservation Park, and visit the ruins of the New Manchester Manufacturing Co, burned by Federal troops July 9, 1864 in conjunction with the distruction of the Roswell mills. That story is one of the lesser known, and equally tragic events of the Late Unpleasentness.

[Jim Mayo]

Re: Continental U.S. Civil War Sites

How much time are you going to spend on this trip? Having been to some of the afore mentioned sites, I would suggest something a little different. Fly to Charleston SC to the Rebel den where it all started. Take the tour of the old city, see Ft. Sumpter and some of the Batterys, visit the Hunley and go to the UDC museum near the old slave market. Take a plantation tour or two. From Charleston take a trip to Columbia and visit the SC relic room. It will be hot but enjoyable and a good way to spend about 3 days.

On the way back, stop at as many of the battlefields as you can fit in.

[Bitter_Bierce]

Re: Continental U.S. Civil War Sites

Ditto to the Western Theater. Here you will find three of the four original National Military Parks: Chickamauga & Chattanooga, Shiloh & Vicksburg. The war was truly won and lost out here.

[10TnVI]

Re: Continental U.S. Civil War Sites

Friend- if your flying might I suggest you fly into Memphis and rent a car. Besides good BBQ you'll find the following sites within a 2-2 1/2 hour drive.
N. B. Forrest Grave
Shiloh NBF
Ft. Pillow State Historical Park
Corinth Battlefied and CW interpretive center(also C&D Jarnigans store)
The battlefields of-Brice's Crossroads, Parker's Crossroads, Brittin's Lane, Tupelo, Helena

If your driving I'd say head down across VA. (incidentaly backtracking Longstreet's return to the east after Chicamauga) to Knoxville, cut down to Chattanooga/Chicamauga then pick up the series of battlefields from the Atlanta campaign.

[DJCasey]

Re: Continental U.S. Civil War Sites

If you hit up Shiloh, I think you should definately make the trip to Ft. Donelson. Beyond being historically interesting, it is a beautiful site.

[Chad Teasley]

Re: Continental U.S. Civil War Sites

If you go with Shiloh, Corinth with its great visitors' center is only a stone's throw away...And if you keep headed south to Jackson, and then hit I-20 west, you'll be in Vicksburg before you know it. :)

[STFeryus]

Re: Continental U.S. Civil War Sites

I'll definitely take all of this into consideration. There's some really good ideas. Hopefully I can combine as many of them into one trip if possible.

Thanks!!

[toptimlrd]

Re: Continental U.S. Civil War Sites

If you hit Georgia, I also reccomend the Atlanta History Center, and if you are into the Civil War Railroads both the General and Texas of the Andrews Raid fame are still around. The General is in th Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History and the Texas is in the Atlanta Cyclorama. Other sites (some already mentioned) in the area are Chikamauga with a fantastic collection of CW weapons, Kennesaw Mtn, Kolb Farm, Pickett's Mill, Tunnel Hill, Resaca, Ringgold Gap, Chattanooga, Rome, etc.

If you make it far enough into S. Georgia to see Andersonville, you can hop down to I-10 go towards Jacksonville and hit the Olustee battlefield (largest battle in Florida), a small site just west of Jacksonville called Camp Milton, Ft. Clinch which was being built during the period, St. Augustine has a fort that was called Marion during the war and is known now by its first name Castillo de San Marco, you can then head north through Savannah to tour it's historic forts and then up to Charleston where you can tour Ft. Sumter, the Battery, see the CSS Hunley, as well as numerous other sites.