The Civil War Buff’s Travel Guide
The Battlefields
Antietam, Maryland (Sharpsburg)
In September 1862, Robert E. Lee’s southern army invaded the North in what was to become the first of two major Northern battles. The town where this took place was called Sharpsburg, but was named after Antietam Creek (many Southern battlefields have two names; the North called them after the stream or river that ran closest to the battlefield, and the South named the field after the closest city). Antietam, as an important Northern battle, paved the way for the battle of Gettysburg which was to come less than ten months later.
– – Bloody Lane. A popular battlefield spot, the place now known as Bloody Lane was once a road that has sunk further over time. So many soldiers became casualties, both dead and wounded, that it gained the ominous name of “Bloody Lane.” Try ducking down low inside this “sunken road” and imagining what it was like to peer up over the top and see the enemies’ shoes!
– – Burnside’s Bridge. This beautiful stone bridge, once known as Rohrbach’s, was a key part of the battle of Antietam, and even today is a well-recognized landmark of the battlefield. In the middle of the day, September 17, 1862, General Burnside ordered his men to ford Antietam Creek. Georgians bombarded them as they attempted to cross.
– – Dunker Church. This humble church, once used by farmers and their families, became a site of great carnage. Union troops used the church grounds to push back Confederate flanks, and generals on both sides remembered the little church in their writings. Dunker Church also was associated with medical care after the battle, beginning a short-lived career as a field hospital.
Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Fredericksburg, Virginia
The battles of Fredericksburg (December 1862), Chancellorsville (May 1863) and the Wilderness (1864) were all carried out in and around the same huge outcropping of woods known as the Wilderness. It was in the Chancellorsville battle that the great general Thomas Jonathan Jackson, known popularly as Stonewall, was mortally wounded. Visiting these battlefields all in the same day can be overwhelming, as each battle occurred in a different year and you may want to get your battle chronology straight. If possible, give a day for each battlefield tour. When you are touring this conglomeration of fighting fields, here are some things you should keep an eye out for:
– – (Chancellorsville) Stonewall Jackson marker. This large stone marker shows where General “Stonewall” Jackson fell mortally wounded. The secluded spot in the woods is a good place to stop and reflect on the many sacrifices the general made during the course of war. Take time to stop and notice the tiny wooden sign that says “Unknown Union soldier” and ponder who may lie here far from home.
– – (Fredericksburg) Marye’s Heights. Here you can find an old Virginia plantation-style house known as Brompton, an elegant red-brick home with huge white columns. It is also known as the Marye house, explaining the name of Marye’s Heights. Here on the “heights,” Brompton became a temporary hospital, as many houses did, both North and South, during the War Between the States.
– – (Wilderness) The “Wilderness” woods. Take a look around at the trees and undergrowth, much of which still looks just as it did during the war, and you can see why it was such a terrible place to fight. Keep in mind that any spot in the woods that you look, a soldier most likely fell there almost 150 years before.
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Considered by many to be the bloodiest fighting fields in the United States, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is definitely one of the most well-preserved Civil War battlegrounds. On the first three days of July 1863, both civilians and soldiers were caught up in the horrors of war. The fighting exploded not only along the many fields and knolls surrounding the village, but in the streets themselves, terrifying the townsfolk. Over 50,000 casualties were added to the records by the time the battle was done, many of them gained on the second day of fighting at Little Round Top, Devil’s Den, the Peach Orchard, and Triangular Field.
– – Devil’s Den. On July 2nd, General Hood’s Texans wrested the huge million-year-old boulders from Union defenders. Many met their deaths here between the crevices. Today, it is an eerie part of the field, sticking out against the sky. For those who are athletic or want a sense of adventure, a trail of steps and bridges crisscrosses the top of the rocks and affords a striking view of Little Round Top
– – Little Round Top. For both Union and Confederate generals, the importance of the high, rocky slope was quickly realized. Union men from New York and Pennsylvania and their artillery broke the ranks of the Southern men charging up the rocky slope. The slope is now known as the “Valley of Death” and it dotted with huge rocks, showing tourists just how little the landscape has changed since 1863.
– – Pickett’s Charge. Many visitors see this as the most peaceful and spiritual place on the entire field, which is odd considering some of the greatest carnage happened here. On the 3rd of July, thousands of southerners made a march across an empty field to the spot now known as the Copse of Trees. Not allowed to fire as they marched, they were easily picked off by Northern troops and the charge became one of the greatest military disasters in the history of war. It is sometimes called the High Tide of the Confederacy.
Something Else to See
National Civil War Museum, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg is located about 30 miles from the state capitol of Harrisburg, which boasts a huge American Civil War Museum, so if you have the time to stop here on the way back from or on the way to Gettysburg, it would be a terrific side-trip. Any conceivable exhibit pertaining to the Civil War can be found here, and you could easily spend more than a day exploring every nook and cranny. Hop outside and see the bricks engraved with names of Civil War soldiers.
