Real battlefields vs. virtual ones: which have you visited?

[Don Maddox]

How many of you have visited a real Civil War battlefield? If so, which ones have you been to and what did you find there? Was the battlefield as you envisioned it would be?

[Palantir]

First group I thought it was pretty much just as the maps & readings showed & I envisioned:

Wilsons Creek Mo, Pea Ridge Ark, App Court House VA, Saylers Creek VA, Brices Cross Roads, Kenesaw Mt, Petersburg, Mine Creek KS, Rich MT WVa, Bentonville NC, Ft Fisher NC, Nashville (Lookout MT parts)

Second group: These were mostly too commercialized or built up and not what I expected:
Gettysburg (parts too tourist), Fredricksburg, Richmond VA sites, Nashville (urban).

[rahamy]

I've visited quite a few over the years, most of which are covered in this article I wrote after one of my road trips:

http://www.hist-sdc.com/images/trip/trip1.html

I've been to Gettysburg twice now and it is by far the most well preserved of the fields I've seen.

Taking the driving tour of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, The Wilderness & Spotsylvania Courthouse battlefields is well worth it too. Lot's to see in that circuit.

For those considering coming to Virginia this June for Tiller Con, you can see pretty much all of this on your trip, if you're interested! http://www.hist-sdc.com/con/ :cool:

I've never been to any of the Western fields, so having to "look around" modern developments is the norm for me...

[BarcelonaBlom]

My dad went to Franklin and Wilson's Creek.

He said neither is what he envisioned. Franklin has a Strip Mall on it and Wilson's Creek is overgrown (this was late 80's early 90's).

[Brevet]

I did a bicycle tour a few years ago. Started in Williamsburg VA and made it to several battlefields including Malvern Hill, Frayser's Farm, Harpers Ferry, South Mountain, Gettysburg, and Antietam. Finished in Baltimore.

Last summer my wife and I visited Vicksburg, Corinth, and Shiloh. Other battlefields I've visited over the years include, Manassas, Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Pea Ridge, and Westport (now Kansas City, MO - I used to live there). Shiloh is my favorite and I hope to get back there when I have some more time.

Bicycle is my favorite method of touring the larger battlefields. I rode all over Gettysburg and Antietam. :TRUCE:

[Palantir]

My dad went to Franklin and Wilson's Creek.
He said neither is what he envisioned. Franklin has a Strip Mall on it and Wilson's Creek is overgrown (this was late 80's early 90's).

The area around Wilson's Creek was Missouri "wilderness" overgrown during the battle with scrub-brush and scrub-oaks, surrounding the scattered cornfields. The site is as it should have been in 1861, I thought it was well preserved. :)

Biking would be a great way to travel the battlefields!! :D
I could just imagine hearing the sound of marching soldiers and creaking saddle leather as you coast along the trails. :love:

[Don Maddox]

Portions of Gettysburg town are indeed a "modern" town now, but the battlefield itself is very well preserved. The only thing that is a distraction to some people are the monuments.

I've been up and down the Round Tops multiple times and Devil's Den is a completely unique piece of land. If you have never been there to see it for yourself, you will probably be shocked the first time you stand on the rocks at the top and look down. I can scarcely think of a better piece of real estate for an army of that era to have occupied! The view from the Confederate side of the battlefield (the western side) is equally impressive, but for different reasons.

The thing that always strikes me when I go there is the sheer size of the battlefield. It's somewhat larger than you would expect. Standing at one end of it you can barely make out the terrain on the other end of it. It really gives you an idea of the massive scale of this engagement.

Hopefully, I'll be able to swing a short trip over there before I leave for Texas in July. I want to view the battlefield from horseback and there are several places in town that specialize in that.

I've been to all sorts of different battlefields and many of them just seem like a piece of land. It's a little hard to explain, but Gettysburg has a hushed and hallowed feeling to it. It's almost as if you can feel the power of the place as you walk around these most famous of Civil War locations. There is also a ton of great stuff to see and do in Gettysburg including some top notch Civil War art shops, book stores, mini-museums, and more. If you have never been able to go, I very highly recommend going at least once. The big reenactment is during the actually anniversary dates every year and draws thousands and thousands of people from all over.

[CyberRanger]

I'd like to second Don's comments about Gettysburg. What struck me was the size of the battlefield. The distance from the early morning engagements of Day 1 to the assaults on Day 2 is substantial.

My favorite battlefield visit was Antietam (I've only seen Gettysburg, Bull Run, and Antietam). The field seems well preserved and the distances are small enough that one can picture the entire battlefield. It does not have quite the feel of reverence that Gettysburg has but I still felt awed by the courage and sacrifice of the men involved.

[SoccerDJ]

I've been to Gettysburg which I just thought was an incredible military park and hopefully will one day get to go back. I've also been Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Atlanta, Stone Mt.

I dont know if anyone has heard of this last one but its right out side of Richmond Virginia and its called Pamphlin (I think thats spelled correctly) It was an incredibly park and had one of the better museums inside. I'll try to find a link to it but it was an awesome Civil War park. The museum was incredible you did a walk through in which you had a head set and a CD player type thing that was trigger when you walk into a new room and it would guide you through that room and you could go at what ever pace you wanted. Its a great experience.

[SoccerDJ]

Heres the link for Pamplin Park. I encourge you all to take a look and try to plan a trip out there its well worth the time and money.


http://www.pamplinpark.org/

[rahamy]

I agree about Pamplin...I included comments on it in my "Trip" link above. I would rate it as a top place to go, right behind Gettysburg.

[Don Maddox]

You know I've been asked multiple times about having a Warfare HQ "convention" or something like that. I still have no plans to do that at the moment, but I am open to the possibility of doing an informal get together just for fun. My first choice would be Gettysburg. I've toured the battlefield multiple times, but have never been able to do so with friends that I could discuss the battle with. I think that would be fun.

[SoccerDJ]

You know I've been asked multiple times about having a Warfare HQ "convention" or something like that. I still have no plans to do that at the moment, but I am open to the possibility of doing an informal get together just for fun. My first choice would be Gettysburg. I've toured the battlefield multiple times, but have never been able to do so with friends that I could discuss the battle with. I think that would be fun.
That would be an awesome idea, alot of planning on someones part but a overall good experince and an interesting learning time. And we could put names with faces:)

[Rich Walker]

My dad went to Franklin and Wilson's Creek.

He said neither is what he envisioned. Franklin has a Strip Mall on it and Wilson's Creek is overgrown (this was late 80's early 90's).

An odd combination! The only portion of Franklin that can give you a hint of the battlefield, is a visit to the Carter House. The thousands of bullets that hit it, as well as the nearby buildings, are still present. They have a wesite with pictures.
http://www.carter-house.org/

As for Nashville, it doesn't exist. Only a hike up a wooden stair trail to the top of Shy's Hill (mostly weeds). The rest is simply marked with State historic markers on the sides of busy streets.

Stones River National Battlefield park is a nicely preserved area in Murfreesboro, Tn. It just built a new Visitor Center.

Shiloh and Chickamauga are great parks. And don't miss Fort Donelson if your ever near Clarksville, Tn (Fort Campbell's Screaming Eagle's nearest town).

Rich


Rich

[Mad Cow]

Chickamauga and Olustee are the only fields I have had a chance to visit. Olustee I was too young, but I saw Chickamauga just a couple years ago. I did not get to spend enough time there, its pretty damn big. But standing in the Union lines at the spot wear the Army of the Tennessee made its big breakthrough was amazing. Definantly reccomend and very well preserved.

[JWW]

I just did a 10k run at the national park at Vicksburg Saturday. The Run Thru History is always the first Saturday in March, is well attended, and is a real bear, considering the hills. Vicksburg has a very good park with many interesting exhibits, including the USS Cairo.

I've also been to Pea Ridge, Shiloh, Port Hudson, Gettysburg, Antietam, and a few other places.

I'm awaiting my copy of Gettysburg. I don't post much here, but I read this forum frequently and appreciate the effort and information of those who put this together.

[HiredGoon]

Been to Gettysburg, Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Harpers Ferry. Fredericksburg was the most disapointing, being the most developed of the above battlefields, just a small strip of stone wall next to a parking lot, its impossible to imagine what the battlefield actually looked like. I was however pleasently surprised with how undeveloped Bull Run still was.

[dgfred]

You guys are lucky, I've only been to Bentonville, Petersburg area and Peachtree Creek area near Atlanta. :o

I would love to go to Gettysburg someday, and Antietam too :cool: .

[Mason Jar]

Reviving an old thread.

Gettysburg is the gold standard for information. If you have the time and money there are licensed guides who can delve into minutia on every part of the field. Every unit has “flank markers” for their position (at least at some point) in the battle. You have to take a side trail to see where the 20th Main made their stand. It is isolated and pristine and gave me goose bumps.

Prairie Grove is almost exactly the same as it was during the battle. The park isn’t that big but the land is still mostly farm and pasture. This was a small but hotly contested battle. (Wounded troops who crawled into haystacks for warmth were roasted alive when the hay was set on fire by hot shot and local pigs ate the remains) You can view the whole field and really get a feel for the battle.

Antitem had a program that took you to the cornfield, the sunken road and Burnsides bridge. I got a great overveiw of the battlefield in a couple of hours. (All I could talk my wife and kids into) I can't wait to get back. The country around Sharpsburg is some of the most beutiful I've ever seen.

Donaldson is a jewel with original earth works still in place.

The truth is I’ve never seen a site that totally disappointed me. A little bit of CW history is better than none at all.

Thanks for the input. I can't wait to see for myself.

[MGRamseur]

I have been to both and cannot add anything all that new. The most striking impressions for me were Bloody Lane at Antietam and the tower you can ascend on the top of Culp's Hill. If you go to Gettysburg start over on Chambersburg Pike and tour the battlefield chronologically as the battle progressed. I drug my poor wife all over the place for a full day doing this. When you finally finish up standing where Pickett's charge came out of the woods to form up it does affect you when you see the small clump of trees at the angle. Even my wife had to admit it was an daunting view, especially with all the high ground you see to the north and south that you knew the Yanks had covered with guns that day.

[Nicholas Bell]

Even my wife had to admit it was an daunting view, especially with all the high ground you see to the north and south that you knew the Yanks had covered with guns that day.

So true. But you also can see the undulations in the terrain that enabled the CSA forces to get as far as they did. Those dips in the ground were important, and are not represented in any Gettysburg game, board or computer, that I am aware of.

Been to Gettysburg 4 times. Some of the locations simply overwhelm me with emotion - difficulty understanding how men could fight in such numbers in such terrain. That Longstreet's forces made it as far as they did on the 2nd day is a wonder. Also visted Gaines Mills and Cold Harbor. Gaines Mill gave me that "why in the world would they attack here" feeling. Cold Harbor is more forest than it was, so it was difficult to get a feel for it. Of course, if you want to "feel" Cold Harbor I understand that being there at night can make your skin crawl. Plenty of ghosts, so I'm told.

Did you all know that the NPS has a major initiative on-going to restore battlefields to as close as possible to original condition? This includes removing man-made structures on park property, and either cutting down or planting trees as necessary.

Ironically, my wife has visited nearly all the battlefields, as she works for Eastern National - the non-profit which runs the bookstores on the parks. Consequently, the odds of us going to visit for "fun" are nill. At least she brings me the park guides and brochures :)

[Don Maddox]

I will add this to the discussion on Gettysburg. It is a great place to take your family, and there is much there for them to see and do. It will make an impression on them, assuming the kids are old enough to understand what the place is.

But...

I would also like to go there sometime with a very small group of fellow gamers/historians. In the right company, it would be a trip to remember. If you have the opportunity to go there with friends, I would encourage you to do it.

[foster]

Out east:Gettysburg, Antietam
West:Shiloh, Franklin, and Nashville

[Mad Cow]

I can now add Kennesaw Mountain to my list.

Cheatham Hill was stunning as the sun dipped into the trees.

[KG_AirborneBob]

When I was a young LT in the Army, we took staff rides to Kennesaw Mountain, Stones River, and Fort Donelson. (I was stationed at Ft Campbell and Redstone Arsenal). What struck me was the terrain and weather, fighting in August with wool uniforms up a steep heavily wooded hill.
I used to live in Virginia, and visited Appomatox, which wasnt technically a battlesite, but just as intriguing just the same. I also visited the battle field where the cadets of VMI made a stand in the Valley, but for the life of me I cant remember the name. :confused:

[KG_RangerBooBoo]

When I was a young LT in the Army, we took staff rides to Kennesaw Mountain, Stones River, and Fort Donelson. (I was stationed at Ft Campbell and Redstone Arsenal). What struck me was the terrain and weather, fighting in August with wool uniforms up a steep heavily wooded hill.
I used to live in Virginia, and visited Appomatox, which wasnt technically a battlesite, but just as intriguing just the same. I also visited the battle field where the cadets of VMI made a stand in the Valley, but for the life of me I cant remember the name. :confused:

New Market....I think.

[CaptainGamer]

As a reenactor in the State of Illinois since 1991, I have been to numerous battlefields, but all in the west. I have been to Wilson's Creek, and even reenacted near the battlefield back in 91. The battlefield has not changed, and the rough landscape is still there. From the game and seeing the field, the game board I remember does not compare.
I was also at Fort Donelson in 91 as well in the month of March. I still remember that field very well. Though the fort is mostly gone with some exceptions of the fort walls and such it was very interesting.
I have been to Pilot Knob in Missouri many times. Though the battlefield has a museum and it is upkept, the fort walls and the crater of the ammunition dump explosion is still very much visible.
I have been to Resaca, Georgia, off the battlefields there, but close. And I have some wonderful stories about that.
Many of the battlefields now are in danger of being destroyed for the sake of sudivisions and strip malls, with real estate people claiming that these sites should no longer be preserved. Gettysburg is currently the hot bed of such debates and now Wilson Creek is following the danger signs as developers there seek to buy land to build the Wilson Creek subdivision.
I hope that all out there such as myself will continue to strive to preserve these national momuments and battlefields, but so far money is the king of all. :dead:

[Mason Jar]

I will add this to the discussion on Gettysburg. I would also like to go there sometime with a very small group of fellow gamers/historians. In the right company, it would be a trip to remember. If you have the opportunity to go there with friends, I would encourage you to do it.

Yes! My family almost abandoned me when I did a half day CD guided tour. It was very good, but I would have loved to spend a lot more time with one of the licensed guides. The ones I eavesdropped on had an encyclopedic knowledge of the battle and seemed to relish their job.