Civil War History/Battlefields
 

I wanted to get some info on the civil war battlefields near Northern Virginia. I have guests coming in for the holidays who are interested in Civil War History and seeing some of the battlefields but I don't have much information for them. Any help would be greatly appreciated!<BR><BR>Thanks.

I am a civil war buff who lives in N.Va. There are many sites nearby. Here are a few. For more information on these, including directions, go to http://www.nps.gov/parks.html.<BR><BR>1) Manassas Battlefield -- site of 1st and 2nd Manassas; in Northern Va. about 45 minutes from D.C.; easily accessible from I-66.<BR><BR>2) Fredericksburg &amp; Spotsylvania Battlefields -- many battlefields located in a small area; battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Spotsylvania; about 1 hour from D.C.; easily accessible from I-95<BR><BR>3) Gettysburg Battlefield -- although in Pennsylvania, it's only about 75 minutes from D.C. (it takes me 1 hour 15 minutes to get there from N. Va.).<BR><BR>4) Antietam Battlefield -- in Maryland and about 1 hr 10 mins from D.C./N. Va.<BR><BR>I think G'Burg is a must for all Americans, and the others are interesting as well.

Completly concur with poster r/e GETTYSBERG,a visit their still chills me,especally at the devils den just before the park closes at 10.00 p m.

For those interested in Civil War sites, Alice Cromie's book is unbeatable. Give background information, describes the historical event, and then tells where to go to find something related to that event (sometimes all you get is a sign two miles away from the actual site).<BR><BR>For someone visiting for the first time, the above are good suggestions. Depending on what you call &quot;Northern&quot; Virginia, don't overlook Richmond Battlefield National Historic Site.<BR><BR>If you do go to Gettysburg, see the film first. Then, when you stand at Little Round Top, you'll almost hear General Chamberlain give the command to make a flank attack.

Thanks so much for all of the information. I will pick up the book Paul suggested for a Christmas gift. My guests have already been to Gettysburg and Antietam (though I have not so I will be sure to), so they will probably be most interested in Manassas and Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania. Is there much to see at either of these or is it really just an open area with a couple plaques?<BR><BR>Thanks again for the help.<BR><BR>MB

I have not been to Manassas yet but have to been to all the other major ones in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The battlefields around Fredericksburg are quite interesting, and there is a lot to see there. However, the battlefields themselves won't compare to Gettysburg or Antietam in regards to landscape or monuments. The Chancellorsville visitor center has a very nice display, and the Fredericksburg visitor center has a decent but smaller one (the bookstore there is great). Fredericksburg offers nice tours of the sunken road and has a large national cemetery. The town itself is also worth a visit. You can also tour the Chatham mansion as part of the driving tour route and visit the nearby site of Guiney Station to see the room in which Stonewall Jackson died. The Wilderness battlefield has very few monuments or cannons and doesn't take long to visit. The Spotsylvania battlefield is similar but does have a small Confederate cemetery nearby and some monuments at the greatly eroded Bloody Angle. Chancellorsville has some cannon; the site of Jackson's flank attack is now a modern cemetery so somewhat disappointing; the drive around the route of Jackson's flank march is long and on dirt roads for much of the distance, but it is interesting in that it puts the troop positions and movements into perspective. Richmond is a little farther afield but could be an option. It's Museum of the Confederacy and Confederate White House are top notch and among my favorite Civil War sites. Hollywood Cemetery contains the graves of many famous Confederate leaders. Just down the road is Petersburg, which has a beautiful battlefield drive. If they go to Petersburg, they really should also take in Pamplin Park, which has a large museum, extremely well preserved trenches (the site of the Union breakthrough at Petersburg), and re-enactors (not sure of their winter schedule for demonstrations). You can see lots of photos from these sites and others on my Web site at www.oneeyed.homestead.com. My site also provides additional details about what there is to see.

Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania and Manassas are somewhat similar in that both have preserved the places where the soldiers actually shot at each other, but the area around them is rapidly being consumed by suburbia. For instance, if you look down Sunken Road at where the Union troops started their murderous advance, you'll see a bunch of houses. Thus, although the actual Confederate site is preserved, it is REALLY difficult to imagine what soldiers on either side saw during the fighting.<BR><BR>Both parks have excellent displays explaining what happened at each site, and how it was significant for the battle. There are few monuments, but nowhere NEAR the number you'll find at Gettysburg. Interestingly, both places have statues to &quot;Stonewall&quot; Jackson: Manassas for where he got his nickname (which NOBODY used to his face) and Chancellorsville for where he was shot.