The Civil War Traveler's CompanionTell us about your favorite places to stay or eat on Civil War Battlefields. If you want to write a review of a Civil War B&B, this is the perfect place to post it.
Highfly, I assume that you are basically driving from MI to Nashville to Atlanta then over to Savanah. I have done this a couple of times though my starting point is from Chicagoland. Shiloh takes you too far west and Gettysburg takes you too far north from a direct route. The battlefields that a re more or less in your path are Stones River which is a very nice battlefield though what's left is pretty small, the town of Murphrysboro has grown over it. Chattanooga/Chickamauga are worth the visit for sure. Your mom will enjoy the ride and view from Lookout Mtn. There isn't too much left of Atlanta but Kennesaw Mtn and Stone Mtn which are nice. If you had to drive out of your way a little I would very much suggest going to Andersonville, there is nothing quite like it...very moving but it will take you a bit south of direct route but I feel it is worth it. Savannah is a very nice little city...a little version of Charleston in a way. I've been to Ft McAllister which is nice, but if you are trying you mom's patience I'd use the time at Andersonville. A couple of hrs to the north is Charleston which of course has Ft Sumter. Just a few quick ideas...
__________________ 'If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed,
if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.'
Mark Twain
Highfly, Sir, Compliments,
Being from the wolverine state myself I envy you and your trip. I have been on a few raids down that way , although a little earlier in the fall than now but all of Virginia[depending on your route] is open to you. Crowds will not be a concern, which
to me is important on such treks. If you can get Mom down towards Richmond on your travels you have a plethora of sites. Even around D.C. ,as mentioned earlier, there are many places that many Union Generals would just as soon forget. Just tell Mom you need gas and just happen to get it near Cold Harbor or the like. Anyway good hunting.
I passed some of these ideas on to my mother and it's not looking very promising ~ She was at Gettysburg and Antietam in the 1970s and has told me to go on my own, so it looks like I'm going this summer ~ The only one I was able to convince her of was Chickamauga/Chattanooga/Lookout Mountain ~ However, I think I can make some "strategic" detours from Savannah to D.C. as we're passing through Richmond.
There're a lot of battlefields between Richmond and D.C. ~ Any advice on the best ones?
Quote:
Originally Posted by pvt gauss
Just tell Mom you need gas and just happen to get it near Cold Harbor or the like.
I like that idea
__________________ ~ Highfly
If you want to catch the Devil, if you want to have fun, if you want to smell hell, jine the cavalry!
Consider a quick stop at the Bennett House in Durham, North Carolina. It's on I-85, site of the surrender of the Army of Tennessee. Also, off your parameters, but a very neat place is the battle site at Kings Mountain near Greenville, South Carolina. As any Creek descendant will tell you?, war has visited the South for many years.
Petersburg is very nice and I have a friend that is a Park Ranger there. Harpers Ferry might be a good choice because you are also visiting a picturesque town also that mom might enjoy.
__________________ 'If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed,
if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.'
Mark Twain
I'm going in late spring/early summer. When is the best time for a flower show across the gulf states?
Ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
If you travel from Nashville to Chattanooga, don't for get to stop at Hoovers Gap. The Interstate is within a few yards of the Union lines. Short stop but well worth it.
__________________ Located near Indianapolis, home of Col. Eli Lilly and the Eli Lilly Civil War Museum
Lookout Mountain in Georgia. Sell it to her as a scenic spot (it is) and stop by Chickamauga, a good battlefield and a great gun collection. Then dash down to Kennesaw Mtn & in Kennesaw, you can visit the Smithsonian RR Museum there (and see the famous steam engine, General). Drop into Atlanta and see the Cyclorama and the Texan (steam engine that chased the General) and if possible, the Atlanta Historical Center. When going north from Savannah, you might want to stop by Charleston and see the Battery, Fort Sumter. She'll like Charleston. Driving up from Charleston you might want to see Petersburg and its surrounding places (think Crater battlefield if she's seen Cold Mountain). Colonial Williamsburg (and more important, Yorktown) is next and from there, take her to Fredericksburg. The stone wall at Marye's Heights isn't much but the old town is much as it was. She may like the Old Town but study the Rappahannock and think about the pontineers who attempted to build the bridge as well as the pontoon boat crossing by the 7th Mich, 89th NY, 20th & 19th Mass. Go north and see Alexandria (old town) and then Lee's Home at Arlington before you cross the Potomac into Wershingtun. Smithsonian is a definite plus. On the way north, go to Monocacy, Antietam, and then Gettysburg. You might want to stop by Harper's Ferry as its very pretty and historic. Good luck.
We managed to get down to Savannah and back with no major problems (unless you count getting lost in Atlanta), and we actually managed to see a lot more Civil War-related sites than I thought we would.
* Stones River: It was a beautiful day, so I convinced my mom to walk the main part of the battlefield with me. We also got to see the railroad grade was still in use.
* Chickamauga: We spent more time than we intended to here, but it was well worth it. Mom even deemed it a "very pretty area."
* Fort Monroe: The oldest still-active Army base in the US. Lee was stationed there before the war, and Davis was imprisoned there after his capture. McClellan used it as a base for his Peninsula Campaign.
* Berkely Plantation: McClellan retreated there after the Seven Days Battle. There is still a cannon ball in the wall from Stuart's attack.
* Shirley Plantation: Down the road from Berkely, Lee's mother grew up there. It was a field hospital after the Seven Days.
(Mom actually insisted on stopping at a few plantations, and these were the ones she chose.)
* Petersburg: I hadn't planned on seeing this one, but we did manage to drive through the town's historic district. Everything was closed as we passed through on New Years Day, but it was still worth a look.
* Hollywood Cemetery: Visited the graves of Stuart, Pickett, and Davis, as well as others.
* Yellow Tavern: My version of "Dealey Plaza." She dragged me there when we were in Dallas, so I felt justified in making a stop at the place Stuart was mortally wounded.
* Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Spotsylvania: We really didn't have time to tour each different battlefield, so we quickly drove through them. I'd like to go back and spend some time there, but I guess a glimpse is better than nothing.
* Manassas: Our hotel was billed as being "right on the battlefield," so we couldn't help driving it the next morning. But again, we had to be moving, so we only got to spend a little time there.
* Sharpsburg: Mom agreed to stop here if I would stop calling it Antietam because the name annoyed her for some reason. I walked most of it, while she sat in the car at the next tour stop.
We were usually the only ones on the battlefields as it was the middle of winter, and the lack of crowds was something I really appreciated. We didn't get to spend a lot of time at each place, but at least I got to see them and will look forward to seeing them again in more detail at a later time.
~ Highfly
__________________ ~ Highfly
If you want to catch the Devil, if you want to have fun, if you want to smell hell, jine the cavalry!
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