Advice for visiting the Virginia battlefields

[Georgian183]

Hey yall! After a bit of a hiatus, my wife and I are again planning a grand Civil War battlefield tour later this year. We are looking to spend a week in central Virginia, near Culpeper. Our plans include visiting Manassas, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Chancellorsville, and the Wilderness battlefields. We will probably also make a stop by Antietam (which we have visited before) as well as Appomattox.

I was hoping some of you might be able to provide general guidance/insight relating to these areas so I might better be able to plan out trip accordingly.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Jamieva]

Culpeper is a good central location. You can also visit cedar mountain and brandy station in that vicinity.

 

[7thWisconsin]

Chancellorsville, Wilderness and Spotsylvania are all the same park. The main Visitor Center is at the Chancellorsville location. Make sure you visit Salem Church too. You can do those in a single long day if you want. Appomattox isn´t really close-by, but you can stop by Saylor´s Creek if you have time.

 

[Kurtlg]

If you are going to Antietam you should consider a stop at Harper's Ferry. It is not far from there.

 

[JeffFromSyracuse]

The Culpepper-Fredericksburg area is amazing for Civil War trekking because all of the fields are so close.

I did a swing a couple of years ago where I visited Rappahannock Station, Brandy Station, Kelly's Ford, Cedar Mountain, Payne's Farm, The Wilderness, and Chancellorsville all in one day. (I did much of it on foot - I'm a fast walker.)

Depending on the tempo at which you want to move, I'd recommend 1.5 - 2 days for the Fredericksburg area fields.

The Wilderness is heavily wooded, and there aren't that many trails, so it's a relatively quick visit.

The Sunken Road area of Fredericksburg isn't that big - be sure to visit further down the line as well. (The hike up to Lee's observation point is STEEP.) (The American Battle Field Trust's breakthrough trail is okay - only worth it if you're familiar with that element of the battle.)

The Chancellorsville park is really structured around Jackson's flanking march and the site of his wounding, but be sure to visit Hazel Grove, where very heavy fighting took place on May 3. (The May 1 trail, which is owned by the American Battlefield Trust, isn't really worth it.)

Spotsylvania is amazing, but bring a compass. Every time I've been there, I forget which way is north. (The Harris Farm marker a couple of miles east is interesting, if only because because you're probably trespassing to get to it.)

Stay the night in Fredericksburg if it's in your budget - it's a neat town.

Manassas is a full day.

First Bull Run isn't that big, but the complexity of Second Bull Run requires a few hours.

Depending on traffic, Antietam is two hours maximum from Manassas (Take US 15, not the Beltway to 270!)

If you're coming up from Georgia, Appomattox seems best for on the way back. (You can sort of get to it from US 15). I'd recommend starting at Five Forks and following the Lee's Retreat signage / guide. It's about 100 miles and covers all of the key points on the road between the two.

 

[Georgian183]

Thank you all for your kind replies. I just booked our cottage in the small community of Rixeyville, not far away from both Brandy Station and Cedar Mountain. I do not enjoy the thought of traveling through Richmond, I abhor large cities and their traffic. As such, we will be taking a route up through Greensboro, NC through Lynchburg, VA. In that case, we could visit Appomattox either going up or as we return home. I much prefer to take the roads less traveled, even if it takes longer to get where I'm going.

 

[Jamieva]

That is route 29 it is quite scenic i got that way to go see my in laws in SC rather than go down 85 through Durham etc. Be aware between Greensboro and Danville there's no gas stations etc except for a random Sheetz on the side of the road.

 

[BCS1973]

@Georgian183 If you're averse to downtown Richmond (I don't blame you), you could always go back home from Fredricksburg, on 95 S and catch 295 north of Richmond (around Ashland). 295 loops around the east side of Richmond and from there you can catch places like Cold Harbor, Charles city (Berkeley Plantation / Harrisons Landing, and Malvern Hill.) Then you could link up with 95 south of Richmond.

Depending upon what you wanted to see from the Culpepper area, Trevillians Station isn't terribly far, but it is west and south of the wilderness, which may make it out of your way depending upon your time frame.

 

[KianGaf]

If you are going to Antietam you should consider a stop at Harper's Ferry. It is not far from there.

Really worth a visit. Very interesting town.

 

[Doc_Ralph]

If you come straight up 95 from Georgia there is a Richmond bypass that will take you past a number of Richmond NPS battle fields stop and see them and then onward OR do them on the way home. All of the advise given is good. As a Spotsultuckian I would put in the Stonewall Jackson Shrine at Guinea Station just off of 95 at Thornburg as a worthy stop and walk the ground.
Sounds like a great trio!

OTC
Spotsy CH

 

[Bentonville]

Chancellorsville, Wilderness and Spotsylvania are all the same park. The main Visitor Center is at the Chancellorsville location. Make sure you visit Salem Church too. You can do those in a single long day if you want. Appomattox isn´t really close-by, but you can stop by Saylor´s Creek if you have time.

Saylor's Creek is worth it. Anything to do with Chancellorsville/Wilderness/Spotsylvania I agree that a compass and map app. A hat and tickproofing isn't a bad idea either.

I wouldn't suggest doing what I did and going into that tangle of woods. I did it pre-cell phone and got a little turned around.

 

[Doc_Ralph]

And copperheads blend in well in the Wilderness and so watch your hands and feet if you bushwhack.

I know you have them in Georgia but they seem to be bigger here. Maybe because of North Anna Nuclear Plant…

 

[Jamieva]

And copperheads blend in well in the Wilderness and so watch your hands and feet if you bushwhack.

View attachment 498426
I know you have them in Georgia but they seem to be bigger here. Maybe because of North Anna Nuclear Plant…

Been going to Virginia battlefields for 40 years and I always worry way more about ticks than snakes. Not sure why i just have good luck with no snake encounters on battlefields. But at the bloody angle last summer I picked up a couple of hitchhikers luckily the woman walking behind me saw them and got them off of me.

 

[Doc_Ralph]

Been going to Virginia battlefields for 40 years and I always worry way more about ticks than snakes. Not sure why i just have good luck with no snake encounters on battlefields. But at the bloody angle last summer I picked up a couple of hitchhikers luckily the woman walking behind me saw them and got them off of me.

Yes …me too … this was our local house copperhead who we humanity moved along.

 

[Georgian183]

Yes …me too … this was our local house copperhead who we humanity moved along.

Thankfully my wife and I have yet to come across any snakes during our battlefield trips. Although they may be present in north Georgia, I don't believe I have ever seen a copperhead anywhere in the state. Canebrake and Diamondback rattlers along with Cottonmouths are what I've always feared the most.

 

[JerryD]

Not to add to an already full itinerary, but if you are hitting Appomattox (and I do recommend that; be sure to hit the American Civil War Museum while there), you might want to consider adding a day to the trip to include Lexington. You have VMI and the VMI Museum (with a stuffed Little Sorrell and the rain coat worn by Jackson when he was shot), Washington & Lee, Lee Chapel (with Lee's College office and Traveler's gravesite), the Lee Family Mausoleum, Jackson's gravesite, Jackson's only home he owned, and Lexington is just a neat town generally. But it does require a whole day there.

 

[Drumfish420]

If you're going to be around the Culpeper area, you can drive south about 45mins and see the Trevilian Station Battlefield as well. Its mostly a driving tour but the area around the Ogg House has excellent views of the Confederate line. I live right here at it, and while not a super expert, would be happy to show you around if Im not working. The driving tour might take a couple hours max.

 

[jself1976]

And copperheads blend in well in the Wilderness and so watch your hands and feet if you bushwhack.

View attachment 498426
I know you have them in Georgia but they seem to be bigger here. Maybe because of North Anna Nuclear Plant…

Funny enough...I was just watching a video by the ABT at Spotsylvania and Chris Murkowski darn near stepped on a snake walking down a clearly defined trail. Might have been a moccasin instead of a copperhead, but still. I'm use to snakes here in my part of NE Texas, but I suggest to anyone not to FAFO with nope ropes of any kind.

 

[Eric Wittenberg]

And copperheads blend in well in the Wilderness and so watch your hands and feet if you bushwhack.

View attachment 498426
I know you have them in Georgia but they seem to be bigger here. Maybe because of North Anna Nuclear Plant…

Ticks, too. They're everywhere, and you need to be be aware of them, just as you need to be aware of snakes.

 

[Jamieva]

Ticks, too. They're everywhere, and you need to be be aware of them, just as you need to be aware of snakes.

Picked one of those up at the bloody angle last summer luckily someone else on our tour saw it. I tell my wife all the time I will deal with a snake at a battlefield any day of the week over a tick.