Area of battlefields

[Mike Serpa]

Is there a source that list battlefields according to their size? Such as Battle of ABC was 640 acres or Battle of XYZ was one square mile. Do you know the size of any battlefields? Thanks.

 

[Dave Powell]

You can certainly find the acreage of those that are now parks - and then, only for their modern acreage, not the actual size of the historic battlefield. But you might find at least some detail here:

http://www.nps.gov/abpp/battles/tvii.htm

 

[ole]

How does one define an actual battlefield? Where a certain unit was camped at the outset? Would Cashtown be considered part of G'berg because Heth started from about there?

All (most? many?) battlefields want to expand to include acreage that saw action. (Like Shiloh recently acquired Fallen Timbers, and Franklin is working hard to reclaim whatever it can get.)

 

[Mike Serpa]

I'm trying to get am idea of how many men were in what size of an area. Was Bull Run, Seven Pines, G'berg, etc. 5 sq. mi., 25 sq. mi., 100 sq. mi., more. I've never been to any sites and can't imagine how large an area to imagine. (If that makes sense.)

 

[huskerblitz]

Can you find maps with a scale included? That would give you a rough estimate of the battles you're interested in.

 

[Tom Elmore]

The Gettysburg battlefield, that is the land exposed to artillery and infantry fire over four consecutive days, encompasses roughly 16 square miles (not including the East Cavalry battlefield). I used the Desjardin map to make this estimate. The number is larger if you include the many rear area hospitals in the vicinity where the wounded were collected.

 

[Mike Serpa]

Can you find maps with a scale included? That would give you a rough estimate of the battles you're interested in.

Good idea!

The Gettysburg battlefield, that is the land exposed to artillery and infantry fire over four consecutive days, encompasses roughly 16 square miles (not including the East Cavalry battlefield). I used the Desjardin map to make this estimate. The number is larger if you include the many rear area hospitals in the vicinity where the wounded were collected.

Thank you.

 

[dlavin]

The bigger battles were very grand in scale. I am thinking of a place like the Wilderness which was really two distinct areas and how to figure that out.

Civil War Trust usually has a scale to their maps, but they are pretty focused, especially on the larger battles so would require some serious research. Good luck