Battlefield tour ideas/plans?

[randoke]

Hello all,

I'm new to this forum and glad to be here. I've been heavy into the Civil War for about five years now; I was into it as a kid but left it for several years but I'm back now.

I've been reading CW books for the past five years and last month made my first Civil War battlefield trip/tour. I saw Gettysburg, Antietam, Harpers' Ferry, Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, Washington & Lee University, and Jackson's headquarters/museum in Winchester. It was a great trip and whetted my appetite for more.

I'm beginning to think about my next trip which will be May 2016. This trip will focus on the Western theater more. I live in Central Texas and am planning to drive. I am fairly set on visiting Vicksburg and Shiloh. I'm looking at 7-9 days. Other options I'm considering are Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Perryville. I probably can't hit them all, they're just in consideration. I'm also hoping to swing by Oxford, MS and visit Faulker's home as I'm a big Faulkner fan as well.

I was hoping I could lean on the experience/tips a lot of you must have and thank you in advance. And thanks for the welcome I've already received here; it's been amazing.

 

[Buckeye Bill]

Welcome aboard......

I highly recommend a visit to the following battlefields in the Western Theater of the American Civil War :

* Shiloh National Military Park
* Vicksburg National Military Park
* Wilson's Creek National Battlefield
* Pea Ridge National Military Park
* Prairie Grove Battlefield (State Park)

All venues have wonderful visitor centers/museums.

All venues are well interrupted.

Have fun,

Bill

* I would include Perryville, Chattanooga and Chickamauga battlefields for another trip.

 

[MRB1863]

Welcome back to the Civil War circle! Sounds like a great trip you have planned. Please post photos so we may share your experience.

 

[reading48]

Hello and Greetings from Penna.
Haven't been out West yet, except for Shiloh, Cornith, Fort Donelson , Chattanooga and Chickamauga. It was an eight day trip. Lots of driving but well worth it.....Andersonville was squeezed in as well..

 

[randoke]

Welcome aboard......

I highly recommend a visit to the following battlefields in the Western Theater of the American Civil War :

* Shiloh National Military Park
* Vicksburg National Military Park
* Wilson's Creek National Battlefield
* Pea Ridge National Military Park
* Prairie Grove Battlefield (State Park)

All venues have wonderful visitor centers/museums.

All venues are well interrupted.

Have fun,

Bill

* I would include Perryville, Chattanooga and Chickamauga battlefields for another trip.

You've given me some thinking/research to do, thank you.

 

[Dave Powell]

I would greatly encourage you to visit Chickamauga. It is the largest of the parks, the oldest (it came first) and its markers drove marker decisions at both Shiloh and Vicksburg. The main park has 5600 acres, nearly all of the battlefield of Sept 19 and 20, while Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge follow the November battles. Great scenery, as well.

 

[randoke]

I would greatly encourage you to visit Chickamauga. It is the largest of the parks, the oldest (it came first) and its markers drove marker decisions at both Shiloh and Vicksburg. The main park has 5600 acres, nearly all of the battlefield of Sept 19 and 20, while Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge follow the November battles. Great scenery, as well.

Mr. Powell, I've listened to you on the CivilWarTalk Radio podcast. Chickamauga is definitely on my list. I'm just trying to plan which battlefields I can visit on this trip versus a second trip.

 

[Nathanb1]

Well, if you're doing Vicksburg and Shiloh, it isn't hard to throw in Brice's Crossroads, Tupelo and swing over to Franklin and Spring Hill. Sounds like your first trip was almost an extension of mine, so I see you can cover stuff pretty quickly if need be, and don't mind driving (if you live in Central Texas, you certainly don't mind that, or you'd never make it out of Texas!). Just a reminder. The Civil War Symposium in Jefferson is coming up in August. It's a must-go if you're able. My superintendent is being a horse's rear right now about missing an important day of inservice. Phooey.

I'm thinking about a similar trip myself. It's about time.

 

[chellers]

Welcome from East Texas and another Faulkner fan.

 

[dlavin]

welcome! Can you take me with you? I've never been the western theater battlefields, but would love to go. Enjoy!

 

[randoke]

Welcome from East Texas and another Faulkner fan.

Thank you! I seem to alternate between CW and Faulkner books myself. Good to see Texas on here.

 

[randoke]

welcome! Can you take me with you? I've never been the western theater battlefields, but would love to go. Enjoy!

May 2016, let's go!

 

[Buckeye Bill]

You've given me some thinking/research to do, thank you.

Feel free to tour the Forum "The Long Dusty Road - The Civil War Traveler's Complanion." There are a ton of threads with information about battlefields, accommodations and travel advice.

And I concur with Dave Powell.....

The Chickamauga National Military Park is a gem! I advised a trip where you don't want to bite off more than you can chew (inspired by Eric Wittenberg).

If you need any more advice, please feel free to send me a Personal Message.

Bill

 

[rickvox79]

Chickamauga is my favorite park so I am biased but I'd highly recommend Shiloh and Vicksburg as well. There hasn't been a lot of development around the Shiloh NP over the years so it still has that feel of being at a Civil War battlefield without modern development close by to take you out of the moment. Vicksburg has a lot of history around the park and the local area with other sites like Raymond and Champion Hill that you can visit nearby where decisive battles occurred during that campaign. They also have the USS Cairo that the great Ed Bearrs helped find and raise.

But as I said above I'm biased so I'll recommend Chickamauga above all. To me it is the standard for all western theater battlefields (Shiloh a close second), not to mention it was the bloodiest battle in the western theater and second only to Gettysburg overall in that category. Its not quite as far away from modern development as Shiloh but it still has a similar feel IMO. Both Shiloh and Chickamauga really allow you to explore a large battlefield and get a good idea of the tactics and strategy involved with extremely helpful interpretive markers dotted all across the park. Not to mention some beautiful monuments dedicated to the men that fought there.

If you go to Shiloh or Chickamauga, I'd also recommend http://www.trailheadgraphics.com to get great maps of both parks. Trailhead Graphic's have extremely detailed maps that show listing and position for all markers and monuments. It is really helpful if you want to track down a specific unit's marker or monument or just any of the famous areas on the battlefield that you'd like to visit.

 

[Nathanb1]

Which reminds me. Do check out the Civil War Trust (civilwar.org) for their battle apps and various other tools to enjoy the fields. It's a great place to help you decide, in fact.

 

[randoke]

Chickamauga is my favorite park so I am biased but I'd highly recommend Shiloh and Vicksburg as well. There hasn't been a lot of development around the Shiloh NP over the years so it still has that feel of being at a Civil War battlefield without modern development close by to take you out of the moment. Vicksburg has a lot of history around the park and the local area with other sites like Raymond and Champion Hill that you can visit nearby where decisive battles occurred during that campaign. They also have the USS Cairo that the great Ed Bearrs helped find and raise.

But as I said above I'm biased so I'll recommend Chickamauga above all. To me it is the standard for all western theater battlefields (Shiloh a close second), not to mention it was the bloodiest battle in the western theater and second only to Gettysburg overall in that category. Its not quite as far away from modern development as Shiloh but it still has a similar feel IMO. Both Shiloh and Chickamauga really allow you to explore a large battlefield and get a good idea of the tactics and strategy involved with extremely helpful interpretive markers dotted all across the park. Not to mention some beautiful monuments dedicated to the men that fought there.

If you go to Shiloh or Chickamauga, I'd also recommend http://www.trailheadgraphics.com to get great maps of both parks. Trailhead Graphic's have extremely detailed maps that show listing and position for all markers and monuments. It is really helpful if you want to track down a specific unit's marker or monument or just any of the famous areas on the battlefield that you'd like to visit.

How many days would you recommend at Chickamauga?

 

[KLSDAD]

The Chickamauga National Military Park is a gem! I advised a trip where you don't want to bite off more than you can chew (inspired by Eric Wittenberg).

That's good advice, particularly if you are unlikely to ever visit that site again.

Personally, I always bite off way more than I can chew in anticipation of being there again and picking up where I left off.

 

[Buckeye Bill]

How many days would you recommend at Chickamauga?

One full day (early morning to late afternoon).....

If you love firearms, make it a day and a half.

The visitor center and Fuller's firearm collection is top notched!

Try to meet Jim Ogden.....

He knows this battlefield inside and out.

 

[Buckeye Bill]

That's good advice, particularly if you are unlikely to ever visit that site again.

Personally, I always bite off way more than I can chew in anticipation of being there again and picking up where I left off.

Ditto, Chuck!!!

 

[rickvox79]

How many days would you recommend at Chickamauga?

It really depends on how much time you have and how in depth you want to get with your tour. I would say at least two days to get a good look and overview of the battlefield. If you only have one day available and you won't be able to go again anytime soon then you can do it in a day hitting all of the highlights. Both of my trips only allowed for me to spend one day there so I had to move around quickly but I made sure the second time that I had a plan so I could hit all of the places I wanted to go. The first time I kind of stumbled around in awe haha, because it was my first major battlefield visit and the size and scope went well beyond what I imagined beforehand.

I would recommend getting a good map before hand either from Trailhead Graphics or through the National Park Services. Get to know the battlefield from the map and highlight places you would like to visit so you'll have a plan. Especially if you're in a hurry. There are also tour guides you can buy online that pinpoint specific tour stops along with a CD that plays narration that give a small synopsis of the battle at that portion of the battlefield. I think its important to read books on the battle because they really help you get familiar with all aspects of the battle. From the generals, common soldiers, to the strategy and to the battlefield itself, reading a book on the battle and then visiting it really helps you visualize everything that occurred. Actually some perfect books for studying before your visit are listed in Dave Powell's post above in his signature "Maps of Chickamauga, Failure in the Saddle, and The Chickamauga Campaign, Vol. I and Vol. II".

I defer to anything he says or recommends on Chickamauga considering he wrote those books! Also you can get the Blue & Gray Magazine back issues on Chickamauga. They have great maps and another Chickamauga expert William Glenn Robertson writes excellent articles in them about the battle. Blue & Gray Magazine also has some great tour guides for Shiloh, Stones River, Franklin etc. http://blueandgraymagazine.com/