Civil War Battlefields

[gunsmoke]

Thea, thanks for the link, to the petition. It seems, that when it comes, to the almighty dollar, that nothing is sacred.

Charlie

 

[hlightcap]

After finally visiting Shiloh, here is my top 5 battlefields to visit.

1. Gettysburg
2. Antietam
3. Chickamauga
4. Shiloh
5. Spotslvania

 

[elfdream]

Shiloh, Missionary Ridge, Chickamauga because I've pretty much exhausted everything in VA..although I have to admit I have yet to visit Appomattox.

 

[Brenal]

Having visited a lot of eastern battlefields I would love to get out west to Shiloh, Chickamauga, Chatanooga, Vicksburg, Pea Ridge etc, where do you start? Saying that I am really counting the days till next May when I will be returning to Antietam ( my favorite), Gettysburg, Harpers Ferry and Manassas.

 

[timk]

I agree with hlightcap's list completely - just not the order. Mine would be-

1. Shiloh
2. Antietam
3. Chickamauga
4. Spotsylvania
5. Gettysburg

I really like the parks that offer the opportunity to get out on walk on trails or historic traces. I like Gettysburg a lot, but only after I get away from the bustle. The town always feels a little sticky to me. Too many ghost tours, t-shirt shops, etc. for my liking.

 

[hlightcap]

I hate the commercialization of Gettysburg, but it's great to walk off the battlefield, have a beer and a bite to eat, and walk back on.

 

[prroh]

I hate the commercialization of Gettysburg, but it's great to walk off the battlefield, have a beer and a bite to eat, and walk back on.

With almost two million annual visitors who need food , lodging and souvenirs, it is hard to avoid commercialization in Gettysburg when the town, itself was part of the battlefield. Once on the battlefield however there is plenty of room to explore even at visitor choke points like LRT , Devil's Den and the angle.

 

[ole]

Having visited a lot of eastern battlefields I would love to get out west to Shiloh, Chickamauga, Chatanooga, Vicksburg, Pea Ridge etc, where do you start? Saying that I am really counting the days till next May when I will be returning to Antietam ( my favorite), Gettysburg, Harpers Ferry and Manassas.

Nice thing about those western battlefields is that, with the exception of Pea Ridge, are within hours of each other.

 

[footie]

Antietam-like 3 different battles!
Franklin-not much left, but it caused me to imagine what happened more than any other.
Most disappointed in, Stones River!

 

[Nathanb1]

I would go to Franklin. 1) I haven't gotten to go yet; 2) Ancestors fought there; 3)That Guy was there; 4) That was my first donation to the CWPT, and I want to see the results! (I've been very pleased with additions in other places I've gotten to go!)

If I could only visit one battlefield, it would have to be Gettysburg, though. Like everyone's said, the commercialization is sort of unpleasant, but then as soon as you leave town, it's back to 1863--and you really can plan ahead and avoid crowds. Antietam would be me second, just because it's so unspoiled, and from what I've heard, Shiloh would be a close third.....maybe this year. I'm hoping to attend the CWPT teacher institute at Franklin and mosey over to Shiloh as long as I'm in the neighborhood. And maybe I'll finally make it to Vicksburg after trying for many years!

 

[lwhite64]

Eastern Theater favorite for me is Antietam and Western would be, no surprise, Chickamauga. Franklin is a favorite to study, but it breaks my heart to see the development that has consumed it.

 

[Blockaderunner]

Well if we're allowed to submit a list. My favourites to visit are

Antietam
Chattanooga
Wilderness/Spotsylvannia
Chickamauga
Kernstown

The commercialism and tourism put me off visiting Gettysburg again.

 

[ole]

Yes, Franklin is a heartbreaker. But, at least, from Winstead Hill, you can look over all the steel buildings to the trees way over there and imagine. There are battlefields in which you can't do that no more.

 

[larry_cockerham]

Yes, Franklin is a heartbreaker. But, at least, from Winstead Hill, you can look over all the steel buildings to the trees way over there and imagine. There are battlefields in which you can't do that no more.

Thank you for noticing. We selectively trim a few trees to provide that view and let others remain to block much of the increasing visual pollution from the array of white buildings. It is more of a challenge each year.

 

[RobertP]

I just got back from a family funeral in Jackson, Ms and drove through Vicksburg on I-20 twice. It was getting dark on the way back so I didn't get to drive through the Military Park but the fall foliage is beautiful, the river is low as is normal this time of year with a large sandy beach on the west bank. I had heard the Park Service was going to thin out the trees, which is sorely needed, but didn't get a chance to see. It is though a beautiful park, don't forget the partially restored and preserved ironclad 'Cairo' which was sunk and recovered from he nearby Yazoo River.

 

[prroh]

I just got back from a family funeral in Jackson, Ms and drove through Vicksburg on I-20 twice. It was getting dark on the way back so I didn't get to drive through the Military Park but the fall foliage is beautiful, the river is low as is normal this time of year with a large sandy beach on the west bank. I had heard the Park Service was going to thin out the trees, which is sorely needed, but didn't get a chance to see. It is though a beautiful park, don't forget the partially restored and preserved ironclad 'Cairo' which was sunk and recovered from he nearby Yazoo River.

The Mississippi River bypassed Vicksburg in the 1880s. What you see from the bluffs is the Yazoo River which was cut through by the Corps of Engineers around 1890.

 

[RobertP]

The Mississippi River bypassed Vicksburg in the 1880s. What you see from the bluffs is the Yazoo River which was cut through by the Corps of Engineers around 1890.

I grew up in Jackson and am aware of it. However, the river bridges cross just south of town over the half mile wide Mississippi. "Whistlin' Dick" - large cannon is on the high bluff immediately north of the old bridge. The Yazoo River diversionary channel fronts downtown Vicksburg. The 'Cairo' was sunk in the Yazoo upriver from its confluence with the Mississippi, discovered and raised in the 1960's.

 

[wilber6150]

I would go to Franklin. 1) I haven't gotten to go yet; 2) Ancestors fought there; 3)That Guy was there; 4) That was my first donation to the CWPT, and I want to see the results! (I've been very pleased with additions in other places I've gotten to go!)

If I could only visit one battlefield, it would have to be Gettysburg, though. Like everyone's said, the commercialization is sort of unpleasant, but then as soon as you leave town, it's back to 1863--and you really can plan ahead and avoid crowds. Antietam would be me second, just because it's so unspoiled, and from what I've heard, Shiloh would be a close third.....maybe this year. I'm hoping to attend the CWPT teacher institute at Franklin and mosey over to Shiloh as long as I'm in the neighborhood. And maybe I'll finally make it to Vicksburg after trying for many years!

If you hate the commericalization of Gettysburg, Franklyn will break your heart.. It did mine when I finally got a chance to see it, but bit by bit its being brought back from oblivion....

Sorry Ole I just read your post on Franklyn didnt mean to copy your post..

 

[timk]

I think the main reason why I like Shiloh, Chickamauga, and Antietam so much is because they look a lot - not exactly, of course - but a lot like they did 150 years ago. It is easy to visualize without a lot of effort. The last time I was at Vicksburg, I was thinking that this was a lovely park to drive through. The grass and the trees were pretty, the monuments magnificent, the Cairo amazing, but there would be no possible way to make the park look like it did in 1863. I would imagine the place was a barren hell hole during and after the long siege. Even without the concern for erosion, it would be an exercise to entice people to visit if you asked the park to resemble what it looked like, on say, day 33 of the siege.

I like Vicksburg, but it almost felt too pretty to me. This probably speaks more about my lack of imagination than the park, and I would certainly encourage anybody that wants to visit to do so. Well worth the time. I just prefer to do more walking than driving, and seeing rather than imagining.

 

[Union_Buff]

1. Gettysburg
2. Antietam
3. Harpers Ferry
4. Bolivar Heights