Civil War map books....

[nrogers]

Disney World?

The closest battlefield is around Tampa, about 1 hr away from Kissimmee and totally non-preserved. If you get sick of Mickey and have a car, you might want to check out the Orange County History Center, but IIRC not much about the ACW there.

Pretty easy to do Gettysburg, since there are direct flights to PHL from the UK, and Gettysburg is about 2 hr drive from the airport. Only trouble with that is that Gettysburg is the single most overwhelming battlefield in the ACW, even for Civil War lovers. I cannot imagine how it would be for someone who does not care Gettysburg is for sure at least a 2 day trip (and you'd have to walk about 5-6 hrs on the fields every day.)

If I were to plan an East Coast trip with lots of Civil War but lots of other things for others who don't care to do, I'd do the 2 capitals (Washington and Richmond) and stop and smell the roses in between. Lots of battlefields and sites of interest around them, as well as lots of things to do for people who are not interested.

Yes, Disney World! Went once before when I was 15 and, 15 years later, I'm going back. Should be interesting...

I think you make a good suggestion. I would want to give Gettysburg my full attention. Perhaps I'll have to make my own little trip one day.

 

[nitrofd]

Olustee battlefield in Florida is about 175 miles north of Kissimmee. I don't necessarily consider that close, but its an option anyway.

I live near the Olustee battlefield and for a first time experience I would really not recommend it since you would travel 175 miles.while the battle covered about 600 acres only three are kept up.the very small visitor center has information but it is not staffed.there are only 3 monuments there and they are only confederate and they are small.the best time to see olustee is presidents weekend when the have their annual reenactment which draws several hundred renactors.

 

[nitrofd]

Since you will be staying in Kissimmee here are the closet Civil War related spots.in St.Cloud you have the St.Cloud Heritage Museum which contains alot of info on the GAR.in Orlando you have the Confederate monument in Lake Eola Park.you can go to the Orange Springs Community Church and Cemetery.you can also see the Greenwood Cemetery which has about 100 confederate Graves and about 75 union graves.nearby in Polk County you have the Polk County Historical Museum which does have a civil war exhibit.
If you need addresses and phone numbers I can supply.in the surrounding counties within a 75 mile radius there is alot to see.just ask and I will tell you what and where they are.

 

[7thWisconsin]

Don't rule out the value of looking at Google satellite views. Some fields have been built over, but major sites, like national and state parks, are visible. I use this feature a lot when I want to travel and can't get out of town (like in the dead of winter).

 

[nrogers]

Since you will be staying in Kissimmee here are the closet Civil War related spots.in St.Cloud you have the St.Cloud Heritage Museum which contains alot of info on the GAR.in Orlando you have the Confederate monument in Lake Eola Park.you can go to the Orange Springs Community Church and Cemetery.you can also see the Greenwood Cemetery which has about 100 confederate Graves and about 75 union graves.nearby in Polk County you have the Polk County Historical Museum which does have a civil war exhibit.
If you need addresses and phone numbers I can supply.in the surrounding counties within a 75 mile radius there is alot to see.just ask and I will tell you what and where they are.

That's fantastic, thank you for the information. Lake Eola Park and Greenwood Cemetery are now firmly on my to-do list.

 

[nitrofd]

That's fantastic, thank you for the information. Lake Eola Park and Greenwood Cemetery are now firmly on my to-do list.

Both Lake Eola Park and Greenwood Cemetery are in Orlando proper and here are their addresses:
Lake Eola park is at 195 North Rosalind Avenue,
Greenwood Cemetery is located at 1603 Greenwood Street.they have a Web site at:
www.cityoforlando.net/Greenwood
Among the Confederate buried there is William H.Jewel who served in the 21st Mississippi and later on the staff of Lt.Gen.Wade Hampton.during the post war he was mayor of Orlando from 1907 to 1910.the Union part of the cemetery has a monument erected by the Grand Army of the Republic.

 

[DixieRifles]

nrogers,
I like to have a good map or series of maps to study a battle. One battle that seems to be difficult to describe in 2-dimension is Shiloh.
Wiley Sword's excellent book "Shiloh, Bloody April" has several maps---I count 15 tabs added for easy access. These maps show units plotted on a blank page along with roads and streams. No topography at all. Also each map has good detail but it can be a little tricky to match one map up with another. You loose the over-all view of the battle field.

Now, I'm reading Tm Smith's "Shiloh; Conquer or Perish". He does a much better job at explaining the topography and describing in text how the deep ravines and creeks played a role in the outcome of confrontations of brigades and corps. His maps seem to be an improvement but I would still like to see an overall view.

As some have already stated here, it wasn't until I walked off the beaten tourist trail and hiked up and down the ravines on the Eastern flank. General A. S. Johnston's plan was to strike the Union along the entire front but push on their right flank(Eastern) and drive to Pittsburg Landing and cut Grant's Army off of any reinforcements. The difficult terrain in this area almost ensured Johnston's plan would not work.