CW historic battlefields in Texas?

Cycom

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Feb 19, 2021
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Planning a road trip from Los Angeles, CA to Longview, TX next Easter break. I’m only really aware of the 1st and 2nd Battles of Galveston. Anything else we can make a visit to?
 
Planning a road trip from Los Angeles, CA to Longview, TX next Easter break. I’m only really aware of the 1st and 2nd Battles of Galveston. Anything else we can make a visit to?
Sabine Pass was the other significant battle. There are threads about what is to be seen there. But you are going to TEXAS!! Check the mileage from Longview to Galveston and Sabine -- 350 miles, one way.
 
Palmito Ranch, fought a month after the war was over, is near Brownsville, on the border with Mexico. Even greater distance. Texas was pretty much unscathed by the war, and land was plentiful. Many vetetans of both sides moved there.
 
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There are some nicely preserved forts on the old 1850s frontier line that might be worth a visit. If you took the I-10 into Texas it wouldn't be a huge detour to go see Fort McKavett. No battles there, but it was used as a POW camp for Federal soldiers captured in Texas in 1861. You could then get back on the I-10 and head to Galveston and Sabine Pass, and maybe make a stop at the Alamo (it was a Confederate QM and Ordnance Department Wearhouse). Then you could take 96 and 59 up to Marshall which had an Arsenal, though I don't know that there is really anything to see there anymore. From Longview you could make day trips to Camp Ford in Tyler, which was the largest POW camp west of the Mississippi, and to Mansfield and Pleasant Hill in Louisiana to see a couple of battlefields. In all, that would add about 400 miles vs going straight to Longview.

On your way home I would go up through Dallas to see the Texas Civil War Museum if you haven't been.
 
Planning a road trip from Los Angeles, CA to Longview, TX next Easter break. I’m only really aware of the 1st and 2nd Battles of Galveston. Anything else we can make a visit to?
No battlefields close to Longview. As someone else mentioned, Camp Ford is in Tyler as is Oakwood Cemetery. Lotta Civil War history in Marshall, Texas which is 30 minutes from Longview. The Harrison County Historical Museum, Marshall City Cemetery and Greenwood Cemetery are there. There was a powder mill and ordnance depot there during the war.
 
Planning a road trip from Los Angeles, CA to Longview, TX next Easter break. I’m only really aware of the 1st and 2nd Battles of Galveston. Anything else we can make a visit to?
Texas CW battlefields are few and far between along the coast from the Rio Grande to the Sabine River. That's a lot of driving to see a historical marker, but that's about it. Search this website to find several threads about Palmito Ranch, Matagorda Bay, Galveston, and Sabine Pass. If you intend to visit them, my suggestion would be to do some research and print some maps to help you get a feel for the battles.

Several good suggestions have already been made depending how much additional driving you plan on doing. If traveling I-10, Fort Davis is an excellent start. Search for a thread by JamesN about west Texas forts. If you plan on going to San Antonio, the Alamo and Goliad are both worth the visit. If you use I-20, the Fort Worth Civil War Museum is top notch and should not be overlooked. Galveston is a good place to visit with a lot of history. If you decide to go there, you should stop by the San Jacinto Battlefield near Houston.

I concur with others who have already suggested Camp Ford near Tyler, Marshall, Jefferson, and Mansfield Battlefield State Historical Site and Museum in Louisiana. All are worth the visit and an easy drive from Longview.
 
No battlefields close to Longview. As someone else mentioned, Camp Ford is in Tyler as is Oakwood Cemetery. Lotta Civil War history in Marshall, Texas which is 30 minutes from Longview. The Harrison County Historical Museum, Marshall City Cemetery and Greenwood Cemetery are there. There was a powder mill and ordnance depot there during the war.
Is there anything to see at Tyler (the place where the Ordinance Works was?)
 
Is there anything to see at Tyler (the place where the Ordinance Works was?)
The ordnance depot was in Marshall. I don't think there is even a historical marker where it was. There is a historical marker where the powder mill was and a marker where a Confederate hat factory was.
 
Planning a road trip from Los Angeles, CA to Longview, TX next Easter break. I’m only really aware of the 1st and 2nd Battles of Galveston. Anything else we can make a visit to?
As someone local to Longview area, (roughly 20 miles away) I don't think I can add much to the suggestions, other than maybe to SW Arkansas to see CW sites like Old Washington, (CW era Arkansas Confederate Capitol post Fall of Little Rock that's preserved) Prairie D'Ane, and maybe Poison Spring.

Jefferson, which is close to Longview, has a small CW museum that is good to see, though I'm biased as the owner is a friend of mine:

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/mason-dixon-line-museum-jefferson-tx.173940/

Also for the record, you must be on guard when driving in Longview. Hands down the most absolute worst place to drive in the entire United States! Easily beating major cities like Dallas, Houston, Memphis, Kansas City and many other places in my experience. I cross myself before driving into Longview and I ain't even Catholic. Its like there's something in the water that compels Longview natives to slaughter half a dozen other drivers on the roads there every time they get behind the wheel!
 
As someone local to Longview area, (roughly 20 miles away) I don't think I can add much to the suggestions, other than maybe to SW Arkansas to see CW sites like Old Washington, (CW era Arkansas Confederate Capitol post Fall of Little Rock that's preserved) Prairie D'Ane, and maybe Poison Spring.

Jefferson, which is close to Longview, has a small CW museum that is good to see, though I'm biased as the owner is a friend of mine:

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/mason-dixon-line-museum-jefferson-tx.173940/

Also for the record, you must be on guard when driving in Longview. Hands down the most absolute worst place to drive in the entire United States! Easily beating major cities like Dallas, Houston, Memphis, Kansas City and many other places in my experience. I cross myself before driving into Longview and I ain't even Catholic. Its like there's something in the water that compels Longview natives to slaughter half a dozen other drivers on the roads there every time they get behind the wheel!
You should see where I live. Street racing on two lane streets with no sidewalks where families go for walks. General disregard for all traffic and safety measures.

Thanks for the heads up, though. Wonder why it’s that way in a town of only 90,000.
 
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