How Many Battlefields Have You Been To?

I went on two battlefield-tours in 2017 and 2018 from my home in Europe and visited the following sites:

1st Manassas
Gaines Mill
Malvern Hill
Sharpsburg
Fredericksburg
Gettysburg
Falling Waters
Spotsylvania Court House
Cloyd's Mountain
New Market
Cold Harbor
Lynchburg
Kennesaw Mountain
Monocacy
Cool Spring
Rutherford's Farm (the lone marker I was able to locate)
Crater (Petersburg)
Third Winchester
Fisher's Hill
Cedar Creek
Franklin
Nashville
Waynesboro (Virginia)
Averasboro
Bentonville
Fort Stedman (Petersburg)
Saylor's Creek
Appomattox Court House
Peachtree Creek
 
We haven't been to nearly as many as we'd like, but other than having seen Petersburg years ago, my wife and I just started last September. After our first "road trip tour" we did add few more.

So:

Petersburg
Ft. Fisher
Gettysburg
Antietam
Appomattox
Chickamauga
Shiloh
Corinth
Vicksburg
Fredericksburg
Manassas
Harpers Ferry


We were so taken by our road trip that we decided to do a bit of decorating' and the mannequin came from wanting to have a "vehicle" to display the Model 1860 saber, my Spencer Carbine and Model 1863 Remington revolver (at times, I don't leave the firearms out). While I'm not sure whether guets will think it's cool or creepy, I felt a bit like a teenager getting to do their own room!

Overall with trousers.jpg
 
The road to McDowell battlefield is basically a one way drive but the scenery is beautiful. The battlefield itself is one of the toughest battlefield hikes I've ever made. I'm in pretty good shape and was worn out by the time I made it to the top.
Agreed - but despite the heat and overgrown trail at the time I'm glad I made it!

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Off the top of my head.



Good mental exercise.



AL:



Day's Gap

Crooked Creek

Hog Mountain

Blount Plantation

Selma



MS:



Okolona

Iuka

Brice’s Crossroads

Tupelo/Harrisburg



NC:



New Bern

Ft. Fisher



Florida:



Olustee

Natural Bridge



Georgia:



Chickamauga



SC:



Ft. Sumter



MD:



South Mountain

Antietam



PA:



Gettysburg



WV:



Harpers Ferry

McDowell



VA:



Kernstown (1 and 2)

Winchester (1-3)

New Market

Front Royal

Fisher’s Hill

Cedar Mountain

Brandy Station

Bull Run (1 and 2)

Fredericksburg

Spotsylvania

Wilderness

Chancellorsville

Appomattox

Petersburg

Williamsburg

Port Republic

Cross Keys

Tom’s Brook

Seven Days

Cedar Creek



TN:



Nashville

Franklin

Spring Hill

Chattanooga

Donelson

Shiloh

Stones River

Forrest’s Murfreesboro Raid

Parkers Crossroads

Ft. Pillow

Johnsonville

Sulphur Creek Trestle

Liberty Gap

Guys Gap/Shelbyville

Hoover’s Gap

Thompsons Station

Lynnville/Richland Creek

Anthony’s Hill

Sugar Creek



KY:



Sacramento
Reenacted Sacramento some years back- Roy D. Mercer was live and in the game then.... Never went to the battlefield though.
 
Wow a lot of typing , easier to say I haven’t been west . Stone river furthest west I have been . But all over from Georgia to Pennsylvania. Sorry took the easy out .
 
Thanks for the correction James N. i was not 100% sure but did not bother to confirm.

I also had a question whether the Sulpher Creek Trestle, which I visited, is in TN or AL. I thought the trestle itself was across the state line in TN but the bigger stockade that Forrest first attacked was in Alabama. Actually, both are in Alabama, but there is another trestle just across the state line in Tennessee that was burned by Forrest’s men. Elk River trestle. I have visited it too.

And reading the posts refreshed my memory. I need to add Piedmont, Balls Bluff, Trevillian Station and Wilderness to my Virginia sites visited.
 
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The gentleman that owned Crooked Creek near Cullman Alabama passed away, the museum collection was sold and the land is for sale

‘I am very saddened to hear that. I met him shortly after he bought the property and he walked me to the site of the Confederate’s stand. It was maybe a quarter mile from the ”accepted“ site on a bluff. There was no question it was the actual site, however, as there was visible battle debris littering the area. I think those artifacts and relics ended up in the museum. The site is reached now by the trail from the Museum.

I would love to own that hallowed ground.
 
I haven't been to that many Civil War sites but I have made repeated visits to most of them.

Gettysburg (8 times)
Antietam (5 times)
Spotsylvania (3 times)
Fredericksburg (2 times)
Manassas (2 times)
Chancellorsville (1 time)
Wilderness (1 time)
South Mountain (1 time)

Hope to get to Richmond, Cold Harbor and Petersburg some day.
PS My first CW Battlefield visit was for the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, Thanks Dad.
 
A fun thought exercise, but I'm sure I have forgot a few. It makes me realize how many battlefields I still want to see. The thread title didn't limit it to ACW, so neither did I.


Rev. War

Bunker Hill
Concord
Cowpens
Lexington
Valley Forge
Yorktown


War of 1812/Napoleonic

Chalmette
Craonne
Fort McHenry
Tippecanoe
Waterloo


Civil War

Antietam
Cedar Creek
Chickamauga
Corydon
Fort Donelson
Fort Pulaski
Fort Stevens
Fort Sumter
Gettysburg
Glendale
Harper's Ferry
Kernstown
Lookout Mountain
Malvern Hill
Manassas
Monocacy
New Market
Perryville
Petersburg
Shiloh
Stones River
Turner and Fox Gaps
Vicksburg
Williamsburg
Winchester


First World War

Berry au Bac
Boezinge
Broodsiende
Chemin des Dames
Essex Farm
Hill 60
Langemark
Messines Ridge
Passchendaele
Pilkem Ridge
Reims
Verdun
Ypres
Zonnebeke


Second World War

Caen
Dunkirk
La Fiere
Pointe du Hoc
Omaha Beach
Sainte Marie Du Mont
Sainte Mere Eglise
Ostend
Utah Beach
 
Wow. I am humbled by fellow travelers. Off the top of my head:

Gettysburg
Antietam
Manassas
Chancellorsville
Spotsylvania Courthouse
Chickamauga
Lookout Mountain
Vicksburg
Champion's Hill
Milliken's Bend (whatever part isn't under water)
Mansfield, LA
Sabine Pass, LA

I've got catching up to do and hope I can make the mini-muster at Shiloh later this month.
 
Some observations I've made in my travels:

Best Overall Battlefield Experience: Antietam
Most Underrated Battlefield: Pea Ridge or Wilson's Creek (tie)
Most Overrated Battlefield: Fredericksburg (wasn't really sure what to put here; great strides have been made to protect the southern part of the battlefield but the area around Marye's Heights is slightly underwhelming because of post-war expansion of the city)
Best Battlefield Museum: Pamplin Park
Hottest Battlefield: Manassas (never been when it wasn't brutally hot)
Most Monuments: Vicksburg
Most Confusing Battlefield: Shiloh (this isn't necessarily a bad thing)
Best "Small" Battlefield: Cedar Mountain
Roughest (Accessible) Terrain: McDowell
 
One more: Best battlefield to visit for reasons other than being a battlefield: Harpers Ferry

Top 4 Battlefields That I Have Yet to Visit:

1. Chickamauga
2. Perryville
3. Cedar Creek (been basically everywhere else in the Shenandoah but this has eluded me)
4. Fort Donelson
 
One more: Best battlefield to visit for reasons other than being a battlefield: Harpers Ferry

Top 4 Battlefields That I Have Yet to Visit:

1. Chickamauga
2. Perryville
3. Cedar Creek (been basically everywhere else in the Shenandoah but this has eluded me)
4. Fort Donelson
Of course Donelson isn't exactly out-of-the-way, but it's not on the way TO anything either - you have to purposefully be going to Dover. Cedar Creek, on the other hand is right smack dab in the middle of everything, in and around Middletown just a little south of Winchester and on both U.S. 11 and I-81; I suppose a problem there is the need to stop specifically to visit it while on the way to somewhere else. The real trouble, however, is that it's not all neatly encompassed in a single park - indeed, some of it's not in a park or otherwise protected at all! You might find some of the information in my thread useful if you haven't looked into it before:

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/the-battle-of-cedar-creek-october-19-1864.118560/

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/the-battle-of-cedar-creek-october-19-1864.118560/post-1216845
 
Of course Donelson isn't exactly out-of-the-way, but it's not on the way TO anything either - you have to purposefully be going to Dover. Cedar Creek, on the other hand is right smack dab in the middle of everything, in and around Middletown just a little south of Winchester and on both U.S. 11 and I-81; I suppose a problem there is the need to stop specifically to visit it while on the way to somewhere else. The real trouble, however, is that it's not all neatly encompassed in a single park - indeed, some of it's not in a park or otherwise protected at all! You might find some of the information in my thread useful if you haven't looked into it before:

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/the-battle-of-cedar-creek-october-19-1864.118560/

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/the-battle-of-cedar-creek-october-19-1864.118560/post-1216845
Thanks. The first time I was in the valley I just ran out of time, plus the weather was crappy. I planned better the next time I went but focused only on '62 sites.

Another one I haven't been to is Stones River but it seems that this battlefield is one of the major losers of the past 20-30 years. It seems like a lot of the private land that was the site of fighting has been lost to development in that time.
 
It's a lifetime of battlefield visits for me:

Civil War:

Eastern Theatre:

First Bull Run
Ball's Bluff
Williamsport/Falling Waters
Drainesville
Yorktown
Williamsburg
First Winchester
Kernstown
Cross Keys
Harrisonburg
Hanover Court House
Seven Days
Orange Court House
Cedar Mountain
First Rapphannock Station
First Brandy Station
Second Bull Run
South Mountain
Quebec Schoolhouse
Harpers Ferry
Antietam
Shepherdstown
Fredericksburg
Hartwood Church
Kelly's Ford
Chancellorsville
Second Fredericksburg
Brandy Station
Second Winchester
Aldie
Middleburg
Upperville
Oyster Point
Sporting Hill
Corbit's Charge (Westminster, MD)
Carilsle
Wrightsville
Hanover
Gettysburg
Hunterstown
Monterey Pass
Smithsburg
Hagerstown
Williamsport
Boonsboro
Funkstown
Falling Waters
Wapping Heights/Manassas Gap
Bristoe Station
Second Rappahannock Station
Mine Run
Wilderness
Todd's Tavern
Spotsylvania Court House
North Anna
Yellow Tavern
Meadow Bridge
Hanovertown Ferry
Haw's Shop
Matadequin Creek
Totopotomoy Creek
Hanover Court House
Ashland
Cold Harbor
Petersburg
Trevilian Station
Samaria (St. Mary's) Church
Reams Station
Staunton River Bridge
Monocacy
Fort Stevens
Second Kernstown
Third Winchester
Fisher's Hill
Tom's Brook
Cedar Creek
Petersburg (numerous sites)
White Oak Road
Dinwiddie Court House
Five Forks
Sutherland's Station
High Bridge
Appomattox Station

North Carolina:

Hatteras Island
Roanoke
New Bern
Frist Kinston
Goldsboro Bridge
Fort Fisher
Fort Anderson
Sugar Loaf
Forks Road

South Carolina:

Fort Sumter
Sites associated with Potter's Raid
Folly Island

West Virginia:

Lewisburg
White Sulphur Springs

Trans-Mississippi:

Wilson's Creek
Pea Ridge
Prairie Grove
Blue River
Westport
Mine Creek

Western Theatre:

Middle Creek
Ivy Mountain
Mill Springs
Fort Henry (the small remaining piece)
Fort Donelson
Shiloh
Corinth
Richmond
Perryville
Stones River
Parker's Crossroads
Thompson's Crossroads
Hoover's Gap
Shelbyville
Vicksburg
Tebbs Bend
Corydon
Buffington Island
Brice's Crossroads
Chickamauga
Wauhatchie
Chattanooga
Knoxville
Ringgold Gap
Rocky Face Gap
Resaca
New Hope Church
Dallas
Pickett's Mill
Pine Mountain
Kennesaw Mountain
Peachtree Creek
Atlanta
Spring Hill
Franklin
Nashville
River's Bridge
Aiken
Cheraw
Monroe's Crossroads
Wyse's Fork (Second Kinston)
Fayetteville
Averasboro
Bentonville

Revolutionary War:

Point Pleasant
Lexington
Concord
Bunker Hill
Fort Ticonderoga
Valley Forge (technically not a battlefield)
Brandywine
Paoli
Germantown
Whitemarsh
Monmouth
Waxhaws
Camden
Blackstocks
Musgrove's Mill
Hanging Rock
Thickety Fort
Cowpens
King's Mountain
Guilford Court House
Yorktown

War of 1812:

Fort McHenry
Fort Stephenson
River Raisin
Tippecanoe
Chalmette

French and Indian War:

Fort Carillon/Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Pitt
Fort Necessity

Texas War of Independence:

San Jacinto

Indian Wars:

Fetterman Massacre
Wagon Box Fight
Rosebud
Little Big Horn
 
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I focus on just Civil War sites but I have visited several other War of 1812 and American Revolution sites as follows:

Other Civil War sites (forgot to include these)
Fort McHenry
Fort Jackson
Battle of Bentonville

War of 1812
Battle of Queenston Heights
Battle of Fort York
Battle of Fort George
Battle of Beaver Dam
Battle of Stoney Creek
Fort Ontario
Battle of Crysler's Farm
Battle of Sackets Harbor
Capture of Fort Niagara
Battle of Chippawa
Battle of Lundys Lane
Battle of Buffalo / Black Rock
Battle of Fort Erie
Fort Jackson
Fort McHenry
Fort Wellington

American Revolution
Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Stanwix
Battle of Oriskany
Battle of Saratoge
Fort Ninetysix
Siege of Fort Niagara
Battle of LaBella-Famolle
Battle of Savanna
Battle of Kings Mountain
Battle of Cowpens
Commodore Perry Blockhouse
USS Niagara
Williamsburg / Yorktown
 
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