Side Trips for Antietam Muster in October 2021

NH Civil War Gal

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I want to address something that is bound to come up. Somebody is going to ask, why didn't we pick a hotel in Shepherdstown, that is right across from Antietam, rather than Charles Town. The answer is simple. The hotel that is big enough wouldn't allow us to bring any food, drink or snacks in. We had to buy every bag of chips from them and every bottle of water and I (personally) had to sign a contract on this and guarantee a rather enormous fee on this. The hotel in Charles Town has been wonderful to work with and even said we could bring a cannon in (unloaded) if we wanted to!

They also sent me a large package of brochures and maps from the area. Just so you folks know - I'm not retired - I work full-time and am running this muster remotely at the moment. I certainly have help from @Stone in the wall, @VirtuousCommonwealth and @ucvrelics. But none of us are right there on the spot and I think a couple of the others still work part-time. I've been to Antietam three times and Harpers Ferry once - for a very long, extended day. I'm guilty of dragging my older sister up and down battlefields! Please have patience with all of us as we put this together. I think we will have a very nice time at Antietam. It is an amazingly untouched by modern day encroachments battlefield. I always have a feeling of deep peace and awe there and a little bit of something else - the unworldly. It seems like a thin place on the earth as great slaughter and fighting took place there. The wind sweeps and sighs up over those ridges constantly.

I've been scanning in brochures and and things for people to do for side trips. Also there are websites for people to contact and I KNOW these places are more than happy to send out brochures and booklets to you, especially for the Blue Ridge Parkway. I think @Kathy the history sleuth wanted to drive it or part of it. I copied the cover of the current one and you can contact them for the whole booklet and it is chuck full of maps and places to stop along the way.

And.... please put in other places for side trips in this thread - it isn't just about me. James N. maybe you want to move you Civil War links over into this thread too.

Tina
 
I want to address something that is bound to come up. Somebody is going to ask, why didn't we pick a hotel in Shepherdstown, that is right across from Antietam, rather than Charles Town. The answer is simple. The hotel that is big enough wouldn't allow us to bring any food, drink or snacks in. We had to buy every bag of chips from them and every bottle of water and I (personally) had to sign a contract on this and guarantee a rather enormous fee on this. The hotel in Charles Town has been wonderful to work with and even said we could bring a cannon in (unloaded) if we wanted to!

They also sent me a large package of brochures and maps from the area. Just so you folks know - I'm not retired - I work full-time and am running this muster remotely at the moment. I certainly have help from @Stone in the wall, @VirtuousCommonwealth and @ucvrelics. But none of us are right there on the spot and I think a couple of the others still work part-time. I've been to Antietam three times and Harpers Ferry once - for a very long, extended day. I'm guilty of dragging my older sister up and down battlefields! Please have patience with all of us as we put this together. I think we will have a very nice time at Antietam. It is an amazingly untouched by modern day encroachments battlefield. I always have a feeling of deep peace and awe there and a little bit of something else - the unworldly. It seems like a thin place on the earth as great slaughter and fighting took place there. The wind sweeps and sighs up over those ridges constantly.

I've been scanning in brochures and and things for people to do for side trips. Also there are websites for people to contact and I KNOW these places are more than happy to send out brochures and booklets to you, especially for the Blue Ridge Parkway. I think @Kathy the history sleuth wanted to drive it or part of it. I copied the cover of the current one and you can contact them for the whole booklet and it is chuck full of maps and places to stop along the way.

And.... please put in other places for side trips in this thread - it isn't just about me. James N. maybe you want to move you Civil War links over into this thread too.

Tina
https://www.civilwartrails.org/map.html
Thanks Tina.I was looking at CWT maps today. I got a Civil War Trails map from the State of VA a while ago. It seems to have disappeared from the website. I emailed Civil War Trails to see if I could get any. The website seems to only offer pdfs to print yourself.
 
I was going to send you another PM but this is a good place to begin hashing out various possibilities. Firstly, I believe the side trips should all be fairly close-in to the immediate area pretty much eliminating Winchester. Also, since Antietam/Sharpsburg's the particular "theme" for the event, sites directly associated with the Maryland Campaign and/or John Brown's Raid are the most likely candidates; that rather eliminates Monocacy Battlefield. (Frederick's Museum of CW medicine IS however relevant because Antietam saw the beginning of Frederick as a major hospital center for both it and later Gettysburg as well.) That would suggest a day trip to the South Mountain sites of which there are several (including John Brown's rented farmhouse), and surely an entire day spent at Harper's Ferry, half in the town itself and half on the Schoolhouse Ridge battlefield which was part of the Maryland Campaign. (Unless that's part of the actual Weekend program?)

In all previous events there have been Forum members who live more or less locally and/or who have special knowledge or interests in particular areas who have volunteered to lead these side trips - @alan polk springs immediately to mind for sites in the Vicksburg Campaign for only one example and there have been many others. Rich @ucvrelics and Laura @lelliott19 have arranged for on-the-spot guides at Shiloh and Gettysburg and @Eric Wittenberg led us on a memorable bus tour covering Lee's Retreat from the latter. It's probably appropriate and time to see if any of our members would like to take a hand in any such venture!
 
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I want to address something that is bound to come up. Somebody is going to ask, why didn't we pick a hotel in Shepherdstown, that is right across from Antietam, rather than Charles Town. The answer is simple. The hotel that is big enough wouldn't allow us to bring any food, drink or snacks in. We had to buy every bag of chips from them and every bottle of water and I (personally) had to sign a contract on this and guarantee a rather enormous fee on this. The hotel in Charles Town has been wonderful to work with and even said we could bring a cannon in (unloaded) if we wanted to!

And.... please put in other places for side trips in this thread - it isn't just about me. James N. maybe you want to move you Civil War links over into this thread too.

Tina
I agree about the venue - no doubt you're referring to the Bavarian Inn which LOOKS wonderful but is Godawful EXPENSIVE! Mike @mkyzzzrdet and I investigated it but opted for it strictly for dinner! Charles Town is convenient considering we plan on visiting Harper's Ferry as well as Antietam. Keeping in mind my observations from my post above here are the links to South Mountain and Frederick:

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/john-browns-raid-on-harpers-ferry.105129/

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/the-battle-of-harpers-ferry-jacksons-greatest-victory.104193/

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/the-battle-of-shepherdstown-september-20-1862.127673/

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/elmwood-confederate-cemetery-shepherdstown-west-virginia.127652/

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/i-rode-with-stonewall-by-henry-kyd-douglas.128513/post-1419913

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/prelude-to-antietam-the-battles-for-south-mountain.104116/

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/a-...um-of-civil-war-medicine.146076/#post-1817424

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/the-battle-of-monocacy.103560/
 
It wasn’t that hotel. I’m trying to load a bunch of .PDFs I made this morning but I can’t load them. I‘m waiting for my technical help to come home this afternoon. I have maps and ideas of things that are local to the area.
 
Also, since Antietam/Sharpsburg's the particular "theme" for the event, sites directly associated with the Maryland Campaign and/or John Brown's Raid are the most likely candidates

That would suggest a day trip to the South Mountain sites of which there are several (including John Brown's rented farmhouse), and surely an entire day spent at Harper's Ferry, half in the town itself and half on the Schoolhouse Ridge battlefield which was part of the Maryland Campaign.

Good idea to stay on the Maryland Campaign theme.
Have done Harpers Ferry before but never been to Schoolhouse Ridge or climbed any of the trails.
Also never stopped at any of the South Mountain sites, so would definitely be interested in all the above.
 
Look at this brochure pdf I scanned in today on Ranson - "The Hub of History."

I don't know why the pdf's won't load as pictures and my "help" can't make them load that way either. I'll have a few more over the next few days.

My daughter just told me how to do the screen shots of the pdfs. So now I'm loading them. It may take me awhile, but I'm getting there.

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We didn't even look at the Bavarian Inn. I ate there once many moons ago, and like you said it's $$$$$
I think Tina looked at it but I told her James would stroke out :cold:
 
If you are talking about organized side trips, I second the vote for some or all of the South Mountain engagements. I'm sure there are members who are local and knowledgeable @ErnieMac comes to mind but I havent been able to be engaged in the "Official Thread" so don't know if he is planning on participating?
 
Good idea to stay on the Maryland Campaign theme.
Have done Harpers Ferry before but never been to Schoolhouse Ridge or climbed any of the trails.
Also never stopped at any of the South Mountain sites, so would definitely be interested in all the above.
If you are talking about organized side trips, I second the vote for some or all of the South Mountain engagements. I'm sure there are members who are local and knowledgeable @ErnieMac comes to mind but I havent been able to be engaged in the "Official Thread" so don't know if he is planning on participating?
If the side trips you all are planning after the event ends on Sunday I'd be interested in looking into these suggestions. I have not put together an itinerary yet. I'm heading to TN ultimately. South Mountain is very close by and an interesting idea.
 
It wasn’t that hotel. I’m trying to load a bunch of .PDFs I made this morning but I can’t load them. I‘m waiting for my technical help to come home this afternoon. I have maps and ideas of things that are local to the area.
I received a reply from Civil War Trails. They are sending me printed maps of the campaigns. They also offered help with trip planning. I'm going to take them up on it for my May/June Overland Campaign trip I have coming up. The website seems to just offer pdfs but if you write to them they will send you hard copies of their wonderful maps.
 
If you are talking about organized side trips, I second the vote for some or all of the South Mountain engagements. I'm sure there are members who are local and knowledgeable @ErnieMac comes to mind but I havent been able to be engaged in the "Official Thread" so don't know if he is planning on participating?
I'm all for South Mt, as I've not spent much time there myself.
 
If the side trips you all are planning after the event ends on Sunday I'd be interested in looking into these suggestions. I have not put together an itinerary yet. I'm heading to TN ultimately. South Mountain is very close by and an interesting idea.
Typically the "official" event ends Sunday afternoon though there also have been those - mainly retirees like myself, or else the independently wealthy! - who remain into Monday. The Side Trips usually begin Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning/afternoon depending entirely on the wishes of those attendees who can arrive early. I'd plan "officially" at least for Thurs. afternoon and all day Friday. I really don't know the itinerary - assuming there IS one at this time - for the "main event" Saturday and Sunday! That makes it a little hard to make suggestions for "side trips". It would be nice (preferable, really) to have all day Saturday IN the park at Antietam hopefully with a knowledgeable guide like Mr. Deberry at Shiloh last fall. Sunday should probably be something definitely related like either Harper's Ferry or South Mountain, leaving the other for Friday. Possibly Sunday morning - especially if we decide to end around noon or early afternoon might be a tour of the CW Medical Museum in Frederick leaving South Mountain or Harper's Ferry for Friday.
 
I really don't know the itinerary - assuming there IS one at this time - for the "main event" Saturday and Sunday! That makes it a little hard to make suggestions for "side trips". It would be nice (preferable, really) to have all day Saturday IN the park at Antietam hopefully with a knowledgeable guide like Mr. Deberry at Shiloh last fall. Sunday should probably be something definitely related like either Harper's Ferry or South Mountain, leaving the other for Friday.
For Saturday morning we have a guide for Antietam until 12:30 (9:30 to 12:30), a lunch break and then something special I'm in the middle of confirming right now for the afternoon.

I'm seeing A LOT of interest in the South Mountain side of things and I've been there and now I'm starting to think I might plan something for that.
 
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