What's the Difference?

[samuel orris]

Gettysburg Battlefield Park offers two great means to learn about the battle. One is by attending a walking tour with a National Park Service Ranger and the other is through hiring a Licensed Battlefield Guide whom you hire to drive your car to various points of interest on the battlefield. The former is a federal employee, the latter is not, they are a separate entity from the rangers. Is this unique only to G-burg or are there other battlefields with a similar arrangement?

 

[Chattahooch33]

I don't know of any battlefields in the south that offer personal guides.

If I went to GBurg I certainly would hire a guide due to the fact that you can get a personalized tour. I can call them up and say I want a tour of where Wofford's brigade was and that's that.

I imagine the NPS ranger tours are no way that refined.

 

[redbob]

I would think that most Civil War battlefields do not have enough traffic flow to justify guides (either on staff or available). I know that many battlefields will have "warwalks" of the battlefields on special occasions and that some staff can often tell you who the "neighborhood" experts are and if they are available for guided tours of the battlefields. While the guides at Gettysburg are not free, they are reasonably priced , know a great deal about the battlefield and have been worth the money that I have spent for them.

 

[Barnesville Blues]

There is a former Park Ranger who lives near Chickamauga who offers tours like you mention above. It is done in your car and he takes you around to the various points...he will even customize a tour to your interests. The Rangers at Chickamauga do offer walking tours on occasion but not every day, or even every week as far as I could tell, they may only do this for groups. Ranger White of Chickamauga Battlefield is a member of these forums, perhaps he can clarify about the walking tours offered at Chickamauga.

 

[samuel orris]

I would think that most Civil War battlefields do not have enough traffic flow to justify guides (either on staff or available). I know that many battlefields will have "warwalks" of the battlefields on special occasions and that some staff can often tell you who the "neighborhood" experts are and if they are available for guided tours of the battlefields. While the guides at Gettysburg are not free, they are reasonably priced , know a great deal about the battlefield and have been worth the money that I have spent for them.

The traffic flow is a good point. Does Antietam/Sharpsburg offer anything like this? I was only there many years ago and I don't recall even seeing any park rangers.