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Congressional Medal of Honor
10 great places to learn about the Civil War
As much or more than anywhere in American history, the great Civil War battlefields were filled with what Abraham Lincoln called that "last full measure of devotion" Here are a few top Civil War battlefields or battlefield parks to visit. Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, Ga. and Tenn. The Battle of Chickamauga (Sept. 19-20, 1863) in Georgia was perhaps the greatest Confederate victory in the so-called Western theater of the war. It led to a Confederate siege of Union forces in Chattanooga, Tenn., until Grant led them on a dramatic breakout (Nov. 24-25, 1863) from that city. "That provided (Union Gen. William) Sherman with his starting point in his 1864 campaign against Atlanta." 706-866-9241. Gettysburg National Military Park, Pa. Famous as the Confederacy's high-water mark, where Pickett's Charge ended in disaster on the battle's third day, Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) was with the Union capture of Vicksburg in Mississippi a day later the war's turning point. Gettysburg witnessed 51,000 casualties and, five months later, Lincoln's famed address, "an added cachet that no other battlefield has." 717-334-1124. Antietam National Battlefield, Md. In a single day of combat, Sept. 17, 1862, more than 23,000 men were killed, wounded or reported missing in a battle that ended Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North (Gettysburg finished his second invasion). "It is the bloodiest day in American history." But it gave Lincoln the victory needed to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. 301-432-5124. Shiloh National Military Park, Tenn. Nearly 24,000 casualties were suffered in two days of battle on the banks of the Tennessee River (April 6-7, 1862), making this the war's first major killing field, and shocking both sides. "It was a kind of baptism of blood." Today, this Union victory site is perhaps the best preserved of the major battlefields, looking much like it did in the war. 731-689-5696. Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, Va. Located precisely between Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Va., this area witnessed four major battles producing 110,000 casualties: the Union defeats of Fredericksburg (Dec. 13, 1862) and Chancellorsville (May 1-6, 1863), and Wilderness and Spotsylvania (both fought to a draw in May 1864). "You've got the one place where more men died in American wars than any other single place, anywhere in the world." 540-371-0802. Manassas National Battlefield Park, Va. This is the site of the first and second battles (July 21, 1861, and Aug. 28-30, 1862) of Manassas, which were Union defeats. The first battle scuttled hopes of an early end to the war. The park is 30 miles southwest of Washington. Among major battlefields, it "is under a lot of stress and pressure from urban development." 703-361-1339. Vicksburg National Military Park, Miss. Called the Gibraltar of the Confederacy, this fortress city on the Mississippi River resisted seven weeks of attack (May 19-July 4, 1863) and siege before surrendering to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. The Confederacy was split in two. "It is a very well-preserved battlefield," with 20 miles of reconstructed trenches and earthworks and the Cairo, a fully restored Union gunboat. 601-636-0583. Richmond National Battlefield Park, Va. This complex battle area encompasses the site of Lee's brilliant defense of Richmond in 1862 and portions of Grant's campaign to capture the city in 1864-65. There are also the Confederate White House, the Museum of the Confederacy and a former munitions factory, where the park visitor's center is located. "This is worth spending two or three days for any Civil War student." 804-226-1981. Petersburg National Battlefield, Va. The Union siege of Petersburg was the war's climactic period, where Grant and Lee confronted each other from June 1864 to April 1865. "It was the closest thing to a kind of World War I trench war that the Civil War had." Preserved trench works are readily accessible, as are crucial battle sites such as the Crater, where Union troops disastrously tried to blow a hole in the Confederate line. 804-732-3531. Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, Va. Though not a major battlefield, it is where Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9, 1865, ending the Civil War. "The famous meeting between Grant and Lee has just the kind of quality to it that makes this a must-see place." The site includes the reconstructed McLean home, where the two met, along with many other original 19th century structures. 804-352-8987.
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