Part VI

The Civil War Tourist

In this part . . .

This part gives you some tips on visiting and appreciating Civil War sites, especially battlefields. Reading about the events that took place is one thing, but standing at the actual site is quite another. Armed with the information you’ve read here, you can make good plans for a visit to a battlefield or other historic site to help deepen your appreciation of the Civil War and its meaning for you.

Chapter 27

In This Chapter

Psyching yourself up for a trip

Setting goals for your visit

P art of the thrill of learning history is that you can often visit the places where the great events of the past actually happened. There is a special attraction to these places because they hold truths and understanding that go far beyond what you have read in a book or heard about. People like to try and connect with the past and rekindle in their imaginations what it must have been like when those events took place.

Civil War battlefields give you ample opportunities to do all these things. Many of these sites are preserved for visitors. These places allow you to gain a deeper appreciation of the events and their greater meaning to our history as a whole. Visiting Civil War sites brings the war and all its tragedy and glory to life. You can walk the ground of Pickett’s Charge or stand at the Bloody Angle at Spotsylvania. You can walk over Snodgrass Hill or climb Lookout Mountain or stand on Burnside’s Bridge and walk along Bloody Lane. You can stand behind the stone wall at Fredericksburg or stand in the Crater, still a giant scar on the land after 136 years. You can walk with the spirits of those Union and Confederate warriors who still seem to haunt the woods in the Wilderness. You can sense the chaos of Shiloh, feel the thrill of fear and anticipation with the boy soldiers at New Market, and even get the same red dust on your shoes that thousands of Confederate soldiers kicked up while walking up the road to surrender at Appomattox. History does not have to be dull and empty — it is vibrant with meaning. Simply put, battlefields allow you to touch the past.

Planning Your Trip

Depending on your motivation, you can take on a battlefield any way you want. For most Civil War fanatics, this is not a problem. However, if you are not a fanatic and are a little confused or intimidated at the prospect of visiting a battlefield, fear not. People’s interest in the Civil War varies. Some like the in-the-dirt minuscule details; others like only the big picture; still others are completely without any bearings at all and simply want to explore and be exposed to it. There are all types in between, as you probably know. With a more than casual interest in the Civil War and a little planning, you can make a visit to a battlefield or a historical site both worthwhile and uplifting.

Like anything else, setting realistic goals is important. Deciding exactly what you want to do will determine how much time you spend at the battlefield or historical site. The following are some examples of ways you can set your goals:

Oftentimes a book you have read, a newspaper article, or television show has sparked your interest or curiosity about an event in the war. Use that as the basis for a trip to go and explore that question or see that site to gain a greater appreciation.

Getting a general overview of the events is easy to do by simply driving or walking around at random. Oftentimes, something of interest appears during these ramblings that leads to further exploration.

Another approach is to select a specific unit, perhaps the one a relative served in, or a famous regiment of one of the armies, and follow it through a battle (or even a campaign). A visit to a battlefield in this way can deepen one’s appreciation for the experience of the common soldier and can allow you to share in a unit’s heritage.

If you admire a certain Civil War General (or Generals), visiting a battlefield to follow in his footsteps, so to speak, is always fun. Here you can survey the terrain he saw and evaluate the decisions he made. This approach allows you to know the man and the soldier better.

Those who are more ambitious can follow an army’s entire campaign, driving down roads the army marched on and stopping at sites along the way. Although this can involve some good map reading skills and usually a thorough understanding of strategy, tactics, logistics, and command, it is not necessary. Sometimes taking to the back roads with a purpose in mind is an adventure in itself.

If you like, you can go to a battlefield and cover the events hour-by-hour, and regiment by regiment, spending hours (even days) on just one section of the battlefield. Clearly this demands the most preparation and research and is reserved for only the most dedicated Civil War enthusiasts.

As these examples suggest, setting goals becomes important depending on your level of interest and purpose for visiting. Knowing what you want to do and how much detail you want to delve into will determine how much time you should set aside for a visit. Some people employ all these methods over the years. Starting with a general orientation, they revisit the battlefields year after year as their interest grows, adding another layer of detail and understanding. So, as your interests change, so do your goals and the time you will invest in your visit.

Using Your Time Wisely

With all the conflicting priorities in people’s lives today, defining what time they will spend on the things they value is more important than ever. Therefore, to avoid wasting time, a visit to a battlefield must involve an assessment of how much time you want to invest. This includes not only the time it takes to get to the battlefield, but also how much time to spend at the site. The goals you set for your visit will determine the time you should spend. Here are some examples:

If your goal is a short orientation visit or an examination of a specific portion of the battlefield, plan to spend at least one, but no more than three hours, including stops (markers, museums, visitor center).

If your goal is to follow a specific unit or commander, plan to spend four to eight hours, depending on your level of interest and the amount of detail you want to delve into.

If your goal is to follow a campaign, a car trip can take anywhere from four hours to several days, depending on the campaign and the amount of detail you want to pursue. You can also break the campaign into several smaller chunks or the most important portion that allows you to make the best use of your time.

If your goal is a thorough study of an aspect of a battle or an in-depth examination of a battle, one day is never enough. Again, depending on your energy, bank balance, and level of interest, this can go on for a while. Leave a forwarding address and pack clean underwear before you leave.

Taking Three Methods on a Battlefield

After you have determined your goals and the time you want to spend, you must decide on the best method to visit the battlefield. If you do not take the time to look at the best method that suits your level of interest, odds are you will be disappointed with your experience at the battlefield. Therefore, I suggest three possible approaches.

Mounted

This is travel by vehicle through the battlefield without getting out of your car. Most battlefields administered by the National Park Service are set up to allow you to stop at specific sites and read markers from your vehicle. This method involves the following considerations:

Advantage: This method will give you a general overview and an appreciation for the scope of the battlefield. You get through at your own pace and stop where and when you want. If the weather is bad, this may be the only way to see the battlefield.

Disadvantage: You pretty much see only what you can from the road. Distances can be distorted, and the markers tell only the briefest part of the story of the battle. Vehicle travel only tends to fragment the battlefield as you go from one stop to another.

Mounted/dismounted

With this approach, you still spend most of your time in the vehicle, but you get out and walk around at the places you want.

Advantage: This is good for those who are interested in a specific place or event on the battlefield. You can combine the general orientation with a point of interest on which you want to spend more time. You can also combine several points of interest and spend time where you want. If you have done a thorough study of the battle and the terrain, this is an excellent approach to examining key events. This also works well for a campaign tour.

Disadvantage: Sometimes this method allows you to be too ambitious, trying to stop and see everything. It can be done, but it tends to reinforce the short attention span. Stop here, take a look, run to the next stop. This method requires some self-discipline and pre-planning so you don’t get off track.

Terrain walk

This approach puts you at the soldier or leader level and puts you in their footsteps. You discover how high the hill is, how deep the creek is, what you can see from what point. It is the ultimate battlefield experience for these reasons:

Advantage: This method puts you in the middle of the action and allows you to get in touch with the past.

Disadvantage: You need to be in reasonable physical shape and highly motivated. This type of tour will take a long time. Those who take this approach are usually well prepared with maps, books about the battle, and good shoes. Such a trip can be very frustrating if you are not thoroughly prepared.

These are general guidelines, of course. But for those new to the world of Civil War battlefield exploration, these methods are a good way to match goals with time. As you become more comfortable and confident, a visitor can improve his or her visit by an imaginative combination of the three basic methods.