[Republicanprofessor]

Someone suggested, before we take this trip, that I write up some ideas after I return. I hope to hear others' ideas of these (and other) battlefields. I found them entirely engrossing and affecting in so many different ways.

[Republicanprofessor]

Ping. If you know of any other military or history ping lists that might be interested in this essay, please let them know.

[vimto]

I'm a Brit who loves the Civil War history and I want to thank you for this post. I will download and read at leisure tonight,

God-bless you and yours.

[sticker]

That was the War of Northern Aggression

[Moose4]

I'm glad you had a good time visiting down here and seeing the history. Did you get a chance to make it to Richmond or Petersburg, out of curiosity? The folks here in Richmond are doing their damndest to forget that we were ever the capital of the Confederacy, unfortunately, which is too bad considering the amount of tourism dollars WBTS tourism can bring in.

Stainless, here's a WBTS thread with (hopefully!) no flames and some excellent pictures.

}:-)4

[stainlessbanner]

'Ol Dixie Ping

[stainlessbanner]

ping

[stand watie]

NICE PIECE!

you should do an article for one of the scholarly journals, based on your trip.

free dixie,sw

[mrs tiggywinkle]

Thank you for your post. :o)

We visited Gettysburg, DC, Williamsburg etc, a couple years ago and are going back in November. This time we're adding battlefields in Virginia. Your post will help tremendously!

[Pelham]

A very nice essay, thanks for sharing it with us.

[Sam Cree]

Welcome back, RP, what an eloquent writer you are!

"Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees."

[groanup]

Thanks for sharing that. I grew up in Atlanta where there is an historical plaque on just about every street corner. Old county courthouses all over the South have inscriptions carved into them about the sacrifices of the Confederacy. There is a lot of history out there if one wants to find it. Sounds like your son is a real buff. My daughter's boyfriend has been studying military strategies of the WBTS for years. He also re-enacts. Very fascinating to talk to.

[angkor]

"walking the very fields where the soldiers fought and died is quite another. It took me a little time to really feel the power of these battlefields."

I'm glad you mentioned this. I've walked Concord & Lexington and Custer Battlefield and others, but nothing gave me the feeling of being on hallowed ground like Gettysburg, Antietam, or Bull Run.

Every American family should take a week or two to visit the main battlefields, at least once.

[Jane Austen]

How interesting!

[HeadOn]

Well, God Bless you! I really appreciate your write-up. My mother's family is from Henderson county, TN, about 60 miles north of Shiloh. Some of her ancestors used to tell about sitting on the front porch and hearing the rumble of the artillery. It was a HUGE battle.

I've spent a lot of time on the Shiloh battlefields, as my Mom and Grandparents used to take us kids there quite often.

And - you must have had the same tour guide we had at Franklin a couple of years ago. As you closed your eyes, he could make you hear the battle and the moans of the wounded. You could just see the bodies piled up like chord-wood on the porch of the Carter House. He did a GREAT job.

In response to your question about what if the South had won, I'd just like to say that I sure wish the cotton gin and other mechanization had shown up before the war. If we could have rid ourselves of slavery without the war, our original republic could have been preserved, instead of the huge mess of a Federal government we have now. I love this country, but I do believe that Washington needs to "uninvolve" itself with many things, and let the states decide.

[RebelBanker]

Thank you very much for sharing this with us! Very well-written essay!

Mrs. Reb and I took a week-long trip a while ago trying to follow the path of the Confederate artillery battery we portray as reenactors. Manassas, Petersburg, Harper's Ferry, Gettysburg... The names alone send a bit of a chill down my spine. It sounds like you had a similar experience. Did you visit Pamplin Historical Park in Petersburg? The Museum of the Civil War Soldier there is quite good and they put on excellent demonstrations.

I would encourage you to try to get to a larger reenactment if you can. I enjoy the smaller ones that allow a bit more interaction between reenactors and spectators, but the big ones give you a taste of what some of the big battles must have been like. You can find schedules and other information in Camp Chase Gazette (www.campchase.com) or The Civil War News (www.civilwarnews.com).

[Mrs. Darla Ruth Schwerin]

Very, very interesting and inspiring essay. I would dearly love to visit all the battlesites and other memorable places during this time of history. I, however, read up on it all first then briefly, oh so very briefly visited Gettysburg and Arlington, mostly due to time constraints and an impatient husband. However, I think he has seen the error of his ways and we will visit more places.

Regarding the mall and money hysteria, I think they only behave that way out of their own shame over these events. It was all incredibly unconstitutional and immoral and should never have occurred. But Lincoln sowed the wind, and we are reaping the whirlwind effects of his...wisdom????

[Vor Lady]

Thanks for the ping. Seeing our country's important battlefields disappear is distressing. When my husband was stationed in Maine, we took the kids to Boston to see the sites of the Revolutionary War. We were so disappointed to find the Lexington/Concord sites surrounded by encroaching city and trash everywhere. No respect shown for what had occurred there. But then maybe I'm too naive....

[smug]

Very well written RP. Might I suggest now The Civil War vol. I, II, & III by Shelby Foote. You can get them in both book and Spoken Word on CD's. Also Jay Winik's book, April 1865. I have that Gary Gallagher lecture course. It is nice put doesn't quite tie the events in logical order. He also has no feel for the Confederate side of the coin.

[w_over_w]

Thanks for the ping SB!

Outstanding write up professor. Our travels last Summer to various CW battlefields pale in comparison to your "marathon". Should the Lord tarry we hope to visit many more.

Here are some pics, et al of one of our visit to Sharpsburg, MD and the battle of Antietam. While Sharpsburg does not get the frequency of visitors that Gettysburg or Manassas might, this place had a charm and country flavor that enhanced our visit. We were told that the battlefield looks about the same it did on Sept. 17, 1862. Much of the area is still private farming.

The morning phase of Antietam (6am to 9am).

Here at “The Cornfield” the 1st, 4th and 5th Texas Brigades helped blunt the attack of Mansfield's Corps almost alone. The Texas Brigades sealed a threatening gap in the cornfield line and in so doing the First Texas Infantry suffered a 82.3% casualty rate the greatest loss suffered by any infantry regiment north or south. 850 less 550.

Midday Phase (9:30AM to 1PM).

The Sunken Road (Bloody Lane). The Unions 2nd Corps appear atop the ridge. Longstreet's Corps of Georgians, Alabamians and North Carolinians occupy the road. For nearly 4 hours Union and Confederate infantry contested this sunken country road, resulting in over 5000 casualties.

Afternoon Phase (1PM to 5:30PM).

The Lower Bridge (Burnside’s obsession). The fighting here was a key to McClellan’s failure at Antietam. 500 Georgian and South Carolinian riflemen kept the entire Union 9th on the far side of the bridge for 3hrs. Note the weed infested original rifle pit above.

From the Union position . . . Burnside would eventually take the bridge and march across.

As you so eloquently stated there is a daunting feeling standing upon certain hallowed ground. At Gettysburg, I walked the 500 yards of "Pickets charge" and was nearly out of breath from the shear presence of what took place. But standing amongst those short corn stalks in the "bloody cornfield" where my ancestors fell was emotionally exhausting.

TEXAS FOREVER!
[Our flag's blue field is displayed on the left to match the eastward direction of the Texas Brigades]

[colorado tanker]

Gettysburg is the most interesting battlefield I've been to. The story of the battle is gripping, the heroics, like Chamberlain's charge and the tragedies like Pickett's Charge are compelling. And it all happened over the Glorious Fourth of July, changing the history of the nation.

But the most emotional to me was Shiloh. Such a bloody battle fought in such a small space. It was the battle where both sides realized this war would not be won or lost quickly, and it would be very, very bloody. I just felt an overwhelming sense of sadness there, feeling what our Republic would go through after Shiloh.