Places To Explore
Civil War battlefields
1 FORT SUMTER AND FORT MOULTRIE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA
The first shots of the American Civil War were fired on Fort Sumter, situated on an island in mouth of the harbour at Charleston, South Carolina, on 12 April 1865. After hours of bombardment by Confederate batteries ringing the harbour, the Union garrison, under Major Robert Anderson, surrendered to the Confederates under General PGT Beauregard. In the wake of the surrender, President Abraham Lincoln issued a call for Union volunteers, while young men in the southern states flocked to the Confederate banner. From the
Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center at Liberty Square, where a few exhibits depicting South Carolina’s heritage of secession may be viewed, visitors reach Fort Sumter via boats operated by Fort Sumter Tours and examine a fine example of a pre-civil War masonry fort along with cannon and other period artefacts. Areas of Fort Sumter still exhibit shell damage from the bombardment, while concrete casemates constructed decades later remain visible. Fort Moultrie, located on nearby Sullivan’s Island, is accessible by car and offers exhibits from the fort’s history dating back to the Revolutionary
War, when the position was first fortified with logs.
Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park is open daily from 9am to 5pm except New Year’s, Thanksgiving and Christmas Days. Boat service to Fort Sumter begins at 9:30am and is available from downtown Charleston and Patriots Point/mount Pleasant in addition to the Visitor Education Center. Fort Moultrie is closed Monday and Tuesday, although the grounds are open. Available through Fort Sumter Tours, tickets are $30.
2 ANTIETAM NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD SHARPSBURG, MARYLAND
The Battle of Antietam, the single bloodiest day in American military history, was the climax of General Robert E Lee’s first invasion of the North during the Civil War. His Confederate Army of Northern Virginia fought the Union Army of the Potomac, under General George B Mcclellan, on 16-17 September 1862. During 12 hours of fighting on the 17th approximately 23,000 men were killed or wounded. After the battle, photographers recorded chilling images of the carnage. A number of these iconic photographs are visible along with interpretive texts. Visitors may take a driving tour that describes such famous locales as the Dunker Church, the Cornfield, Bloody Lane, and Burnside Bridge, where the fighting raged. Handsome monuments mark points of interest across the landscape, and the observation tower at Bloody Lane offers a distant perspective of the battlefield and the surrounding countryside. Numerous artefacts, including furnishings from surrounding homes that survived the battle, are on display at the visitors’ centre. An orientation film runs regularly, and special programs are held often.
The Antietam National Battlefield visitors centre is open daily 9am to 4pm, except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Days. The park entrance fee is $10 per individual or $20 per vehicle.
3 GETTYSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK GETTYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
The most famous battle of the Civil War, Gettysburg was the turning point of the conflict in the Eastern theatre. During three days of fighting (1-3 July 1863) General Robert E Lee’s second invasion of the North was thwarted as his Confederate Army of Northern Virginia was defeated by the Union Army of the Potomac under General George G Meade. Heavy combat took place at such locations as Cemetery Hill, Cemetery Ridge, Devils Den, Little Round Top, Culp’s Hill and Seminary Ridge. The failure of Pickett’s Charge on 3 July is remembered as the “high water mark of the Confederacy”. Visitors may take a driving tour that includes the High Water Mark memorial adjacent to the “copse of trees” objective of the famous charge. You can also view the Valley of Death, the Peach Orchard and the Wheatfield, where fighting was particularly severe.
Impressive monuments are located throughout the park, such as those to Pennsylvania troops, several prominent generals, and memorials to Confederate soldiers along Seminary Ridge. President Abraham Lincoln delivered his famed Gettysburg Address on 19 November
1863, and the site is marked in the national cemetery among the resting places of Union soldiers killed during the battle. The visitors centre houses a fine museum along with the breathtaking cyclorama by artist Paul Philippoteaux depicting Pickett’s Charge. The town of Gettysburg and the Eisenhower National Historic Site, home of President Dwight D Eisenhower, are worthwhile experiences as well.
The Gettysburg National Park Visitors Center is open daily from 9am to 4pm, with extended hours until 5pm from May to September. The centre is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Days. Adult tickets range from $9 for the museum experience only to $15 for the museum, cyclorama and orientation film.
4 CHICKAMAUGA & CHATTANOOGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE; FORT OGLETHORPE, GEORGIA
Chickamauga-chattanooga, the nation’s oldest and largest national military park, preserves the battlefield of Chickamauga, where the Confederate Army of Tennessee defeated the Union Army of the Cumberland during the largest battle in the Civil War’s Western theatre (18-20 September, 1863). You can tour the extensive Fuller Gun Collection, view detailed exhibits, and learn about the heroic Union stand under General George Thomas, the Rock of Chickamauga. In the wake of their Chickamauga victory, Confederate forces laid siege to the Union Army in Chattanooga, gateway to the Deep South. However, General Ulysses S Grant assumed command in the city, launching assaults on Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge on 23-25 November
1863, raising the siege and setting the stage for the Atlanta campaign. Many Civil War sites in Chattanooga are preserved as reservations, while a small visitors centre operates at Point Park on Lookout Mountain.
The visitor centers at Chickamauga and Lookout Mountain are open daily from 8:30am to 5pm except Christmas and New Year’s Days. Admission to the Chickamauga visitors centre is free, while Point Park visitors centre is $10 for adults over 16.
5 VICKSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI
Control of the Mississippi River was settled by the fighting around the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and the subsequent siege that lasted from 18 May to 4 July 1863. This culminated with the surrender of troops of the Confederate Army of Mississippi to the Union Army of the Tennessee.
Visitors to Vicksburg National Military Park can view over 1,400 monuments and memorials honouring the veterans of the siege. Orientation materials are available at the visitors center, ranger programs and interpretive events are regularly held, and visitors may choose a self-directed auto tour or enlist a guide. Located on Tour Road, the USS Cairo Gunboat and Museum features the preserved shallow-draft river ironclad USS Cairo, raised from the mud of the nearby Yazoo River with a trove of artefacts aboard and restored before being placed on permanent display. Visitors are also familiarised with the privations of siege warfare as the citizens of Vicksburg sought shelter from Union bombardment, some of them abandoning their homes and living in caves along the cliffs above the mighty Mississippi.
The Vicksburg National Military Park Visitors Center is located at 3201 Clay Street, Vicksburg, Mississippi. Fees are $20 per vehicle or $10 per individual. Commercial tours are available, ranging from $25 to $100. The motorcycle fee is $15. The park is generally open daily from 8:30am to 4:30pm, and it is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Days each year.