I’m currently projecting my travel plans for the next several years, and, as part of the process, I’m considering which battlefields to visit (or revisit). That list is not restricted to American Civil War battlefields. I’ve visited Waterloo, for example, and that visit reminded me that the commercialization of battlefields is not limited to the usual American suspects. I’ve even visited several Revolutionary War battlefields.
In establishing this list, I’m aware that there are many reasons one might visit a battlefield and many things that one might learn from such a visit. Sometimes you want to go to a place simply so you can say you’ve been there; sometimes you go to a place to soak up certain sensations. In this case, I’m defining “value-added” as helping me understand what happened there as a student of military history. There are places I have visited where the visit was truly informative, indeed necessary, to understand what happened there. Port Gibson ranks high on that list. You simply must visit it to understand the terrain and how it shaped the battle. There are other places where a visit is very useful, but usually that comes in slices (walking the route of the July 3 Confederate attack at Gettysburg; standing at the junction of US 29 and SR 234 at Manassas; exploring the ground around Bloody Lane at Antietam).
My question to all of you is three-fold:
1) How do you define “value-added” when it comes to visiting historic sites, especially battlefields?
2) Of the Civil War battlefields you have visited, which one was most “value-added” for you, and why? (In a few cases, I can guess the answers.)
3) Of non-American Civil War battlefields, which ones would you single out for visits, and why?
Did you visit Point-of-Rock while you were in the Vicksburg area? Also quite instructive in understanding what happened, the fort is sitting behind a solid bedrock embankment. Some of the bedrock is showing through the dirt if you walk back there.
Would have been interesting to go see Black Bayou and Deer Creek too. WTF was Porter thinking?
1. I am a visual person, so when I visit a battlefield, I try to stand and immerse myself in the terrain, and visualize what happened there and how/why. Soooo, that said, I try to translate what is on paper, into a mind picture fitted to the terrain…that is my “value-added”
2. The first time I saw Burnside’s Bridge it was from the position of the Georgia troops defending the crossing. I sat there and wept when I realized those Georgians were almost shooting straight down on those Federal soldiers attempting to ford the creek, or cross the bridge. Of course, every trip onto the field at Gettysburg is value added. But so is Antietam.
3. I would love to tour the waters around Guadalcanal and see where all those naval engagements in the summer and fall of 1942 took place. I would love to see the battlefield where Operation Dodge occurred in June of 1966 in Vietnam, as I participated in naval artillery support of that operation. I would love to see Omaha Beach, and the woods at Bastogne, and finally, I would love to see Marathon, and El Alamein, Gaugamela…so many battles, so little time [and money].
Little Big Horn Battlefield. Value added, just ove the ridge to the west on the Big Horn River is some of the best trout fishing in America.
The Battle of Culloden. Value added, just east is Spreyside, where the very best scotch whiskey distilleries are located.
(1) For battlefields I think that you’ve touched on it – the ability to stand, look around, and readily visualize what took place at the time; (2) I would say Shiloh because of the relatively good preservation of the historical terrain and lack of incursion by modern activities. If I can expand the era by about 10 years, nothing beats the Little Bighorn Battlefield, which has benefitted from its location; (3) assuming that “American” means USA, I’d add the Plains of Abraham battlefield, for similar reasons. And, of course, the availability of some great cuisine immediately off site. Je me souviens?
How would I define “value-added?” Something that moves me. Something that makes me cry. Probably a corny answer. Shiloh, where my great-great uncle fought with the 46th Illinois. It was April and rainy. The map available at the visitor center is probably the best one I have ever gotten. So I tramped around in the rain retracing the steps of the 46th Illinois from their campground at the south end of Jones Field to Water Oaks Pond and then back to their final position at the end of Day 1 on the extreme right of “Grant’s Final Line.” My wife thought I was nuts. She’s sitting in the car where it’s warm and dry and I’m out tramping around in the rain. And for those who have not visited Shiloh, it’s absolutely pristine. Has not changed at all since the battle except for the fact that they have relocated and renamed some of the roads. No hamburger stands, no concession stands, no “Grant Slept Here” signs. Second would be Gettysburg but not the whole field. Walking across from Seminary Ridge to the Copse of Trees following the route of Pickett’s Charge was (and I think always will be) the most emotional walk I ever made on a battlefield. Especially when I came across little Battle Flags stuck in the ground where I assume ancestors placed them in memory of someone who died there.
1. My “value-added” is more or less what you have written here – it is a way to flesh-out the geography and update the images you concocted in your head as you were reading about a battle. The visit also enhances the reading you will do after your visit.
2. A number of them come to mind, but Pickett’s Mill may top the list. It was a confused battle in which topography played a major role. It’s very difficult to appreciate the depth of the ravines and the limited sight lines without a personal visit, and the lack of a road network there means visitors are compelled to hike the ground.
3. I would recommend the Little Bighorn, if you haven’t been. I had read about that battle since childhood, but only made my first visit last summer. The whole weekend, I had one revelation after another – aided by 100-degree weather on the anniversary of the battle. And again, a visit adds a profound clarity to post-visit reading. I would also suggest a visit to Captain Jack’s Stronghold at Lava Beds National Monument, from the 1873 Modoc War (in fact, today is the anniversary of the first battle of the Stronghold). It’s an unusual, and beautiful place to visit, though well off the beaten track.
On points 1 and 2 and I can only agree with WGDAVIS. As for non-American Civil War battlefields I’d recommend a visit to Pearl harbor, you can still visualize Battlefield row and understand the small margin for error for the Japanese torpedo planes and why Kimmel didn’t think “Torpedo nets” were necessary.
If a visit to the field enhances your knowledge of the issues in the battle beyond your “book learning,” then that is value-added. Examples: I don’t get a lot out of going to Fredericksburg because the growth of the town has eliminated the field across which the Yankees attacked. OTOH, I learned more from visiting Shiloh than I got out of many books. And I think anyone who tries to write about Pickett’s Charge w/o walking it is a fool.
I found driving Sherman’s route from Tunnel Hill to Atlanta was fascinating. Plains of Abraham were beautiful and the battle was more culturally decisive than any other fought in North America in the last 300 years.
1. Like others above, the value-added aspect for me is the ability to walk the ground trying to gain a better understanding of what happened there, and why.
2. Gettysburg of course, since it was the first battle about which I did much reading. But also Chancellorsville and Spotsylvania when guided by Bob Krick. There’s no better guide/analyst.
3. Waterloo, and the D-Day beaches and fields. Why? Because of their historical significance and because I’ve read so much about them. Maybe someday before time runs out.
For me, “value-added” means it gives me perspective on what happened. I’m probably one of the ones you can easily guess. Gettysburg, Antietam, Vicksburg, and Shiloh were pretty value-added for me, especially the first three, as I had opportunity to visit them several times. I think the more you can visit, the more value you can get from it, because in between visits you can read more and correlate what you’ve seen with what you’re reading, and then you can put together an itinerary of what else you want to see, with objectives of what you want to get out of visiting that part of the field. Having guided tours with knowledgeable folks increases the value considerably. I’m thinking of Saratoga as a place to visit. I’ve already seen Brandywine. Maybe Boston and Bunker Hill.
Al: I’d forget Bunker/Breed’s Hill. What’s left hardly gives the right perspective, given the massive changes at the spot and in the North End of Boston/Charlestown after the landfill projects of the late 19th century. A better recommendation IMHO is the Minuteman Park (Battle Road) off Route 2A in Lexington/Concord/Lincoln. The Visitor Center has a great 360 degree panorama of Boston c. 1775 done by a member of the Royal Engineers. In addition, several parts of the Battle Road itself are in a sufficiently preserved/restored condition to give a good idea of the terrain covered by the running fight during the British retreat. The Bloody Curve area is particularly good although it is less open than it was in 1775 (which was due to more cultivation at the time). Saratoga is likewise recommended for your AWI interest. I’m told that the State Park at Monmouth in NJ is pretty nice, as well.
I drive the route Morgan’s Raider took through our county almost everyday going to work,also passing the “Batlte of Berlin Crossroads”.The value added,is just thinking of those times.Two of the twenty one civilians killed during the raid were in our county,if I recall right,could be more,but not less.Buffington Island,where they had Morgan covered on three sides,guns on the hills,gun boats on the river,troops on the ground,I could feel the rebs desperation.
I have visited the field of the Battle of Point Pleasant Wva,where I had folk on both sides,it was a tight spot..
For me the greatest value added that I have gained from visiting battlefields is visceral rather than factual in nature. Seeing the landscape helps my understanding of the the battle as it unfolded, but most of that information can be acquired from reading and otherwise researching the known facts. It is the emotional connection that does it for me, standing on the very spot where these great events occurred 150 years ago, imagining myself as a participant, knowing that I am standing on previously bloodstained ground and above the remains of soldiers who fought and died there.
The battlefield of the Petersburg Crater is where this value added has been the most pronounced for me as it is where my great-great grandfather fought and was captured after helping to lead the initial charge into Crater after the mine explosion. In 2008 I stood on the very ground where the 2nd. PA Provisional Heavy Artillery entered the Crater and it connected me on a gut-level to the battle and my ancestor in a way that no amount of reading and study could ever do.
I was fortunate to have a tour guide in Beijing who was a high school age student in Beijing when the Tianamen Square event happened. She opened up about it while on the tour bus headed for one of the tourist sections of the Great Wall. She had actually been at the square the morning of the crackdown, but left with some friends. One of her classmates was killed later that night. The irony was that her father was a captain or major in the army and the soldiers that the government used to push the students out of the square were barracked or bivouacked at his military base where she and her family lived.
Value-added bus ride for sure.
I also recommend Pearl Harbor. It is a very moving experience. My first thought was how small an area it is, which helped me understand why the attack was so devastating. As an historian with a strong interest in geneaology I would also call attention to really old cemetaries. In my childhood we visited York, Maine where there is cemetery dating back to the 17th century. The old tombstones often listed the cause of death, which included military events. I considered that a value added experience, which is to say that gained a deeper insight into past events.
Bookstores, museums and concessions aside, “value-added” for me has to do with gaining an understanding of events that is otherwise elusive. While visiting Gettysburg for the first time was everything I’d hoped for, seeing the actual field tended to confirm what I’d already learned and/or imagined from reading about that battle. I didn’t really have any big “Aha!” moments there.
I’m going to say that the most “value-added” of the battlefields I’ve visited is the North Anna battlefield. Although I’d read several accounts of the battle, before I went there I didn’t really get the whole inverted “V” concept, mainly because the image of the landscape in my mind’s eye was all wrong.
The part of the the North Anna field that remains well-preserved is in a county park on land donated by a nearby gravel company (the evocatively named General Crushed Stone). The park encompasses most of the left-hand leg–A.P. Hill’s line–of the inverted “V”, including the point of the “V” above Ox Ford on the North Anna River. The lightbulb came on for me pretty quickly walking along that line and out to the point of the “V”. Looking down on the trace of the Ox Ford Road, it’s easy to understand why Burnside–who’d been on both sides of similar positions at Fredericksburg and Knoxville respectively–chose not to press the issue there and opted instead for a flanking move by crossing upstream and attacking from the west. The move makes perfect sense and, not coincidentally, it played right into Lee’s hand.
The Confederate earthworks at the North Anna park–easily the most impressive I’ve seen at any Virginia battlefield, with rifle pits, gun positions, traverses, etc. all still intact–add another bit of extra value to the experience. The view to the west of the Confederate line is somewhat marred at the southern end by a high berm around the perimeter of the gravel company, but the terrain beyond the northern half of the line and around the point of the “V” is pretty much as it was in 1864. The woodline has shifted, of course, but that just means you can walk the Confederate line in the shade.
Thank you for the information on the North Anna River battlefield. That is the one battlefield of the Overland Campaign in the Spring of 1864 that I have not been to. My ancestor was with Burnside’s Ninth Army Corps and was a participant there.
Value added has been well described already so can’t do it any better.
On non Civil War, I’d single out Omaha Beach. You can’t believe what the soldiers faced to get off the beach, especially as you can still see the pillboxes. In addition, you may get to talk to a vet, which is pretty amazing.
I would start with the Little Big Horn. The great advantage is that it its small and still pretty pristine. After Gettysburg, to visit a battle field that a mere couple of thousand fought over is a relief! First time I was there, we were returning to the main trail from where Keogh and I Troop died and an Australian asked me what was down there. I explained – he perked up: Keogh was his great grand uncle!
Overseas, by all means go to Culloden, the last battle fought on British soil. We were there in August and about froze to death: I cannot imagine what April must have been like! Similar to the LBH, Culloden remains also isolated and undeveloped.
Normandy is worth a few days and by all means stop at Ypres to hear Last Post. We had a great guide – somewhere I have his name – and you can get a feel for what the trenches were like!
One of the greatest trips that any of you will ever take, trust me on this, is a trip to the Northern Plains of Northern Wyoming and Southern Montana with the Big Horn mountains nearly always in sight except when you go ever deeper into the grasslands. Traditional outdoor rec. and glorious mountains abound, the Big Horns to the South in particular, the lower Pryor Mountains and their wild horses to the N.W., well behind you to the East are the Black Hills and Badlands and if you continue West, heaven, including the Beartooths, the Absarokas, and greatest of all Yellowstone, Grizzly country awaits. But a trip to the historic sites on the plains anchored by the Little Bighorn Battlefield N.M. and Sheridan Wy. is beautiful beyond words, the sunsets as you leave the Monument and head back South will combine with everything you’ve seen and done that day or days leaving you exhausted, sad, proud, and smiling ear to ear as the Garryowen, the Northern Cree Rockin’ the Rez, or Johnny Cash roar from your radio. Billings is closer and has those great mountains on Westward and the Yellowstone River but Sheridan is perfect for this trip thru grassland, to a fort, four major battlefields, and uniquely beautiful country especially in spring and fall (sorry bout the visitor bureau sound of this). I prefer autumn but I’ve been there in every season. Twice I’ve visited in the dead of winter and both visits were stark and surpisingly moving but holy hell it was cold. June is good and green but can be anything from hot like that day on the Greasy Grass or cold windy and wet so be prepared. Fort Phil Kearny and the Fetterman fight (also find the Wagon Box fight for a quick stop btw I’d like to live in the house up there), south for a rugged difficult trek to the Dull Knife battlefield, and N.E. to the Rosebud and The Little Bighorn. A week or more especially if you want to go to the high country but all but the Rosebud and Dull Knife can be quick stops but, come on, life is short. I have roamed all over this country and had some grand days. If you want more info. or have something to share with me please by all means do. I love the Professors site so I am often here these days. I am voting for Dr. Simpson to put that grad student he doesn’t know what the hell to do with to work on creating a page where more detailed info, lodging, camping, etc. can be accessed for our journeys.
Balls Bluff is the Civil War battlefield that has, time and again, brought that war alive to me. A bit hard to find (you have to weave through a housing development on the fringe of Leesburg), you suddenly come upon it – and most often, you are the only one there. Compact and almost undisturbed, it is perhaps the most easily grasped lesson in how geography affects tactics – and one of the most poignant. You cannot stand on the bluff – or on the tiny, narrow riverbank below it – and escape the Federals’ sense of fear or the exultation of the Confederates. The tiny cemetery adds to atmosphere of gloom and doom.
Non-Civil-War choice would be the Big Hole Battlefield in Western Montana, near Wisdom. Reading Sherman’s second-hand but contemporaneous accounts of that battle (he was not far away in Montana on an inspection tour at the time it happened – actually tried to get to the fight) is a value-added exercise. A great self-guided tour there.
My favorite battlefield experience, though, was at the Big Horn Battlefield (so well described in the previous post above) about five years ago. While visiting a girlfriend who lives in Sheridan, we decided to go to BHB (for the umpteenth time). As we were following that field’s self-guided tour, I heard a very familiar rasping, commanding voice ahead, and we unobtrusively fell into line at the tail end of the inimitable Ed Bearss’s paying customers. Having been on many of his tours of Eastern Civil War battlefields, and knowing of his Montana roots, I knew it would be the best possible tour of that battlefield ever. It was. Talk about value-added!
Your mentioning having to weave through a housing development to find Ball’s Bluff, Candice, reminds me of another site. Old Fort Johnson on James Island. It’s really hard to find. There’s nothing there any more except a historical marker and a few small structures and you have to weave your way through a complex of buildings used by the College of Charleston for it’s marine biology program. Driving down Fort Johnson Road, I remember asking a half dozen people where the fort was located. The first five just shrugged their shoulders. And there really wan’t a battle there so don’t know if this even meets Brooks’ criteria asking about battlefields. But standing there close to the spot (erosion has caused the exact spot to now be 50 or 75 feet out in the water) where the first shot of the Civil War was fired was very moving. I was surprised to see how close the two forts really were. For a period photo of them, go to http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/ft-sumter-view-johnson.htm
ACW
1. Chickamauga
Value added. Walk through the woods and you get an understanding how difficult it was to advance for the Confederates. You can also get an appreciation how perilous was the Union retreat and Thomas truly saved the day.
2. Fort Pulaski
Value added. There is a stark example of the value of modern rifled artillery and how the existing bastion fort system was outdated…plus you get to dodge alligators! (Awesome food in Savannah as well.)
3. Port Gibson
Value added. Driving the actual Bruinsburg Road to the Shaifer House made me appreciate the difficulty and incredible feat of moving a corps, at night, with artillery, through near impassible terrain and conducting a successful attack.
Non ACW
1. Brandywine
Value added. Despite the suburban sprawl enough open space remains as well as woods to understand how terrain isolates sections of the battlefield which allowed the British success. And as the US forces compressed they actually moved to more defensible terrain.
2. Hubbardton
Value added. Finally was able to visualize how the British light troops were able to turn the flank despite, or maybe because, of the terrain.
3. Jumonville Glen/Fort Necessity.
Value added. So how did Washington get the jump on the F & I? And he picked a lousy place to build a fort.
Non- United States
1. The Our River Valley and “Skyline Drive” east of Bastogne.
Value added. I was able to appreciate fully the accomplishments of the 110 INF REGT, 28th ID in slowing down the opening 72 hours of the Battle of Bulge. Without the stands at Marnach, Hosingen and Shinkert there would not have been a Bastogne.
2. As stated, Omaha Beach.
3. Gallipoli (Thanks to the Turkish Army!)
Value added. Well let’s just say it is a p[lace few Americans go.
When I was in Turkey in 2009, I asked to visit Gallipoli, but the State Department declined.
I was there on a NATO exercise in the bad old days as an Army officer. The Turkish Army took us (CPT Mahmet Ozmet) on a tour. I was his counterpart and hit it off well. Just got lucky. Had a similar outcome with a French officer and Verdun in 1982.
for Civil War battlefields, i get the most value-add from Antietam, but that’s in part because i have some family connections to it.
for non Civil War, i think Saratoga in upstate NY is very worthwhile, they were very fortunate that the four core farms were still undeveloped when FDR had the opportunity to purchase them in the 20s, and NPS has done a pretty good job. and i’m not just saying that because i live nearby.
i also spent 2 weeks in Normandy a couple of years ago, and continue to be impressed by what i saw there. another commenter brings up Omaha Beach, and i agree that it’s worthwhile. also, at Arromanches, there are extensive remains of Mulberry B, one of the artificial harbors. there are surviving German bunkers all over the place, so many that eventually you quit stopping to see them. and of course there’s Point du Hoc.