What civil war related historical site that you've visited is your favorite and

1. 60

   MinnesotaNorsemanposted 14 years ago

   What civil war related historical site that you've visited is your favorite and why ???

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2. 59

   bill oneillposted 14 years ago

   I live in Stafford, Virginia near the Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness and Spottsylvania National Battlefield Parks. These sites with the exception of Fredericksburg, retain most of their original fields of conflict. The Chancellorsville, Wilderness and Spottsylvania give the sense of foreboding many soldiers felt as they moved through the scrub forests. It can be readily seen why Jackson was a victim of friendly fire. Chancellorsville you stand at Hazel Grove and the stand at Fairview and you can see immediately the strategic mistake Hooker made in abandoning Hazel Grove. Follow the roads to Spottsylvania and you can see that Grant would have reached the open ground needed for the numbers of the Army of Potomac to prevail.
   I'm a lifelong student of the Civil War and any Civil War battlefield interests me.

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3. 60

   MinnesotaNorsemanposted 14 years ago

   THANK YOU BILL !!!  I'm only about a year into becoming a "the rest of my lifetime" student of the Civil war. I've read a couple dozen books so far on the events and issues leading up to the war, as well as of the people involved, civilians and soldiers, and the battles of the war itself. The most enjoyable things I've studied so far involve the every day lives of the every day soldiers and others directly involved in the war. What they endured, what they ate and the clothing they wore, the weapons, the weather, the hardships, the boredom and the terror of battle suffered by barefoot, starving boys and old men and all the others in between. I find whole evenings and sometimes whole days and weekends disappear with my nose buried in a Civil war related book or eyes glued to a related DVD. I now notice Civil war associated things all around me that I had not been able to recognize before. Since the 150th aniversary of the war's beginning is soon to be upon us, I am planning my first trip to sites related to the war. After staring into the unblinking eyes of people in some hundreds of Civil war era photos, some photos reflecting the expectations of the person depicted, some photos showing the grim reality of wounds, amputations and destruction all around them, I would so rather honor their memory by having my initial experiences be at sites where the sounds of super highways and the bright lights of mega-malls do not distract from what the soldiers themselves experienced there. A reenactment with the roar of cannons, the crack of rifles and the smell of gunsmoke would be the cherry topped icing on the Civil war cake for me. Your suggestions of battle sites seem to be what I would appreciate a Civil war related visit should be. Again Thank You Bill and take very good care !!!

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4. 61

   Cedar Cove Farmposted 13 years ago

   I, too, study the war of northern agression with great interest.  My favorite place, so far, has been Fort Davidson in Pilot Knob, Missouri.  Mostly because I live in Missouri, but the story behind the battle there is fascinating.  Sterling Price was a better general than many give him credit for.  He did make a huge mistake at Pilot Knob, though...

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