Howdy! I have a day layover in Harrisburg tomorrow. Any Civil War tourist recommendations? Thanks!
"Totally Agree" to all the above ^^^^^^..... amend to " Hope you enjoyed it"AEK said:
Gettysburg is awesome if you haven't been. It is the gem of the NPS Military Parks and is close enough to Harrisburg that you shouldn't have an issue if you want to visit. You can get there in about 45 minutes from the airport via I-76 and Hwy 15. Please note I-76 is a toll road. Other sites of note would be the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg and the Army Heritage and Education Center (AHEC) in Carlisle. AHEC is dedicated to telling the story of the American Soldier and spans all of our nations conflicts...so it wouldn't be Civil War specific.
http://www.nationalcivilwarmuseum.org/
http://ahec.armywarcollege.edu/index.cfm
Edit to add links.
The one is a bit in the other direction?JABQ04 said:
I am roughly 35 days from my own trip to Gettysburg and Antietam. Pretty excited. Trying to convince the wife to let me squeeze in the Wilderness as well. It not looking good.
If you can't talk her into the Wilderness perhaps you can hit up Harpers Ferry, WV or the Monacacy Junction Battlefield (in Frederick, MD) instead. Also if you are into Medicine, the National Museum of Civil War Medicine is in Frederick as well. They also have a Field Museum around Antietam at the Pry House Farm. Very cool stuff and was where MAJ Jonathan Letterman put his reforms into practice.JABQ04 said:
I am roughly 35 days from my own trip to Gettysburg and Antietam. Pretty excited. Trying to convince the wife to let me squeeze in the Wilderness as well. It not looking good.
About 40 years ago at one of the shops there i bought an old bill labeled as CSA $100 for ( I think) $20. It was a Republic of Texas $100 and worth a HELLOVA lot more. Doubt you will still be able to make such a find but the shops are great for browsing.SpiDer2008 said:
Have fun! Make sure you go in town and go to the horse soldier. Lots and lots of artifacts/weapons for sale from Gettysburg and other battles and wars (i.e. They have a kieser helmet from WWI). Just don't let your wife know your bought something lol. Pretty awesome place.
Oh dear.......JABQ04 said:
Not really. After Gettysburg/Antietam we'll stay with a friend who lives about 45 mins from the battlefield. But have to hit D.C. and Bush Gardens for the kids.
I am posting this since I did a tour of French & Indian and Revolutionary War sites last summer and it may help you plan your trip. My trip was based around genealogy and seeing some battlefields where my ancestors fought.VanZandt92 said:
Antietam Sharpsburg is my favorite as it is very quiet and scenic, but also because it has family meaning.
I haven't been to Gettysburg since I was a kid, but right now I'm focused on seeing NY and NJ Rev War sites.
THIS ^^^^^^^^74OA said:
For others heading to Gettysburg, if you haven't done so already, read "The Killer Angels" first to get your mind right.........
"The Killer Angels received the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
The Killer Angels has been required reading, at various times, at the US Army Officer Candidate School, The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the U.S. Army War College, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the U.S. Army Special Forces Detachment Officer Qualification Course, The Basic School for Marine Officers (TBS) and Saint Joseph's University. It is one of only two novels (the other being Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer) on the U.S. Army's recommended reading list for Officer Professional Development."
CLASSIC
From his description , he sounds like he was with Lawton's Georgia Brigade on the south end of the Cornfield.VanZandt92 said:
In terms of Sharpsburg, was packing last night and ran across letters from my ggg grandfather who was at Antietam. I don't put my fingers on those letters. He doesn't describe Sharpsburg but there are descriptions of them before the Battle of Oloustee where they hear the canon beforehand.
I also ran across hand written notes from my mother as to where my grandfather was by the hour at Antietam. 645 am the Federals came out of the cornfield and the Georgians opened up on them. They fought then retreated back to Bloody Lane, where the battle was just as fierce. They eventually retreated across the creek to fight another day.
I just wanted to add this place is extremely moving. I had relatives in the Alabama Regiments in the Bloody Lane. To stand there and look and see what they saw and how close everything is in person is overpowering.Rabid Cougar said:From his description , he sounds like he was with Lawton's Georgia Brigade on the south end of the Cornfield.VanZandt92 said:
In terms of Sharpsburg, was packing last night and ran across letters from my ggg grandfather who was at Antietam. I don't put my fingers on those letters. He doesn't describe Sharpsburg but there are descriptions of them before the Battle of Oloustee where they hear the canon beforehand.
I also ran across hand written notes from my mother as to where my grandfather was by the hour at Antietam. 645 am the Federals came out of the cornfield and the Georgians opened up on them. They fought then retreated back to Bloody Lane, where the battle was just as fierce. They eventually retreated across the creek to fight another day.
They didn't fair very well.
This is what they saw.
Lawton's Brigade at Sharpsburg