Skilly Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Last week I was on a business trip to Frederick Maryland, and in my off time I was able to go visit the battlefied at Antitam, and also Harper's Ferry. Antitam was the site of the bloodiest battle during the Civil War, with over 23,000 Confederate and Union troops either killed or wounded. Interestingly, the battle of Gettysburg may never have happened if General McClellen (Union) had followed orders from President Lincoln and followed the retreating Confederate troops, led by General Lee, back accross the Potomac to finish them off. Instead, the conservative McClellen chose to rest his troops and resupply, giving Lee the chance to escape. Personally, I like visiting sites like these and getting a feel for the history and the strategies used in the war. I don't have a large table set up in my living room recreating battles with toy soldiers or anything like that, but this subject has always interested me. Anybody else out there enjoy this history? Where are some other good sites / battlefields to visit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabuffbills Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Last week I was on a business trip to Frederick Maryland, and in my off time I was able to go visit the battlefied at Antitam, and also Harper's Ferry.Antitam was the site of the bloodiest battle during the Civil War, with over 23,000 Confederate and Union troops either killed or wounded. Interestingly, the battle of Gettysburg may never have happened if General McClellen (Union) had followed orders from President Lincoln and followed the retreating Confederate troops, led by General Lee, back accross the Potomac to finish them off. Instead, the conservative McClellen chose to rest his troops and resupply, giving Lee the chance to escape. Personally, I like visiting sites like these and getting a feel for the history and the strategies used in the war. I don't have a large table set up in my living room recreating battles with toy soldiers or anything like that, but this subject has always interested me. Anybody else out there enjoy this history? Where are some other good sites / battlefields to visit? I've been a Civil War buff for a while now. I've been to Gettysburg 3 times and I've also gone down to Virginia to visit Fredricksburg. I really like watching the movie "Gettysburg" and then going down to visit the site and seeing certain locations of the battles, like Devil's Den and Little Round Top. It's always kind of eerie though when you realize that thousands of men were killed on the spot you are standing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 I would love to visit Gettysburg but have yet to get there. I am a civil war buff of sorts and have visited several sites around TEX, OK and LA. A buddy of mine recently went to Fort Sumter and said it was pretty cool. One of my prized possessions is a grapeshot (cannon ball) that I found at the Mansfield battlefield in Louisianna when I was a kid. My dad and I have been visiting a confederate supply depot in Oklahoma for the last couple of years too. I am a history dork aficionado. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spain Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Where are some other good sites / battlefields to visit? Vicksburg, Misssissippi is incredible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramhock Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 (edited) Just realized about an hour ago that I really enjoed "Killer Angels" and my 10 & 12 years olds hadn't, yet. They said that they rarely see me so excited to tell them about something. Off to the library! The scene in "Gettysburg" where Sam Elliott leads his calvalry group through the orchard and is the first Yankee to see a rebel that far North, is amazing. He saw them a mile away through binocs. This scene is very detailed in "Killer Angels". What a feeling that must have been! Edited July 19, 2007 by Ramhock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godtomsatan Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Vicksburg, Misssissippi is incredible. I would echo this. The state monuments are remarkable in the park. If you get the chance, the Grand Gulf State Park about 50 miles south of Vicksburg is rather cool as well (if for nothing else than you see how the river has moved and migrated in the last 140 years). I've been to several battlefields, all are fascinating and leave you wondering what the hell were any of them thinking fighting and killing like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 I have a reasonable general knowledge of the Civil War and find it very interesting. In pure butchery terms, it ranks second only to the First World War in it's kinship to a meat grinder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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