American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

Gentlemen,

I will be visiting the USA (east coast) on business in late November –though to early December for two weeks. During this period I have a small window of opportunity (1 or 2 days) to do my own thing. Do any of you have a recommendation for an ACW Battle field I could visit that is near an airport? I would love to go to Gettysburg, but I have no real understanding of the best way to get there.

Yours Aye,

Lt Col Cam McOmish
Lone Star Brigade
Smith’s Texas Division
I Corps
Army of Georgia
CSA

Depends on what part of the east coast you'll been at. Gettysburg would be good, then there's Antietem and Sharpsburg, which are about a two or three hour drive north of D.C., thens there Richmond, Petersburg, south of D.C but a bit further. I live on the coast of North Carolina, but when I visit my in-laws up in Rhode Island we travel through Richmond. Close to Richmond is the Stonewall Jackson Museum.

Respectfully,
Maj. Gen. Gery Bastiani
II Corps, 3rd Div. Tarheel Division
AotM CSA

"If there is a shell or bullet over there destined for us, it will find us" - General James Longstreet

<b>Do any of you have a recommendation for an ACW Battle field I could visit that is near an airport? </b>

This is an interesting question. I don't know if there is a sizable airport near Harrisburg, PA or not. It's been several decades since I visited Gettysburg with my family and of course we drove. You might have to fly into Philadelphia and catch a train (I know they go to Harrisburg) or rent a car to drive to Gettysburg itself which (even now) is too small to have a train station or airport of its own. Hopefully we have some clun members who live in the area. I am in Charlotte, NC so not an expert on the geography of southern Pennsylvania.

Major General Philip Roubaud
1/XX
Army of the Cumberland
United States of America

There is no major Civil War site that is very easy to get to without a car, and since you are not a U.S. citizen it may be difficult to rent one. (I just don't know -- presumably, foreign drivers licenses are honored, but I've never had to look into this.) Getting to Gettysburg by train and/or bus can be done, but is bound to be difficult. Same goes for Antietam (1.5 hrs. from Baltimore or Washington). Because of the larger number of sites within 30-60 minutes of Richmond, I'd expect that there are guided tours running out of Richmond, though possibly not in winter -- a check of the Richmond tourism office's website should help find out. Logistically speaking, the easiest major site to get to would be Manassas. Assuming no traffic jams, it's about 45 minutes from Washington, which means you can get there by an expensive cab ride, and then call a cab when you're ready to leave and get back to your Washington hotel. If you're staying in the Virginia suburbs of Washington it's even easier to get there. Plus, of course, you get two battlefields for the price of one. (I happened to visit Manassas for the first time this past June, and found that they do an excellent job explaining to visitors 1st Bull Run, but there's almost nothing on 2nd Bull Run. So you would definitely want to read up on the battle, since their explanatory materials are quite thin.)

It's a pity that you'll be here in winter, so that (with the exception of Fredericksburg) anywhere you'd go wouldn't look much like it did on the day of the battle.

Another point: each of the major battlefields is too big to easily see on foot, especially in November/December when it might be cold or rainy, so lack of a car will still be a problem. At Manassas you can easily walk the area where the first battle took place, but the second would involve a lot of walking. But of course, Antietam and Gettysburg are even bigger.

If you do choose Gettysburg, Harrisburg is definitely the closest major city and semi-major airport. Harrisburg isn't much of a tourist destination, but it's still possible that they have guided tours, which solves the problem of getting there and not having to walk countless miles in the cold.

One more idea. It wouldn't be as easy, but if you can find a direct flight to Chattanooga and can rent a car you can visit Lookout Mountain (stunning view of the area) and what little there is to see on Missionary Ridge -- battles fought in November -- and then drive about 30-40 minutes to Chickamauga, which is an outstanding site. This can easily be done in a single day, so you could fly in one evening, visit the sites, and fly out that night or the following morning.

A few years ago I spent a few days in the Washington area - I went to Antietam (Greyhound bus to Hagerstown and then taxi to/from the battlefield) - well worth it as the battlefield is well maintained and signed. I also spent a couple of days in Fredericksburg (easy to get commuter train from DC), the town itself is very interesting and the Fredericksburg battlefield is obviously easy to get around. The Chancellorsville battlefield is easy to get to from there as well (another taxi ride!) I believe the 1864 campaign sites are also close enough but I didn't get there.

Lt. Gen Niall Murphy
4/2/VIII Corps, AoS

Gettysburg - you can easily spend an entire day there...if you have more than a day, a quick trip to the South-West will put you on the Antietam battlefield.

The driving tour of Fredericksburg, Chancslorsville, Wilderness & Spotslvainia is cool and you could hit Manassas on your way, but this would be an entire day in and of itself.

LGen. Hamilton
II Corps
ANV, CSA

I've never been to the Atlanta battlesites, but they may be the closest to a major airport...

Major General Gary McClellan
1st Division, XXIII Corps
AoO,USA

Manassas is very near Washington Dulles airport, and a fun battlefield to visit.

Rich's suggestion of the Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, etc area is also a good one, and a short trip from Washington, DC or Richmond, VA airports.

I was just there, and am from the West Coast but had no problem getting around and seeing several spots in a day.

Hands down would be to find a way to hit Gettysburg...


General Jeff Laub
Union Chief of the Army
ACWGC Cabinet Member
http://www.geocities.com/laubster22/UnionHQ/

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Gary McClellan</i>
<br />I've never been to the Atlanta battlesites, but they may be the closest to a major airport...

Major General Gary McClellan
1st Division, XXIII Corps
AoO,USA
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

That would be true if any of them still existed. Alas, most have been taken over in the urban sprawl that is Atlanta. There are a few sites that still exist - or at least pieces of them. You can see portions of the Kenessaw Mountain line, I believe there is a small state run park for Picket's Mill (?), and a few small spots going north towards Chatanooga, but most everything is now as overrun as Franklin in Tennessee and all you get are roadside historic markers. Chickamauga, however, is an excellent battlefield with a great visitors center.

Sharpsburg is my favorite but harder to get to. A visit to Harpers Ferry is a nice side trip while there. Gettysburg is so commercialiezd now that it takes away somewhat from the experience, but still - it is Gettysburg, the largets battle ever fought in the Western Hemisphere, so it is still worth a visit.

If you fly into Jacksonville, FL it is only a 45 minute drive to the Olustee battlefield - wait... you wanted major battles. Nevermind. [:D]

Regards,

Major Gen. Alan Lynn
CSA Chief of Staff
3rd Bgde, 3rd Cav Div, II Corps, AoA

God Bless <><

I suppose it would be easier to answer your question if we knew where you will be starting from when you have you private days. Mapquest.com can be used for directions if you travel by car.

Lt. Col. Richard Walker
I Corps
Army of the Mississippi
2nd Brigade, 3rd Division
"Defenders of Tennessee"

I just saw this thread at Wargamer:
http://www.wargamer.com/forums/tm.asp?m=252331&go=last

As I had pointed out, for a foreign visitor there might be a logistical problem in terms of being able to get to the battlefield by means of public transportation, but then not having a car to cover the miles and miles of roads. The above thread gives some information about hiring private tour guides -- who would probably have cars. Perhaps worth looking into.

Gentlemen,

Thanks for all the replies. I am going to fly into Harrisburg (30 Dec) and then hire a guide for a day at Gettysburg - haven't got one yet but working on it (thanks for the links Gil R). Any ACWGC members who live in the Harrisburg area I would be keen to stand you a beer or 30 in the evening (1 & 2 Dec)

Yours Aye,

Lt Col Cam McOmish
Lone Star Brigade
Smith’s Texas Division
I Corps
Army of Georgia
CSA

Better pack some warm clothing, since it's winter time here and summer down under were your at. [:D]

Respectfully,
Maj. Gen. Gery Bastiani
II Corps, 3rd Div. Tarheel Division
AotM CSA

"If there is a shell or bullet over there destined for us, it will find us" - General James Longstreet

I live just outside of Frederick, MD., which is less than an hour's drive from Gettysburg. If you are flying into Harrisburg on November 30 (your last post aid December 30, which I assumed was incorrect) and could make your way to Gettysburg on December 1st, I would be happy to arrange to meet you there and be your guide, with transportation for the day. If you would like to discuss this further, please e-mail me and let's talk.

Col. Bill Spitz
3rd Division
I Corps
Army of the Potomac
[image]http://tmg110.tripod.com/federal/us-1c3d.gif[/image]