From the first big battle at Manassas/Bull Run in 1861 to the surrender of Lee’s army at Appomattox in 1865, Virginia stayed in the headlines throughout the Civil War. More than 2,000 “military events” were recorded in Virginia during the war, more than any other state. No part of the state escaped, with battles fought … Read more
Bordered on the west by the Allegheny range and the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Shenandoah Valley dramatically combines beautiful landscapes with extraordinary Civil War history. The Valley is described often as an avenue of invasion directed to the head of the Federal government at Washington D.C. More importantly, it was a vital … Read more
Charleston Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie, the HL Hunley, Charleston Museum, Fort Lamar Heritage Preserve, Magnolia Cemetery, Confederate Museum, Citadel Museum, the Battery, Aiken-Rhett Mansion Beaufort Area Parris Island Museum, the Beaufort Arsenal, St. Helena’s Episcopal Church, McKee/Smalls House, “Secession House,” Beaufort National Cemetery, Hilton Head Museum (Coastal Discovery) Sherman’s Campaign & Central Sites Ehrhardt – … Read more
Visit the Gettysburg National Military Park and follow the Civil War Trail to visit Pennsylvania battlefields & sites on the way to the 1863 battle there, plus the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg. • Gettysburg • Harrisburg • Chambersburg and Area • York and Wrightsville • Hanover • Other Sites • The Gettysburg Campaign … Read more
Georgia took on a critical role early in the war as the state supplied manpower and material to the Confederate armies. As the war wore on, Georgia’s importance increased as the Confederacy’s fortunes faded and the contending armies drew closer to the state. Major fighting came to Georgia’s northwest corner when the main Northern and … Read more
It sometimes seems the Civil War in the West was focused on Vicksburg. The Union efforts to take the Confederate-held Mississippi River bastion took months of maneuvering and thousands of lives on both sides. The drama finally ended July 4, 1863, with the city’s surrender. But there is much more to Mississippi’s Civil War story. … Read more
From Atlantic coastal sites at Forts Fisher and Macon to Union cavalry operations in the western mountains, North Carolina offers a collection of Civil War sites as varied as its landscapes. Blockade running in Wilmington. Ironclads at Kinston and Plymouth. Sherman vs. Johnston battles in 1865. A surrender more than two weeks after Appomattox. “Lee’s … Read more
Request printed maps, using THIS FORM, which include Civil War Trails maps. Regional maps and more are available from Virginia regional resources. The maps listed below require Acrobat Reader (free from Adobe). They are large. To read them on your computer screen, you will need to use the magnification tool from within Acrobat Reader. To … Read more
Download Tennessee Trails Map (revised October 2012) Tennessee Civil War Trails Map [pdf 715K] One look at a map should tell you how important Tennessee was during the Civil War. The state lay like a protective blanket over the Deep South. Any invasion of Georgia, Alabama or Mississippi certainly would have to come through Tennessee. … Read more
The Baltimore area found itself on the front lines of the Civil War almost immediately after the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter. Union troops rushing to the defense of Washington, DC just days after Sumter had to pass through the area where loyalties were, at best, questionable. The tension erupted April 19, 1861, … Read more