Civil War Battlefields – Gettysburg to Appomattox

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is one of the most well-known stops on this trip. This is where President Abraham Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address; and it is also the site of a pivotal 1863 Civil War Battle of the same name, which was a turning point in the war for the Union Army. But there are many other Interesting Civil War historic sites nearby. The charming small town of Gettysburg has good dining (some places even serve food popular during the Civil War) and shopping, as well as frequent Living History presentations.

This section of western Maryland has a lesser known but very important battlefield, Monocacy, as well as the fabulous National Museum of Civil War Medicine. The Battle was the location of the last Confederate victory on Union soil. Frederick also has several historic homes and museums, (as well as hiking, biking, canoeing, dining and shopping).

The picturesque town of Harpers Ferry played an outsize strategic role in the Civil War due to its location at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, two transportation canals, abundant firearm factories, and the location of the U.S. Arsenal and Armory. As such, the town switched hands eight different times during the war, though it remained under Union control 80% of the time. Six days after the first shots in the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, Harpers Ferry was attacked by the Virginia Militia (for the Confederate side). The Battle of Harpers Ferry was fought in 1862 and was a decisive Confederate Victory, leading to the largest surrender of American soldiers until World War II.

The town is also famous for the John Brown rebellion in 1859 when a band of radical abolitionists raided the U.S. Arsenal and Armory and Hall’s Rifle Works to spur a slave rebellion, but the town was retaken quickly by state and national forces. The Battle of Harpers Ferry in September of 1862 was where Confederate forces under General “Stonewall” Jackson besieged the garrison forced the surrender of 13,000 Union soldiers (the largest surrender of American forces until the Second World War.

This area was also the site of the famous 1862 Battle of Antietam, where 23,000 soldiers lost their lives, which was all part of an effort for control of nearby Harpers Ferry due to its strategic importance and supply and communication lines. In all, nearly 13,000 Union troops, 13,000 arms and 47 pieces of artillery were captured by the Confederacy. It is no wonder Antietam is often called “the bloodiest day in American history.” Antietam led to President Abraham Lincoln issuing the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.

Harpers Ferry today is a charming riverside mountain town with shops, inns, restaurants and great outdoor activities such as river rafting and hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Civil War lovers or not – everyone will enjoy this great town.

About 40 miles southeast of Washington, D.C. is the bustling town of Manassas (which is quickly becoming a suburb of D.C.). The Battle of Manassas is more commonly known as the Battles of Bull Run. The first Bull Run (1861) was the first major battle of the Civil War. The second Battle of Bull Run in 1862 left 22,000 soldiers dead. Both were significant Confederate victories. The 5,000-acre Manassas National Battlefield Park, run by the National Park Service, offers high quality tours, a visitor center, walking trails and more. Manassas has a wonderful 18-stop Civil War History Trail with significant historic sites, including the Battlefield Park.

Fredericksburg is home to not one but FOUR Civil War battlefields – Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania Courthouse, Chancellorsville, and Wilderness – plus the site of General “Stonewall” Jackson’s death. The four battlefields are encompassed in the National Park Service’s Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. Each battlefield has a driving tour with written descriptions from the NPS phone app. Only Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville offer visitor centers and ranger-led programs. For those doing a tour of all four battlefields, we recommend you see them in the order presented in the Highlights section below.

Historically, the epic Battles of Fredericksburg (1862) and Chancellorsville (1863) were major Confederate victories early in the war, both with significant casualties. They also emboldened the Confederacy to launch the Gettysburg Campaign to invade the North. The inconclusive 1864 Battles of Spotsylvania Courthouse and Wilderness were among the bloodiest of the war, with heavier losses on the Union side and 25-30,000 casualties at each battle.

Located only 100 miles from Washington, D.C., Richmond, Virginia, was the headquarters and industrial center of the Confederacy. It’s no surprise that Union Forces sought to capture Richmond, given its manufacturing dominance. The town fell to Union forces in 1865, days before Confederate General and Commander Robert E. Lee surrendered in Appomattox Courthouse. The Richmond National Battlefield includes 13 different sites where battles large and small took place to defend Richmond as well as key sites to support the war effort such as an ironworks and hospital. The 13 sites, spread out over three counties and the city of Richmond on an 80-mile route, are highlighted in the park’s map. For a driving tour of Richmond Battlefield Park and nearby Petersburg Battlefield, use the American Battlefield Trust’s itinerary.

Richmond has so many important Civil War historic sites that it’s hard to figure out what’s best. Below we recommend some of the most popular. If you have time and interest to see another important battlefield, check out the Petersburg National Battlefield about 40 miles south of Richmond.

After leaving Richmond, drive north to the town of Appomattox, Virginia, where General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to U.S. General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, as the result of an eight-day campaign that ended here. The historic surrender happened at the McLean house over several days as terms of surrender were negotiated. The war hobbled along a few more months after this as Confederate troops gradually surrendered across the country. President Lincoln received the good news of surrender and was assassinated three days later in Washington, D.C., by John Wilkes Booth.