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Here in Vermont, you can find the occasional monument to Civil War vets -- often to those who died -- on the Greens of some towns. The one in Middlebury is a good example in our neighborhood. But, as we mentioned in this month's The State of Things: Remembering the Civil War, none of the Civil War's battles were waged on Vermont soil, or anywhere near this far north. So, if you plan on tracing the history of the Civil War in your travels, that means a trip down South. ... There are several ways you might plan your trip, several 'themes', any one of which you may want to follow: You can concentrate your tour in a specific region ... you can focus on the sites of the major battles ... or you can follow the route of a campaign, perhaps one in which Vermont regiments were involved. With any of these itineraries, there'll be plenty to see and plenty of ground to cover. ... Of all the States, far and away, Virginia has the most sites of major battles with more than 100. Among them are some of the more well-known -- like Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, Lynchburg, Manassas, Petersburg, Williamsburg, and, of course, Appomattox. Tennessee is next, with nearly 40 battle sites, including Chattanooga, Fort Donelson, and the now-infamous Shiloh. Georgia & Missouri are next with 27 sites each, including Atlanta, Chickamauga, and Pickett's Mill {Ga.}, and Independence, Lexington, and Springfield {Mo.}. There were 23 major battles fought in Louisiana, and 20 in North Carolina. But, with the exception of Virginia, and possibly Tennessee, the number of battles alone is probably not the best indicator of where to plan a visit, particularly if you'll be planning a somewhat short trip. Many of the most famous battles actually took place in states which had relatively few major battles over all. Probably the most notable is Pennsylvania, the site of Gettysburg, which was the field on only one other battle -- Hanover -- a relatively small battle in which Federal forces clashed with J.E.B. Stuart's men as Stuart was trying to make his way to join forces with Lee west of Gettysburg. Another example is Maryland, the site of only 7 major battles, but including Antietam, where the Old Vermont Brigade was involved in what would become the single bloodiest day of the war. By the time the smoke cleared, more than 23,000 were dead. If you're planning a regionally focused trip, then, centering on Virginia makes the most sense. That state, along with stops in Pennsylvania and Maryland on the way, and a possible excursion into eastern Tennessee, will allow you to take in the most sites of major Civil War battles. You can check out the battle sites and details state-by-state at one of the pages of the Heritage Preservation Services [HPS]/National Park Service [NPS] web site, which provides Battle Summaries by State. ... On the other hand, if you're inclined to focus your attention on a particular campaign, then the HPS provides a separate page for Battle Summaries by Campaign, too. ... The campaigns at the HPS site are divided into several major categories -- Main Eastern Theater, Lower Seaboard Theater and Gulf Approach, Main Western Theater, Trans-Mississippi Theater, and, since the HPS history covers all battles, including those against Native Americans during the war, the Pacific Coast Theater. For example, on a short trip, the Northern Virginia Campaign [August 1862] and the Maryland Campaign [September 1862] may be worthwhile, with major battles that included Manassas, Harper's Ferry, and Antietam. Tracing the steps of particular units that fought in the war will take a little more research. One excellent site for Vermont units that will save you a considerable amount of time is Vermont in the Civil War {at http://vermontcivilwar.org} -- an extensive site that's easy to navigate and extremely well-organized. For other units, there are numerous sites devoted to regimental histories on the web. {For a list of these and other on-line resources, check out this month's Links to Auto & Travel On-Line: Civil War Historic Sites.} The only other thing to consider is who'll be making the trip. ... If you have young ones you're planning to take along, then you may want to do a little research to find out about events planned at the sites you're going to visit. Many sites, in some cases organized by local residents, conduct re-enactments, which may make the history a little more engaging for the younger folk. Otherwise, while you may appreciate the sense and depth of history involved, the kids may not find a succession of monuments, guided tours, and brochures quite what they were hoping for. Of course, you may not want to plan a Civil War trip at all. But if you'll be driving down south in any case, let us urge you to make a stop, if for no other reason than to remember the dead ... whether it's Memorial Day or not. Happy trails. ... .. ******* ******* If you would like to submit something for our Travel Here & There feature, or if you simply would like to suggest something you think we ought to cover, e-mail us at ... autotravel@downstreetmagazine.com. ******* ******* If you would like to advertise in this section, or throughout the magazine, please visit our Advertising Info Pages ... or call, write, or e-mail ads@downstreetmagazine.com. ******* *******
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