visiting historic battlefields

[highlanddave]

thought i would make my first posted thread on one of my vacation past times, visiting historic battlefields. i have been to alot and will list a couple favorites. please tell me of your own visits and maybe what you thought about while there.

1- gettysburg, pennsylvania - a well preserved battlefield and the best as far as monuments, markers and tourist information center.

2- waterloo, belgium - fairly well preserved although i despise the way the sunken road dirt on the british left flank was destroyed to build the lion mound. i did not have much time and really would like to visit again.

3- normandy, france - the american cemetary on the cliff top is a moving experience.

4- shiloh, tennessee - a huge battlefield and a complicated battle

5- atlanta, geogia - the battle sites are hard to find, one needs to do research to find markers. the cemetary for the confederate dead is moving as it is a mass grave with over 5000 unknowns and is slightly sunken due to bodies deteriorating over the years. several confederate generals are buried there as well.

please do not make this a political thread and be respectful.

[Afonso I of Portugal]

Aljubarrota, Portugal - Well preserved medieval battlefield, museum and archeological excavations with a complex series of interlocking trenches, ditches, pitches, caltrops and graves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Aljubarrota

[rotorgun]

That was a very interesting and informative article about the Battle of Aljubarrota King_Of_Portugal_2. I would say that the Portugese kept thier heads rather well during he fight. It is a pity about the French knights being killed. It is understandable, but regrettable. It sheds much light on the actions of King Henry V at Agincourt in 1415. I'll have to remember the tactics of this battle for future reference.

My favorite battlefield so far is Shilo, Tennessee. I like the way that one can follow the route of the individual regiments because of all the signs at the various stages of the battle. One really gets an idea of the ebb and flow of that desperate encounter. Standing in the Hornets Nest is a moving experience and one can imagine the stand of General Prentiss's division against thirteen Confederate charges.....dreadful ground to attack through, all tangled with undergrowth and woods that broke up the cohesion of the attackers.

Fort Donelson, also in Tennesse, is also an interesting place to visit. I live not 40 minutes from there and I try to make an annual excursion there each year. My favorite spots are the river batteries and the Confederate rear guard trenches. The river guns overlook the bend in the Cumberland that the Union gunboats had to negotiate to attack the battery. One can easily see how the Confederate gunners were able to completely drive them off. The trenches, really nothing more than a series of rifle pits, which lie along a steep hill on the western flank of the position are rather shallow and only about big enough to hold maybe twenty men each. The Ravine that the Union infantry had to tackle, while steep, is also cut with numerous ruts that gave the attackers just enough cover to enable them to work close to the Confederate lines. Once massed, it didn't take long for the defenders to be overwhelmed, a great factor in causing General Pillow to call of the almost successful breakout in the eastern periphery. He had to almost denude his western defenses to mass enough of his own troops for the breakout you see. It was a very near run thing, but in the end a Union victory, the first of General Ullyses S. (Unconditional Surrender) Grant.

I would love to visit European battlefields someday. Perhaps when I am retired and have more time I can. Waterloo and Austerlitz are two that I can only imagine at present.

Regards,

[IrishArmenian]

An even more moving experience and very tuff to do is to visit a place where you personally fought. I visited a woman's house that I was hiding in and I got to the spot where I took my first life. I wanted to cry. I got in the exact position I was in years erlier at the same old window and it called on some very strong memories. I relived that event right then and there. I forgot, It was much smaller than I thought. It was tough to fit my 1.97 Metre frame into an alcove that I was comfortable when I was about 1.49. I hit my head a couple of times.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

My favorite battlefield so far is Shilo, Tennessee. I like the way that one can follow the route of the individual regiments because of all the signs at the various stages of the battle. One really gets an idea of the ebb and flow of that desperate encounter. Standing in the Hornets Nest is a moving experience and one can imagine the stand of General Prentiss's division against thirteen Confederate charges.....dreadful ground to attack through, all tangled with undergrowth and woods that broke up the cohesion of the attackers.

Fort Donelson, also in Tennesse, is also an interesting place to visit. I live not 40 minutes from there and I try to make an annual excursion there each year. My favorite spots are the river batteries and the Confederate rear guard trenches. The river guns overlook the bend in the Cumberland that the Union gunboats had to negotiate to attack the battery. One can easily see how the Confederate gunners were able to completely drive them off. The trenches, really nothing more than a series of rifle pits, which lie along a steep hill on the western flank of the position are rather shallow and only about big enough to hold maybe twenty men each. The Ravine that the Union infantry had to tackle, while steep, is also cut with numerous ruts that gave the attackers just enough cover to enable them to work close to the Confederate lines. Once massed, it didn't take long for the defenders to be overwhelmed, a great factor in causing General Pillow to call of the almost successful breakout in the eastern periphery. He had to almost denude his western defenses to mass enough of his own troops for the breakout you see. It was a very near run thing, but in the end a Union victory, the first of General Ullyses S. (Unconditional Surrender) Grant.

Do the East Coast Civil War too, my friend. Looking down the hill from where Josh Chamberlain held, or the field that Armistead's boys crossed and still almost broke the line; look up Marye's heights and think to yourself about heading up there in formation and in step towards that sunken road, or sit in Jeff Davis' cell at Monroe...

Though I'd love to do the Civil War in Tennessee too. I only visited once, and was with a father in lawy who just had to see Graceland and a wife and mother in law who couldn't wait to get to Pigeon Forge.... . At least I got to see the Memphis Belle.

[Alexios]

Monte Casino - WWII. I have an uncle that died there while fighting the German Army. He's buried in a war cemetery in eastern Italy. Went to the cemetery with my dad (who also fought in WWII in Italy and Belgium) during the 50th anniversary in 1995. My dad had never seen my uncle's grave before. Talk about a moving moment. Gives my generation an appreciation for what our forefathers did, and to thank the Almighty that we didn’t have to go through it ourselves.

War games may be a whole lotta fun, but the real deal is sheer hell, I'm sure.

[Monarch]

Culloden - Scotland, last battle on British soil :) Quite well preserved, theres a mini cinema that shows a documentary, then the standard museum info boards, you can then walk around the battlefield, a cottage that acted as a mini field hospital is well setup to show what it was like in there o the day of the battle.

[rotorgun]

Do the East Coast Civil War too, my friend. Looking down the hill from where Josh Chamberlain held, or the field that Armistead's boys crossed and still almost broke the line; look up Marye's heights and think to yourself about heading up there in formation and in step towards that sunken road, or sit in Jeff Davis' cell at Monroe...

Though I'd love to do the Civil War in Tennessee too. I only visited once, and was with a father in lawy who just had to see Graceland and a wife and mother in law who couldn't wait to get to Pigeon Forge.... . At least I got to see the Memphis Belle.

I forgot to mention Gettysburg! I have made one, albiet brief visit there back in 1985. I was able todo a whirlwind tour of the Union lines. I was with my wife, who was pregnant at the time, and our oldest son who was a mere tyke then. I was able to visit the position of the 20th Maine on Littile Round Top and also the point of attack of Picketts's charge. I wasn't able to stay long enough to really get a good feel for the fight. I am sworn to make another attempt in future. If I ever get up to Virginia again, I'll try to visit Fredricksburg.

Please feel free to get in touch with me if you come to Tennessee again. I'll be glad to show you around and visit any battlefield you may care to visit. I can even show you a few minor battlefields off the beaten path.

Regards,

[IrishArmenian]

I did get to Vartan Fields. Very eery to be on a battlefield. It was well preserved and it was a large part of history.

[Pretorian]

Aljubarrota, Portugal - Well preserved medieval battlefield, museum and archeological excavations with a complex series of interlocking trenches, ditches, pitches, caltrops and graves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Aljubarrota

I have to go see this one, afterall I'm Portuguese :D

[highlanddave]

thanks for all the great replys.

not quite battlefields, but some places i have yet to visit are military in nature.

the ships hms victory and hms warrior in southern england i think portsmouth i have visited their website and the ships look very interesting. the military tatoo in edinburgh, scotland. the military academies of west point in new york and sandhurst in england. i want to see their libraries and museums and just watch the cadets marching around campus.

one place i went in france was quite good, the military museum in paris. it is next to and i think associated with invalides. the object i found most appealling was a full armor suit with horse suit of armor that napoleons forces captured from a mamluke warrior in egypt. the entry room of the museum has battle flags the french forces captured way back in antiquity.

[r johnson]

Bosworth battle field - The last battle of the wars of the roses it's only 5miles away from me. It was nice to walk around the battle field, there also a museum full of armor etc they fount with a short movie about the battle and there's a nice cafe there too.

[rotorgun]

Has anyone ever visited the battlefield of the Battle of Austerlitz? I would appreciate a brief description if possible, as it is one of the most fascinating battles of the Napoleonic era.

Thanks,