Awesome!

I went to Carlisle Barracks maybe half a year ago for research on my book at the Army War College Archives. They have a very cool museum there and outside a lot of equipment your daughter can climb on.

Definitely visit Antietam before you leave PA -it's not too far from Gettysburg

also Monocacy National Battlefield just south of Frederick MD has several good trails and 6 cannon at three locations of the battlefield. also a cute museum.

If you stay over night in Sharpsburg stay at "The Inn at Antietam". Wonderful B&B, the hosts are amazing.

JABQ04 said:

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If you stay over night in Sharpsburg stay at "The Inn at Antietam". Wonderful B&B, the hosts are amazing.

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will check it out thanks

Was down at the National Archives doing research this morning so this may be of interest:

The actual handwritten Circular Order put out by Major General William Emory of the 19th Corps, Army of the Middle District, discussing their victory with General Sheridan's at Third Winchester the day before.

Back from a weekend at Chickamauga!

I've seen those tours advertised, are they worth it?

mullokmotx said:

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This past spring I was on a Normandy tour with Stephen Ambrose Tours. It was interesting to see how important the high ground was around Caen. Visited Hill 314 at Mortain, Hill 262 where the Polish Armored Division helped close the Falaise Gap, and the road near Vimoutiers where Rommel's car was shot up by some Canadian Spitfires.

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does not exist unless photos are provided!

A random one I stumbled on was Mackinac Island. I was going for relaxed summer fun and found a small but interesting section of the War of 1812 where the Americans got beat pretty good.

It was initially captured by a combined Brit/Native American force in 1812 before the Americans manning the Fort even knew war was declared. Snail mail was really slow I guess.

It remained occupied and uncontested until Oliver Hazzard Perry recaptured control of the Great Lakes. Small side note on that . . .the British Commander Captain Barkley had already lost an arm in naval engagements and proceeded to lose a leg and his remaining arm in this battle.

Detroit was subsequently freed and American gunboats bombarded the island for days until attempting an beach invasion. They had a good flanking plan of distracting the British guns and rifle with a small contingent while larger forces crept in from the sides through woods. They encountered native American opposition hiding in wait, however, and pretty much everyone was routed at that point. All officers killed and the Americans retreated.

Shoot. You're about 2-4 months early for LRT to open. Go back again when it's open. I'm thinking of heading back again late this summer.

Heading to Middleburg, VA. in July.....7 days of battlefields on the agenda plus driving to and from. I don't think I will add to my list but certainly will revisit many that are.

Pics or I won't believe you

JABQ04 said:

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I've seen those tours advertised, are they worth it?

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I do not know anyone who has been on an Ambrose tour, but I have been on three tours with a company called Valor Tours out of California, and will be going on more of them. Went to Tarawa twice, and France and Belgium once. Despite being in a pretty remote part of the South Pacific on the former, things went off without a single hitch.

The tour guides were excellent (the tour guide for Tarawa was the grandson of Sandy Bonnyman, one of the four Medal of Honor recipients, but think he is through doing the tour guide thing, and the tour guide for the Great War tour was Mike Hanlon, an expert on that war, but now retired. A guy by the name of Mike Grams will be taking over that tour.)

The accommodations in Europe were great (Tarawa is nothing to write home about, but about all you can expect there, is like being in another world and in another time). Tour buses were very nice. Some meals provided, others are on your own. Nice to sit on the bus and see the countryside.

A large part of any history tour is the tour guide and also others on the tour with you. For Tarawa, the group was about 10 people each time. For the Great War tour there were 38 of us.

Valor Tours is run by a girl named Vicky Reynolds-Middagh and she is sweet as can be. Her father started the company, he flew Lancasters during WWII. They are doing a memorial tour for him in 2025. They offer 10 to 15 tours per year.

To me, the tours are worth the cost. Sorry I have no information on Ambrose tours though.

If I knew how to post a photo I would. They are on my iphone.

agrams said:

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just did a spring break in Gettysburg with the kids. I'm a huge history nut and this was like Christmas for me.



my youngest reenacted the dead soldier:


I was disappointed little round top was closed off. I was particularly interested to see where the 20th main fought on the far left flank.

Culps hill is an aspect that isn't covered much in a lot of what i read, but the tree from that battle that they saved was absolutely littered with shot and canister.

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can't see your pictures!!

I hike Gettysburg several times a month

the new improvements they are doing to the Round Tops will be awesome

next time anyone goes to Gettysburg make sure to see the New Jersey Brigade Memorial to the north of Cemetery Hill road as you are walking toward the Peach Orchard road.

JABQ04 said:

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Shoot. You're about 2-4 months early for LRT to open. Go back again when it's open. I'm thinking of heading back again late this summer.

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I don't think it will be open again until the Fall.

Rabid Cougar said:

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Heading to Middleburg, VA. in July.....7 days of battlefields on the agenda plus driving to and from. I don't think I will add to my list but certainly will revisit many that are.

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Spotsylvania?

make sure you get out to Third Winchester (I am writing a book on this the last 3 years!)

for me it's a waste of money when I have studied the battles I visit anyway. I would rather take my time and be able to wander off the beaten path

I am planning Normandy for the first time in late summer 2026.

LMCane said:

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for me it's a waste of money when I have studied the battles I visit anyway. I would rather take my time and be able to wander off the beaten path

I am planning Normandy for the first time in late summer 2026.

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Guess someone could walk the entire length of the Maginot Line, but the 10th mile of it would be similar to the 7th and the 93rd. All I would want to see of it would be an area where something of note happened, or any part of it that I could connect to one of my ancestors. On our WWI tour we had a good deal of input on where we wanted to go because we all submitted requests of places our grandfathers or great uncles had fought or were buried. While you couldn't "wander off the beaten path" for a day or three, or even several hours, I got to see what I wanted to see. My wife and I skipped an entire day to hang out and see things unrelated to the war while in Soissons. I left the tour for around 3 hours and walked off in the trees at Belleau Wood which was sort of surreal.

With my trips to Tarawa, there are no unbeaten paths, the place is so small you see it all in only a few days.

As to waste of money, the cost isn't that much to begin with. I am fine without having to rent a car, do the driving, making hotel reservations, arranging for meals, etc. all in places where I don't speak the language. Have no idea if doing all that would be more expensive that what is included in the tour, but wouldn't doubt it. But different strokes for different folks!

I have never been to Normandy and doubt I will ever make that trip as I have no connection to it. At one time I wanted to visit the cemetery there, but have since been to larger ones. The cemeteries are amazing and so impressive as are so many of the monuments in France.

All I have left that I want to see are Saipan and Tinian and perhaps another trip to Tawara, this time to put together some videos. Both my wife and I have several ancestors that fought in the Civil War and we are putting together plans to visit where they fought.

hmm.. not sure what's up with the pictures.

I was disappointed little round top and big round top were closed. but was a great day on the battlefield. I could spend days there, but unfortunately only had 1 day.

Driving to the Wilderness/Chancerllorsville/Fredricksburg/Spotsylvania right now.

LMCane said:

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JABQ04 said:

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Shoot. You're about 2-4 months early for LRT to open. Go back again when it's open. I'm thinking of heading back again late this summer.

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I don't think it will be open again until the Fall.

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NPS site says lte spring early summer still

https://www.nps.gov/gett/learn/historyculture/little-round-top.htm

Did Shiloh this weekend. Incredibly well documented and remote.

Anyone done Franklin? Looking for a good book on Franklin. Prefer a good historic fiction like Shaara writes, but any good book will do.