Question of the Week: What’s your favorite type of Civil War site to visit?
What type of Civil War themed site do you prefer visiting: battlefield, museum, fort, cemetery, prison camp, something else entirely?
What type of Civil War themed site do you prefer visiting: battlefield, museum, fort, cemetery, prison camp, something else entirely?
I prefer battlefields so that I can walk the ground and study the terrain. I am a firm believer that the terrain decides the fate of the campaign, battle and decides who is wounded, killed and who survives.
Battlefields are number one, for the reasons stated above. However a second is statues, be they on battlefields or off.
Each statue has something different to offer. Some simply are beautiful, some odd looking.
Many statues have stories waiting to be explored. Why is there a hatchet at the feet of the standing officer? Who is the dog? Why is there a bird’s nest in one sculpture? Why does the statute consist of a locomotive and cars? Who was this local officer clutching a sword in such a heroic pose? (The answer to this last-a cook who had a widow with money and illusions of her late husband’s wartime glory). How do the inscriptions reveal the motivations of those who erected the memorials?
Statutes can inspire, mislead, or tell us about history. But they also can be wonderfully fertile ground for further research into & understanding of the past.
Statues can also be misspelled. Sorry.
Battlefields, always first and foremost. Museums, cemeteries and forts naturally follow.
I find battlefields the most evocative.