National Geographic The Civil War: A Traveler's Guide, written by the staff and edited by Len Riedel, National Geographic 2016, 512 pages, $25.95.
...
One of the problems for Civil War buffs (and I've been one since the centennial in 1961) is where do you go once you've been to the Big 10 battlefields?
History enthusiasts know that means Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Antietam, Shiloh, Chickamauga/Chattanooga and the four battlefields in Virginia within spitting distance of one another -- Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Spotsylvania and the Wilderness.
That's just scratching the surface. The Civil War saw more than 50 major battles and 100 others of some significance spread across 23 states from New Mexico to Pennsylvania, Ohio to the Florida coast. If you count everything down to skirmishes and minor incidents, there are almost 10,500 sites.
Where to begin?
National Geographic's new Civil War guidebook is a handy, colorful, conveniently sized companion for the seasoned veteran as well as the Civil War novice. It's perfect for planning a trip so that every day counts, and small enough (5-by-8.5 inches) to stuff in a backpack when tramping around a battlefield.
Developed in partnership with the Blue and Gray Education Society, the book aims "to put the war in historical perspective and present the breadth of the conflict." For that purpose, a handy list of all of the battles in chronological order is given, as well as a timeline of other major events.
Highlights of A Traveler's Guide include a state-by-state breakdown of more than 600 historic battlefield and Civil War related sites, sidebar stories on the 25 most important battles, biographies of numerous military leaders, hundreds of photos and paintings and 50 detailed maps.
Also included are suggested driving tours and community walking tours for such towns as Fredericksburg, Va., and Gettysburg, Pa. For those wishing in-depth coverage of a particular battle or site, the Traveler's Guide includes suggestions for further reading.
This being Arkansas, we can use that 16-page section as representative of the book as a whole. The introduction informs readers that more than 750 encounters took place within the state, including two decisive battles for Missouri -- Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove.
In addition to those crucial contests, the Arkansas section includes brief summaries of, and directions to, actions at Arkansas Post, Bayou Fourche, Bayou Meto, Cane Hill, Chalk Bluff, Devil's Backbone, Elkin's Ferry, Helena, Hill's Plantation, Jenkins' Ferry, Marks' Mill, Old River Lake, Pine Bluff, Poison Spring, Prairie D'Ane and Saint Charles.
Related articles include the Little Rock Campaign driving tour, Old State House Museum, the Fort Smith National Historic Site and others.
And that's just Arkansas. Right next door is Tennessee with 1,500 different engagements or encounters. The Civil War: A Traveler's Guide is an outstanding place to begin when deciding where to visit first.
Travel on 07/17/2016