# Civil War sites near DC
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [July 23, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882 "2014-07-23T22:07:09Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/1 "2014-07-23T22:07:09Z")
I have some $$ I need to spend, and 1 idea is a vacation. I’ve always wanted to do a true visit to DC. Was there once before for a few hours. Which Civil War battlefields are relatively close to DC.
---
### Author:  [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2014, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/2 "2014-07-23T22:14:09Z")
Antietam is worth checking out. [Antietam National Battlefield (U.S. National Park Service)](http://www.nps.gov/anti/index.htm)
It’s pretty up that way and probably less traffic than going to the more popular Manassas Battlefield. [Manassas National Battlefield Park (U.S. National Park Service)](http://www.nps.gov/mana/index.htm)
---
### Author:  [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2014, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/3 "2014-07-23T22:20:58Z")
I wouldn’t recommend a special trip to go see where they buried Stonewall Jackson’s left arm, but if you are approaching DC from the South, it is worth stopping to see.
[http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/podcast/2010/where-general-stonewall-jacksons-arm-buried7164](http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/podcast/2010/where-general-stonewall-jacksons-arm-buried7164)
---
### Author:  [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2014, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/4 "2014-07-23T22:26:54Z")
Absinthe: Would be coming from Beantown.
Antienam and Bull Run were ones I figured.
Are Chancellorsville and Monticello close?
---
### Author:  [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/5 "2014-07-23T22:33:32Z")
If you’re going South towards DC, stop in Gettysburg. Well worth it,.
---
### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2014, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/6 "2014-07-23T22:44:13Z")
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and the Wilderness are just over an hour away.
---
### Author:  [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2014, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/7 "2014-07-23T22:53:44Z")
Nice Chuck! Thanks gang.
---
### Author:  [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2014, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/8 "2014-07-23T22:56:49Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and the Wilderness are just over an hour away.
In non-peak traffic hours.
---
### Author:  [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/9 "2014-07-23T23:03:19Z")
Harper’s Ferry was the site of John Brown’s famous raid, of course. The town changed hands 8 times during the Civil War. So there are numerous historical things to see.
And it’s a site of [great natural beauty](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpers_Ferry,_West_Virginia#Civil_War).
---
### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2014, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/10 "2014-07-23T23:09:58Z")
I’ll second Manassas (Bull Run). They have a nice museum, also. Harper’s Ferry usually has someone giving talks; I liked the one about where the terms “flash in the pan” and “lock, stock and barrel” came from.
There are also some Revolutionary War sites in VA, including the important site of Yorktown.
---
### Author:  [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2014, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/11 "2014-07-23T23:15:42Z")
Depending on your definition of reasonably close, I would say “almost all of the eastern ones.” I would recommend wearing yourself out by doing the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor and Petersburg in one day. Then when you get to your hotel room, you will have some sense of exhaustion that (while nowhere close) will give you the feel of what the Northern soldiers felt. Go to Appomattox the next day. You might actually cry.
---
### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2014, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/12 "2014-07-23T23:20:47Z")
> [@etv78](#):
>
> Absinthe: Would be coming from Beantown.
>
> Antienam and Bull Run were ones I figured.
>
> Are Chancellorsville and Monticello close?
Monticello is a few hours drive. Not sure that qualifies as a Civil War site. Mt Vernon is much closer. Right on the Potomac in VA.
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#):
>
> Harper’s Ferry was the site of John Brown’s famous raid, of course. The town changed hands 8 times during the Civil War. So there are numerous historical things to see.
>
> And it’s a site of [great natural beauty](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpers_Ferry,_West_Virginia#Civil_War).
Yes, I 've been there, and it’s a great little visit.
---
### Author:  [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2014, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/13 "2014-07-23T23:28:10Z")
Knew Monticello wasn’t CW related, just anothercplace to see.
---
### Author:  [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2014, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/14 "2014-07-23T23:34:20Z")
Actually inside DC is [Fort Stevens](http://www.nps.gov/cwdw/historyculture/fort-stevens.htm), between Georgia Ave NW, 13th St, and Quackenbos St. Reportedly President Lincoln rode out to view a Confederate attack, and came under fire.
You can continue on downtown to visit Ford’s Theatre, but on the way, stop in at The African American Civil War Memorial and Museum at Vermont Ave & U St.
---
### Author:  [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2014, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/15 "2014-07-23T23:38:33Z")
Also Monocacy, the Civil War Circle Forts in DC (my favorite is Fort Stevens), and Bristol Station. Also President’s Street Station in Baltimore. Then, a couple hours west is the Shenandoah Valley with a ton of battle sites.
---
### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2014, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/16 "2014-07-23T23:39:08Z")
I just learned about this one today – **President Lincoln’s Cottage at the Soldier’s Home**
> **[President Lincoln's Cottage at the Soldiers' Home](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_Lincoln%27s_Cottage_at_the_Soldiers%27_Home)**
>
> President Lincoln and Soldiers’ Home National Monument, sometimes shortened to President Lincoln's Cottage, is a national monument on the grounds of the Soldiers' Home, known today as the Armed Forces Retirement Home. It is located near Brookland in Washington, D.C. President Lincoln's Cottage was formerly known as Anderson Cottage.
> President Abraham Lincoln and family resided seasonally on the grounds of the Soldiers' Home to escape the heat and political pressure of downtown Washington, as did...
Apparently a relatively high area within DC, so it’s 10 degrees cooler in the summer, which is why it was where they put the Old Soldiers’ Home. LIncoln had a cottage there. The area fell into disrepair and neglect for a long time until 2000, and the Lincoln Cottage was only re-opened in 2008. I’ve never seen it, but it looks as if it’s worth a visit.
And it’s _close_ to DC, too – right in the District.
---
### Author:  [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/17 "2014-07-24T03:31:59Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#):
>
> If you’re going South towards DC, stop in Gettysburg. Well worth it,.
Coming from Boston, presumably down I-95, Gettysburg is not on the way. However, if the OP is going to be heading west to Sharpsburg (Antietam; I was raised by Southerners who preferred the Confederate names) then Gettysburg is close as well. Antietam is beautifully preserved overall. Interestingly, there are historical signs as far south as Hagerstown about Sharpsburg. There’s one, for instance, right where [US-11](http://mht.maryland.gov/historicalmarkers/Details.aspx?id=RM-734&recNum=3&keyword=Antietam) crosses some train tracks.
I would suggest going to the Esquire Politics blog and reading the entries about the Civil War by Robert Bateman. For example, here’s everything about [Gettysburg](http://www.esquire.com/archives/blogs/politics/by_tag/esquire%20gettysburg%20reenactment/15;1).
---
### Author:  [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2014, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/18 "2014-07-24T05:13:16Z")
Arlington Cemetery had previously been known as “Robert E.Lee’s backyard.”
---
### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2014, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/19 "2014-07-24T05:30:02Z")
> [@etv78](#):
>
> Are Chancellorsville and Monticello close?
I visited Monticello earlier this year. A real nice tour. I regret I didn’t have more time because I hadn’t realized James Monroe’s home is literally right next door.
But to answer your question, it’s not particularly close to Washington. It’s about eighty miles southwest of the city.
---
### Author:  [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2014, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882/20 "2014-07-24T11:46:53Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#):
>
> I just learned about this one today – **President Lincoln’s Cottage at the Soldier’s Home**
>
> [President Lincoln's Cottage at the Soldiers' Home - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_Lincoln%27s_Cottage_at_the_Soldiers%27_Home)
>
> Apparently a relatively high area within DC, so it’s 10 degrees cooler in the summer, which is why it was where they put the Old Soldiers’ Home. LIncoln had a cottage there. The area fell into disrepair and neglect for a long time until 2000, and the Lincoln Cottage was only re-opened in 2008. I’ve never seen it, but it looks as if it’s worth a visit.
> And it’s _close_ to DC, too – right in the District.
it’s also Madmonk28 adjacent, my house is a couple of blocks from it. If you go to the cottage, you should also check out the Rock Creek Church Cemetery across the street; pretty cool graveyard.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civil-war-sites-near-dc/693882.md?page=2)