Time Traveling: Planning Your Next Civil War Visit, Part III
There are several ways to visit a battlefield park. You can just hit the highlights if you only have a short amount of time, or at the other extreme you could plan every minute of a visit lasting several days. (The latter would be for the hard-core history types. Sort of a Civil War nirvana.)
Most of us don't have the inclination to map out every minute of our visit of course, even if we are seriously into history. But your trip can be more enjoyable if you give a little thought to what you would like to do with the time you will have. And also, what you might want to take along with you to the park.
For instance, whenever I know I'll be visiting a Civil War park, I always try to take along at least one book or magazine article of some kind related to the battle. I also tend to lug around copies of the Official Records when I'm out in a park.
It's an old habit that I'll probably stick to since...well...since it's an old habit. But for the more practical minded there is now an easier way to bring along the O.R.'s, which I'll touch on in just a bit. And I do recommend bringing along some reading material if you can. More on why in just a bit as well.
Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall
The time of year you visit the park can also come into play. Most parks naturally tend to get the largest number of visitors in the summer. And since most of the parks are in and around the South - since that's where most of the battles took place - this can mean some serious heat. So if you're visiting a southern battlefield park during the summer, you need to plan accordingly.
Make a list of items you'll need. Sunscreen, a hat, bug spray, drinking water - lots of drinking water - snack food, cool, comfortable clothing, etc. In fact, many of these items, if not all of them, will come in handy any time of year.
Summer is also when you will often find the most scheduled activities taking place. Firing demonstrations, ranger talks and tours, encampments, battle reenactments, and so forth.
Check with the park you will be visiting to see what sorts of activities are scheduled around the time of your visit. And then plan to attend some of them if you can. These can be wonderful learning experiences. They can also be eye opening. If you have ever felt the concussion from a Civil War cannon being fired a few feet away, you know what I'm talking about!
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