On a bicycle, you can feel the battlefield advantage of making it to high ground. I had that experience on a bike ride to the Gettysburg Eternal Light Peace Memorial. In the spirit of sharing what it is like to pedal up to Oak Hill, I posted my GoPro video…
The state monuments at Antietam are the largest memorials on this rural battlefield in Sharpsburg, Maryland. Whereas five state monuments honor the service of Union soldiers, two honor Confederate soldiers. And that tally includes the Maryland State Monument, which honors Maryland natives who fought on both sides of the conflict….
When you bicycle U.S. Civil War battlefields, you can see some pretty strange things. At Antietam, what’s up with the upside down green cannon on the side of the road? (Actually, there are six of these located throughout the battlefield.) It’s different at Gettysburg, where fourteen cannon barrels are mounted…
The thrill of flying down Culp’s Hill on a bicycle is an unmatched experience for Gettysburg tourists. To give you a feel for this exhilarating and all-too-short ride, I posted my GoPro video of the ride on my Civil War Cycling Facebook page. And in this blog post, I provide more…
Have you ever thought about creating your own Gettysburg scavenger hunt? For bicycling? With over 1,300 monuments and markers in Gettysburg National Military Park, the battlefield is a rich wonderland of opportunities. Try these step-by-step instructions to plan your next history tour. And I’m going to make it easy for…
It is easier to plan a battlefield bicycle tour than you might think. In fact, it’s probably easier to plan a bicycle tour of a U.S. national military park than it is to plan a typical family vacation — cruises and Walt Disney World may be the only exceptions. In…
What do you know about the twenty bronze statues at Gettysburg? Today, we feature Gettysburg statues that honor individual heroes, military and civilian. Test your knowledge by playing with Civil War Cycling’s interactive quizzes. Gettysburg Statues of Individual Heroes Even if you know very little about the Battle of Gettysburg,…
The Jennie Wade Story came into sharp focus for me in 2015 when I was bicycling Gettysburg. I had heard the story before, but this time was different. After about forty-five years of visiting the town, I was surprised that this story struck me as being newly important and meaningful….
Not many people know how to find graves in Soldiers National Cemetery. Even if you have a plot number, good luck without a map — and good luck finding a helpful map! Oh, wait. You found this Civil War Cycling blog post, so you are all set. This post summarizes why it’s…
Do you need some help with your U.S. bicycle touring plans? Here are five tips for planning a great Civil War bicycling adventure. Over the years, I have learned that “common sense” wasn’t so common (for me) when I first started touring U.S. military parks. In this post, I abstract the…