Include These Three Historical Battlefields on Your Next Visit to Washington DC

On a recent trip to Washington DC my husband and I decided it was time to visit some historical battlefields and forts located near Washington DC. We chose to visit three of these locations, which took us to:

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine - located at the End of East fort Avenue, Baltimore Maryland. Visit www.nps.gov/fomc for hours and upcoming events.

Fort McHenry is the historic site where the words to America's National Anthem, "The Star Spangled Banner" were written at the end of the war of 1812. Francis Scott Key wrote these famous words while he was held aboard a British ship at the mouth of the Patuxent and Patapsco Rivers during the bombardment of Fort McHenry. We were able to self-tour the entire fort seeing the cannons on display, the military bunkrooms, gun rooms, kitchen, storage and the bunkers where many of our brave soldiers fought to keep the British fleet from entering the cit of Baltimore. As a National Park visitors may choose to take a ranger guided tour of Fort McHenry and learn about the battles, history and what military life at the fort was like in it's day.

Next on our agenda was -

Antietam Battlefield - located near Sharpsburg, Maryland. Visit www.nps.gov/anti

Antietam is believed to be the bloodiest one-day battle of the American Civil War. Not only was death a part of the battle but with the presence of thousands of soldiers in Sharpsburg this created sickness and death from disease to those homesteaders in the area. Property damage was great and reshaped the town and outlying areas for years to come.

While visiting the Antietam Battlefield a trip to the onsite museum will give visitors a great deal of historical information surrounding this battle. It is said that Antietam made the Emancipation Proclamation possible and the field of medicine was reshaped during and after this bloody battle.

While touring Antietam visitors will see and tour the Dunker church, North Woods, East Woods, the famous 24-acre cornfield which is the area in Antietam that saw some of this country's most horrific battles. West Woods, Mumma Farm and Cemetery, Union Advance, sunken Road which is amply named (Bloody Lane), Lower Bridge (Burnside Bridge, the area of the final attack and Finally a visit to Antietam National Cemetery, which my husband and I found to be the most heart wrenching part of our tour of Antietam Battlefield.

Our final destination in our battlefield tour was:

The Battlefields of Manassas - located right at the cross roads of US 234 and US 29 Virginia.

Manassas National Battlefield Park is home of First Manassas Battle (First Bull Run) and Second Manassas Battle (Second Bull Run). While visiting Manassas a stop at Henry Hill Visitor Center is a must. Learn of each battle, which fought, where, when and how each side made their stand.

Here at Bull Run (Manassas) is where Stonewall Jackson got his nickname. As during the battle General Barnard Bee stated to his men "See him, See General Thomas Jackson standing there on his horse as if he were a Stonewall. Visit Brawner Farm, Battery Heights the famous Stone House, Matthews Hill, Sudley, see the Unfinished Railroad, The Deep Cut, here is where Jackson made his stand on August 30, Groveton, the small house that is the last that remains of the crossroads village of Groveton, New York Monuments, Chinn Ridge, Portici; the plantation house of Francis Lewis, Stone Bridge which is the last stand where the defeated Union army took cover in darkness.

These Battlefields are amazing to tour and I found learning much about the Civil War Battles a huge plus in my tour of the Washington DC area.