This week we mark the 150th anniversary of the bombardment of Fort Sumter, regarded as the opening salvo of the Civil War.
Over the next four years, we'll probably be the ones bombarded with memorials and re-enactments of the famous battles in what filmmaker Ken Burns called “the greatest war in American history.”
If this encourages you to visit one of the battlefields, you might want to consider doing so on a bicycle. I found that riding my bicycle in those places gave me a better feel for the human scale of the battle and the horror faced by the soldiers.
Hallowed ground
Pedaling the roads around the Antietam and Gettysburg battlefields, I was shocked by the distances that soldiers had to advance into volleys of gunfire. Riding around the Shenandoah Valley, I often stopped at landmarks for skirmishes and wondered at the devastating toll that piled up during these small battles. In all, more than 600,000 died during the Civil War.
The fighting was by no means limited to the Mid-Atlantic states and sites related to the Civil War are scattered across the US. In
fact, there are some 600 Civil War sites in 32 states, including
California.
For instance, bicycling cross-country on the TransAmerica Bicycle Route, my friend and I stumbled onto the Pilot's Knob battlefield in Missouri (right). The site is little more than an earthen fortification where Union soldiers held off repeated attacks by a larger force of Confederates, who suffered 1,500 casualties.
When the smoke cleared the next morning, the Confederates discovered the Union Army had slipped away in the night. I remember thinking what a senseless waste of life.
Bike tours
There are lots of options for visiting these historic Civil War sites by bicycles. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but something that might get you started. [Roll Call on Oct. 6, 2011 writes about touring the Gettysburg Battlefield at “Bicycling Through Battlefields.”]
Group rides:
Civil War Century, presented by the Baltimore Cycling Club. Starts in Thurmont, Maryland. Visits South Mountain and Antietam or Gettysburg battlefields. Sept. 10, 2011. A map of the Civil War Century Route.
Civil War Sesquicentennial Bike Tour, presented by the Alexandria, Virginia. June 4, 2011.
Civil War Loop Ride, presented by Bicycle Adventure Club. Sept. 22 – Oct. 4, 2011. The loop starts in Leesburg, Virginia, and visits, among other
locations, the Shenandoah Valley, Harper's Ferry, Antietam and
Gettysburg.
Stones River National Battlefield, rangers lead bike tours at the park near Murfreesboro every Saturday April 2 through Oct. 29, 2011. Limited to 15.
Chickamauga Battlefield Bicycle Rides, (photo above) one Saturday a month at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitors Center, Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. Led by National Park Service ranger.
Border Raiders is an 8-day, 4-state bicycle tour through the Missouri Valley to visit sites involved in the historic Border Wars that pre-date the Civil War. From June 18-25, 2011.
Self-guided:
National Park Service website devoted to the sesquicentennial commemoration of the Civil War. It includes upcoming events and a list of the 70 parks that have resources related to the Civil War.
If you see a park that interests you, type “bicycle” or “bicycling” in
the search box on the park's website for special provisions.
Civil War Discovery Trail is not a trail per se, but a list of all 600 Civil War-related sites — state, federal and private — in 32 states.
Underground Railroad, a 2,000-mile route from Mobile, Alabama, to Owen Sound, Ontario, created by the Adventure Cycling Association. This follows the route of escaped slaves from the South seeking freedom in the North. (Some years, Adventure Cycling takes a supported tour.)
Alexandria Civil War Defenses of Washington Bike Trail, created by Friends of Fort Ward. During the Civil War there were 33 named fortifications, twenty-five
batteries (locations for cannons between forts), and seven block houses
South of the Potomac River. Many of these sites no longer exist but have
been designated by historic markers.
Touring Civil War Sites of East Paulding, South Bartow and West Cobb Counties by Bicycle, by “Tim.” The author provides extensive descriptions, maps, photos and bicycle routes around the various battlefields of southern Tennessee and North Georgia.
Civil War Trail in Greene County, Tennessee. A brochure and map of a 14-mile trail highlighting the story of the bridge-burners.
Private tours
Harper's Ferry, Virginia, site of John Brown Raid. Accessed via C&O Canal Towpath
Sure Foot Adventures Civil War Bicycle Tour, Battle of Atlanta
Gettysburg to Antietam, four day bike ride presented by Wilderness Voyageurs
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