Antietam National Battlefield [MD]

Description

The Antietam National Battlefield preserves the site of the September 17, 1862 Battle of Antietam. This battle effectively halted the Confederate Army's first invasion of the North, and prompted the issuance of a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. It is best known for being the United States' single-largest military loss of life in one day. The Pry House Field Hospital Museum is located on the battlefield grounds. This museum presents Civil War medicine and the history of the house itself, which served as Union General George B. McClellan's temporary headquarters.

The battlefield offers a 26-minute introductory film, a one-hour documentary, exhibits, talks, guided walks, eight curriculum-based programs, a self-guided 8.5 mile auto tour, guided auto tours, Junior Ranger activities, hiking trails, and outdoor activities. Reservations are required for guided auto tours. The website offers a scavenger hunt for use on site, historic images, a video on the artillery used at the Battle of Antietam, teacher's guides, a primary resource packet, and worksheets.

Robert E. Lee Papers

Image
Letter, R.E. Lee to Blair Robertson, April 30, 1864, Robert E. Lee Papers
Annotation

Many people are familiar with Lee's role as Commander of the Confederate Army. However, have you ever wondered what Lee himself had to say during the war? Before or after? This website gives you a peek into the mind of this famous man by way of selected correspondence.

This website consists of a collection of more than 45 letters written by Lee to recipients as diverse as family members, Jubal Early, Pendleton, McClellan, Jefferson Davis, and the Washington College. Contents include regular correspondence, a declination to a wedding invitation, military matters such as the release of citizen hostages, comments on personal illness, and college matters—from the grounds to recognizing strong attendance records. Letters are arranged in small collections by the year that they were penned. Although this website does not include transcriptions for all of the letters, a link on the main page leads to a site with a large selection of transcribed letters written by Lee. Lee's hand is legible, though, so don't discount the originals.

Berkeley Plantation [VA]

Description

Berkeley Plantation is the birthplace of Benjamin Harrison V (1726-1791), Governor of Virginia and signer of the Declaration of Independence, and William Henry Harrison (1773-1841) or "Old Tippecanoe", ninth President of the United States. The plantation lands were also the site of the first official Thanksgiving in 1619 and of the composition of "Taps" in 1862. The structure itself is Georgian in style and dates to 1726. Collections include 18th-century decorative arts, Civil War artifacts, and paintings by Sydney King.

The plantation offers house tours led by guides in period dress, period rooms, exhibits, an audio-visual program, self-guided tours of the grounds, and guided student tours. Student tour topic options include the life of children in the 18th century, William Henry Harrison, and Civil War Major General George McClellan (1826-1885) and Harrison's Landing circa 1862.