Antietam

[mikecummings157]

Our Troop is considering a trip to Antietam in the spring to camp on and tour the battlefield. Has anyone done this? Please share your experience.(This message has been edited by mikecummings157)

[Gold Winger]

From what I understand, camping on the actually battlefield is rare. We camped within walking distance and an interpreter told us battlefield ghost stories at night.

 

The daytime presentation was great as well. An interpreter put us through a mini 1860s boot camp. And then walked us around the major points of the battlefield, telling the story of the bloody battle.

[ASM915]

"And if you're a Yank, the Reb. ghosts will haunt you after dark". That was until we told the guide that we had ancestors that fought on the Reb. side also.

[SemperParatus]

I assume you will be camping at Rohrbach Campground. Here is the reservation process.

 

http://www.nps.gov/archive/anti/camping.htm

 

The 10-mile historical trail is well done and you will hit all the major areas of the battlefield...bloody lane...dunker church...burnside bridge. You can buy the pamphlet and patch at the visitor center.

 

When we go, we usually stay 15 minutes away at this campground that provides a 'treehouse' camping experience. The kids love sleeping up in the trees and the camp owners are great folks. If you go this route, make sure you get the houses in the back with the large trees going through the center.

 

http://www.thetreehousecamp.com/

 

You will be a stone's throw from the Appalachian Trail and Harper's Ferry. There is a slave block in the middle of Sharpsburg, but not much else. The town of Boonsboro has one of the best ice cream stops in the world. Antietam creek should be moving in the springtime, you may want to throw in a short canoe trip.

 

Have fun!

[Stosh]

As with any National Battlefield, there is no camping on the actual NPS battlefield, but they sometimes have access to a NPS campground and with plenty of camping at private parks/resorts in the area you shouldn't have a problem. If you do go with a guide, go with a registered NPS guide (They're a little pricey, but worth it!), stay away from the touristy and ghosty tours and guides. Take time to study the ebb and flow of the battle BEFORE you go so the boys won't be lost during the tour. If you are from an area that had men who fought in that battle, it would be nice to research that as well so the boys can get a little hometown pride involvement in the event. Plan to do a lot of walking, bring cameras, carry canteens/water bottles, and wear hiking shoes. There might be a Civil War buff/reenactor in your hometown that might be a great resource person for your group before, during and after that can visit with the boys, talk about things to get the boys focused on the uniqueness of the event. If it's just a long weekend trip, take him along! Let him tell the stories around the campfire at night.

 

I have taken many groups to National Battlefields over the past 10 years but haven't had to worry about the camping dynamics because our group always goes as part of a reenactment and all those chores have been handled as part of the event. A complete day will be necessary for any field except some of the smaller ones, two would be nice for Gettysburg.

 

If you make it to Antietam, Harper's Ferry is a must see too (1/2 day) Harper's Ferry has an excellent John Brown Museum and does cover a lot of Lewis & Clark history as well.

 

 

[hot_foot_eagle]

I've been to Antietam, Harpers Ferry, Gettysburg, and Appomatox, although not with scouts (yet). All are very well worth the visit. It has been my experience that many NPS rangers are scout-friendly and may be able make some special program accomodations if contacted well in advance.

 

Are your scouts Civil War buffs? If not, some orientation prior to your trip would be time well spent. What the boys get in school is completely inadequate for them to make sense of a battlefield as part of a bigger picture. Any of the better CW movies would illustrate the differences between Napoleonic vs. modern warfare far better than a boring classroom style presentation.

 

At the Cub Scout level I've had reenactors come to meetings to do living history "orientations" before trips with excellent results, too.

[anarchist]

mikecummings157,

 

Antietam is a nice trip. Not as "flashy" as Gettysburg but well worth the trip. There is a group NPS primative campground you can use but it has to be booked (by mail I believe) well in advance...first come first served! It is on the edge of the battlefield and was almost as nice as McMillan Woods at Gettysburg...and just as hard to reserve!

 

Depending on when in the spring you go, you can frequently hear turkeys gobble in the early AM.

 

Good hiking trails and as was said above... have your boys brush up on the battle (of Shapesburg if you're a Yank and Antietam if you're a southerner)... We had our boys do a little research on civil war troops from their "home area" who fought there to make it a little more "real"...

 

And we suggested at least one meal to be "authentic" (in historic flavor)and we had lots of beans and bacon, some pork shoulders, one patrol did a leg of venison...

we saw lots of red eye gravy and buscuits, a few ears of corn, home made bread...it was pretty cool.

 

get crack'in...and have fun!

Anarchist

[Gold Winger]

"Good hiking trails and as was said above... have your boys brush up on the battle (of Shapesburg if you're a Yank and Antietam if you're a southerner)"

 

I think that you have that backwards.

[Stosh]

GW - yep, it's the other way around. South named battles for geographic locations (rivers), North named battles for nearby cities/towns.

 

"And we suggested at least one meal to be "authentic" (in historic flavor)and we had lots of beans" (Unfortunately the soldiers didn't have beans) "and bacon", (Nix on the smoked pork too) "some pork shoulders", (heavily salted to preserve it, and if one thinks ham is salty, salt pork is way beyond salty) "one patrol did a leg of venison..." (Soldiers shooting game with their weapons would have been court martialed)

 

"we saw lots of red eye gravy and buscuits (This is lumberjack food, not soldier's) , "a few ears of corn" (Ok if the soldiers stole them from the local farmers when it was in season) , "home made bread (a rarity!) "...it was pretty cool."

 

Any soldier north or south would have LOVED to have the menu selections you have mentioned!! :^)

 

Instead you will need: 12 squares of hard tack (thick crackers made from flour and water only) 1# of raw beef or salt pork, coffee unroasted in bean form, desiccated vegetables (dehydrated vegetables pressed into a block yummy!) sugar, salt and potatoes, carrots, onions and other root stock if available. If you are a southerner toss in a ration of tobacco and replace the coffee with chiccory. Of course everything you cook is cooked in groups ranging from 1 to 1 if you are on the march, otherwise mess groups of about 4 would form up and combine the cooking chores. Keep it in mind, 2/3rds of the soldiers during the war died from disease. If the food is too good, you will not give the boys an authentic experience.

 

Be sure to have all the boys wear their uniform with their red wool jac shirts on all day long, buttoned up. If they aren't miserable enough in the summer heat to drink 5-7 2 qt. canteens of water a day, they jus' ain't sufferin' 'nuff. Oh, by the way, if you're from below the Mason-Dixon, dump the shoes and socks and if you're north, dress shoes/boots with heavy wool socks and then march 10-12 miles each day with a 40# pack (no waist belt), 10# weapon 4# ammunition and 5# food sack. If you don't like the pack idea, roll everything up in your wool blanket and wear it over your shoulder.

 

And they did it all for $15/month pay.

 

Stosh

[Gold Winger]

"GW - yep, it's the other way around. South named battles for geographic locations (rivers), North named battles for nearby cities/towns."

 

You're still backwards. The south fought the first and second Manassas and the north fought the battles of Bull Run. The south fought at Sharpsburg and north fought at Anteitam.

 

http://www.civilwarhome.com/battlenames.htm

 

[Stosh]

LOL! Yep, I did just that.

 

Stosh