Dave and I are big history buffs who enjoy learning as much about our nation’s history as we possibly can. One time period of particular interest to us is the Civil War. In our travels throughout the country, we have spent time in various regions of the country learning about the Civil War from many different perspectives.

What we learned was interesting and surprising.

Bennett Place and Appomattox

Some of what we learned in our youth from history books is not necessarily the same as what we learned about history at the actual sites where history occurred. For example, in school we only learned that the treaty to end the Civil War was signed on April 9, 1865 by Generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant in the parlor of the McLean House in Appomattox Court House Village, Virginia. According to our history books, this treaty effectively ended the Civil War.

Nowhere in our history books was there a mention of Bennett Place in Durham, North Carolina. Bennett Place was a farm owned by James and Nancy Bennett. It was at their home where the surrender papers were signed for Southern armies in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida on April 26, 1865 by Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston and Union General William T. Sherman. It was the largest troop surrender of the American Civil War..

We wouldn’t know this information if we hadn’t traveled to the various Civil War sites and battlefields.

After visiting the Bennett House, we had to go to Appomattox and see what that historical site had to say about Civil War treaties.

National Civil War Museum

If you have read our blogs over the last 4 years, you would know we love visiting museums, from small local room museums in places like Branson, MO or Winslow, AZ to huge, sprawling multi floor museums. Please check out our blogs on Our List of Best Local Museums and Our Personal List of The Best Museums.

Based on our interest in Civil War history, we were especially excited to visit the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, PA. It advertises itself as “the largest museum in the world dedicated solely to the American Civil War and is the only museum in the nation to portray the entire story of the war from both sides of the battlefield”.

It isn’t. If you think going to the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, PA will give you all of the information about Civil War history, you would be wrong. Please see comments below.

NEVER have we been so bitterly disappointed by the quality and contents of a museum in the WHOLE country than we were with this museum. It was a total and utterly disappointing waste of $30 and our time.

Civil War Sites

Appomattox Court House (Appomattox, VA) The American Civil War Museum at Appomattox, VA is a pretty amazing place. There are many, many original, very well-preserved letters, guns, flags and other artifacts from the Civil War. Of interest was a coat worn by Lt. Col. Alexander S. Pendleton. The plaque next to the coat states: “According to family tradition, the overcoat was sewn into a chair cushion during the Federal occupation of Lexington and remained concealed until 1896.”

Appomattox Court House National Historical Park (Appomattox Court House and the McLean House). The surrender at Appomattox Court House was not at a courthouse, but at the private home of Wilmer McLean who had fled the area during the war. Fully restored buildings are available for viewing. The Visitor’s Center runs a 15-minute video describing the events of the surrender. The surrender at Appomattox was considered “the beginning of the end” of the Civil War, as confrontations continued to occur as late as December 1865.

Beauvoir, the Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library (in Biloxi, MS) was an important place to visit and to learn about a different perspective of Civil War history. Learning about Jefferson Davis and his philosophy was certainly interesting. Beauvoir means “beautiful view”. Beauvoir was where Jefferson Davis lived out the last 20 years of his life. It was where he wrote the massive two volume, The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government. We took a tour of Davis’ home and were absolutely fascinated by the history of the area, of Beauvoir and of Davis himself.

Bennett Place (Durham, NC) became a historic site when on April 26, 1865, General Joseph E. Johnston of the Confederate army surrendered approximately 9,000 Confederate troops stationed in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida to General William T. Sherman of the Union Army. There is a lot of history here. Things are not always what they seem!

Gettysburg National Military Park (Gettysburg, PA) tells the Civil War history of the Battle of Gettysburg, fought over three days between July 1 and July 3, 1863. Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War, with a Union victory that ended General Robert E. Lee’s second and most ambitious invasion of the North. Often referred to as the “High Water Mark of the Rebellion”, it was also the inspiration for President Abraham Lincoln’s immortal “Gettysburg Address”. The National Park Service has provided many drivable roads and paved hiking paths to be able to visit many of the battle sites.

National Civil War Museum (Harrisburg, PA) is a 2-story, opulent, “historical” museum atop the highest point in Harrisburg, PA. In the introduction of this blog, we have already made our feelings about this museum known. There are rows of glassed cases with a brief two-line description of the piece of memorabilia. It is too bad the item may be placed on the left of the glassed in case, while the description is on the right side of the case, usually where someone else is standing. Or, the description would be about a shirt and a pair of pants, but the pants were missing. Or, a whole wall dedicated to Appomattox, but a 10” x 12” lithograph of Bennett Place with a one-line description saying Generals Johnston and Sherman met at this location. Or, nothing at all in the museum about June 19th. For context, on June 19, 1865, enslaved African Americans in Texas were told they the Civil War was over and that they were free. June 19th became a national holiday in 2021.

Richmond National Battlefield Park, Richmond, VA. This is a very spread-out park with a visitor center and an 80-mile loop of drivable roads and walking/running/hiking trails among 12 units or battlefield areas. For the full experience, this is not a park you can do in a couple of hours. The National Park Service has done an excellent job in Richmond with their signage and their roads and paths.

Summary

We feel so honored and privileged to have been able to see and learn so much about Civil War history. To be able to actually see where battles were fought, how close the soldiers were when they were fighting and to even see the desks and wallpaper of the rooms where history was made was awe inspiring.

We were grateful for the opportunity to experience honest history.

Since beginning our full-time journey to discover the country, we have found something to appreciate in every city and town we have passed through. We hope you enjoy reading about them as much as we have enjoyed discovering them!

Your partners in travel,
Kathryn and Dave
RVing Nomads

It’s a lifestyle

Thank you so much for reading this blog. If you enjoyed the content, please check out my other blog at:
https://rvingnomads.com/blog/
https://relationshipsrelearned.com/my-blog/

To be notified of future posts, please enter your email address and click on the Subscribe button.

If you haven’t checked out our Special Places & Recommendations page, please do so. If you are in these areas, you may find these places as enjoyable and rewarding as we did!

No person, business or attraction has paid us for an endorsement. AI has not been used to create any of the content in this blog or website. All of the photos in this blog and website were taken by Dave or Kathryn Harrington.