On April 12, 1861, the decades of growing strife between North and South erupted in civil war when Confederate artillery opened fire on Fort Sumter, a federally manned fort in Charleston Harbor, S.C. Spectators watched from the rooftops and cheered when their side scored a hit. The fort surrendered 34 hours later. No one was killed during the bombardment, creating the illusion that the war would be short and bloodless.

There was no foreshadowing that Civil War would be America's worst war. It was the end of innocence, and when the fighting stopped more than 600,000 men were dead and hundreds of thousands of others wounded. Nearly as many were killed in the Civil War as in all of American's wars put together. The names of the battle sites are familiar to many but the soldier's individual deeds and actions are slipping out of memory — permanently. Visit a Civil War site to honor those who, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, "... gave the last full measure of devotion ..." by standing on the ground where they fought and learning their personal stories.

The beginning On a warm July day in 1861, two armies of a divided nation clashed on the fields overlooking Bull Run, a small stream near the little town of Manassas, Va. So confident that the northern army under the command of Gen. Irvin McDowell would be victorious, the wealthy elite of nearby Washington packed picnic baskets and headed to Manassas to watch the battle. Enthusiastic volunteers in colorful uniforms gathered to fight the first major land battle of the war. Confident that their foes would turn and run, neither side anticipated the smoke, din and death of battle.

The Battle of Bull Run, also known as the Battle of Manassas, was a rude awakening for Americans. Soldiers, mostly raw recruits, were stunned by the horror of battle. When the Union army was driven back in disorder, panicked civilians attempting to flee in their carriages blocked the roads to Washington. After 10 hours of heavy fighting, nearly 900 men were dead and so were any thoughts that the Civil War would be over quickly.

Today, standing at the rise of land near the Visitor's Center of Manassas National Battlefield looking over the pastoral countryside it is hard to envision the battle. However, in the Visitor's Center the video, "Manassas: End of Innocence," vividly depicts the battle. A ranger-guided walking tour helps bring alive the events that took place on the battlefield. It was during this battle that Gen. Thomas J. Jackson rallied his troops to hold their position, causing Gen. Barnard Bee to shout, "There stands Jackson like a stone wall!" Bee did not survive the battle; however, Jackson did.

A statue of "Stonewall" Jackson overlooks the battlefield where the rebuilt Henry House stands. It is where the first civilian battle causality of the Civil War occurred. Mrs. Judith Carter Henry, in her 80s and bedridden, refused to leave her home during the battle and was killed by a bullet meant for snipers. When Union troops retreated to Washington, President Lincoln realized that it would not be a short war, "It's damned bad," he commented.

Nearly one year later, from August, 28-30, 1862, both sides met again on the same battlefield. The Confederates won a solid victory, but 3,300 died during the three-day engagement.

BLOODY DAYS

The Battle of Antietam in Maryland was the bloodiest single day of the Civil War. On Sept. 17, 1862, after 12 hours of savage combat, 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing. Wayside exhibits and tablets along an 8.5-mile driving tour describe the battle. At a stop along the route, climb the tower and try to contemplate what the quarter-mile stretch known as "Bloody Lane" was like on that September day when about 5,600 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed in three hours, more deaths than occurred during the entire eight years of the Revolutionary War.

Called the "Gettysburg of the West," the Battle of Franklin, on Nov. 30, 1864, in Tennessee, saw the southern army of 33,000 face off with the northern army of 30,000. It is often cited as "the bloodiest five hours." Like all conflicts the personal stories are the most heart-wrenching. After three years in the Confederate army, Capt. Tod Carter found himself fighting on his own farmland. In the middle of vicious fighting he tried to reach his family home, crying out to his fellow soldiers, "Follow me boys, I'm almost home." He was mortally wounded and was carried to his house where he died two days later. Note the more than 1,000 bullet holes in the Carter House and barn giving evidence to the intensity of the battle.

Civilians were drawn into the war, forever changing their lives. One such civilian was Carrie McGavock of Franklin, Tenn., who nursed thousands of injured soldiers when her plantation mansion, Carnton, became a field hospital. Two years later, when farming threatened to unearth the soldiers from their shallow graves, McGavock organized the reburial of 1,481 Confederate soldiers in a corner of her property and attended to the cemetery for the rest of her life, earning her the title "The Widow of the South."

THE END

In late spring 1864, after months of fighting, Union forces backed Robert E. Lee's Confederate army into defensive lines around Petersburg, Va. For more than nine months the city endured siege. On April 1, 1865, following successful Union attacks, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee decided to abandon Petersburg and head west and south in an attempt to join Gen. Joseph Johnston's army in North Carolina. Union commander Gen. U.S. Grant followed aggressively. Grant finally cornered Lee at Appomattox Court House. Out of options, Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia on April 9.

Experience a soldier's life at Pamplin Historical Park in Petersburg. The exhibit "Duty Called Me Here" brings visitors face-to-face with the soldiers using interactive computers, videos, life-sized dioramas, more than 1,000 original objects, multi-sensory battlefield simulation, and re-enactors.

Remember the sacrifices of nearly 3 million Americans who became soldiers during the Civil War. At the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, President Abraham Lincoln said, "The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." Lincoln's words have survived and so should the stories of the soldiers "who here gave their lives that this nation might live." The Civil War consisted of more than 50 major battles, 5,000 minor battles and more than 3 million personal stories. Some are well known others are nearly forgotten. Honor those who fought in America's greatest war by visiting a place where they served.

IF YOU GO

More than 25 national parks preserve the events of the Civil War. Find out more online at www.nps.gov. For information about the Carter House, visit www.carter-house.org. For information about Mary MacGavock, the "Widow of the South" and the Tennessee Civil War Trail, visit www.carnton.org. For information about Pamplin Historic Park near Petersburg, Va., visit www.pamplinpark.org.

Sandra Scott is a freelance travel writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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