Top 10 Civil War sites: astounding, heartbreaking history

The Civil War was fought over a vast territory, stretching from North Carolina's Outer Banks to the deserts of Arizona.

The opposing forces clashed in some 8,000 engagements, ranging from small skirmishes to massive battles. The sites of many of those actions are grown over or have been lost to development. You would never know, for example, that Richmond International Airport sits atop the grounds of Seven Pines, a major Civil War battle.

Thanks to the efforts of the National Park Service and private organizations such as the Civil War Trust, however, hundreds of the war's most important sites have been saved to help educate the public about America's most costly war. No other country has preserved and interpreted its military heritage on such a scale.

In this first year of the Civil War sesquicentennial, visitation to related sites has increased and probably will remain strong for another four years. With so many places to visit, which ones are "must-see" to gain a better understanding of the conflict?

Here are my Top 10 choices:

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Fort Sumter (Charleston, S.C.) — The capture of this fort by Confederate forces in April 1861 turned decades of sectional strife into civil war. Situated in the middle of Charleston harbor, the fort is accessible only by boat, but it's well worth the trip to see where the war began.

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Manassas (Virginia) — In the early summer of 1861, most people believed the war would be short. But when the opposing forces met here in July in the war's first big battle, a stunning Union defeat shocked the Northern public into realizing that winning the war would not be easy. A second battle fought here in August 1862 marked one of Robert E. Lee's most remarkable victories.

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Shiloh (Tennessee) — Arguably the best-preserved Civil War site because of its remote location, this was the first of many battles that resulted in staggering casualties (nearly 25,000). Both sides claimed victory, but the Federal army held the field, forcing the Confederates to abandon much of Tennessee and opening the way to the Deep South. Had Union commander U.S. Grant lost this battle, he might never have reached the fame that marked him as a great general.

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Richmond — The political and economic capital of the Confederacy, the city's capitulation was a key component of Union strategy for four years. Two major campaigns, the Peninsula in 1862 and the Overland in 1864, spawned numerous battles nearby, turning Richmond into the most heavily fought-over city in the Western Hemisphere. Its fall in April 1865 rang the death knell for the Confederacy. A visitor could spend a week here without seeing it all.

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Antietam (Maryland) — This hauntingly beautiful battlefield was the site of the bloodiest day of the war. Considered a tactical draw, Antietam was a turning point. Lee's retreat to Virginia gave President Lincoln the opportunity to announce the Emancipation Proclamation in late 1862, changing the entire aspect of the war from an effort only to save the Union into a crusade to free the slaves. Changing public sentiment in Europe destroyed the South's last hope of foreign assistance.

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Gettysburg (Pennsylvania) — Union victory here in the summer of 1863 ended Lee's second invasion of the North and was a turning point in the war. This battlefield is the most visited Civil War site of all. The new museum/visitors center is a good place to start a tour of this epic three-day battle. Visitors should give themselves at least two days to take it all in.

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Vicksburg (Mississippi) — The town's surrender on July 4, 1863, was the culmination of Grant's most brilliant campaign, splitting the South and giving control of the Mississippi River to the Union. It is one of the most heavily commemorated parks in the world, with more than 1,300 monuments, tablets and markers.

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Chickamauga (Georgia)/Chattanooga (Tennessee) — In 1863, opposing forces fought for Chattanooga, a crucial rail junction known as the "Gateway to the South." Confederate victory at nearby Chickamauga in September led to a lengthy siege of Union forces in Chattanooga. Grant broke the Confederate grip on the city in November, opening the way to Atlanta in 1864. The view from Lookout Mountain is spectacular.

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Petersburg (Virginia) — After months of brutal fighting in the spring of 1864, Union forces under Grant backed Lee's army into defensive lines around Petersburg. The two armies were locked in a nine-month siege, punctuated by intense fighting. In April 1865, Grant flanked the Confederate line and forced Lee to retreat toward Appomattox. A full day is needed to see the numerous sites associated with the siege, including the famous Crater.

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Appomattox (Virginia) — Lee's surrender to Grant at the McLean house in April 1865 signaled the end of war. Grant's generous terms set the tone for a relatively mild period of reconstruction when compared to the aftermaths of other civil wars. Appomattox will be home next year to a new museum operated by the Museum of the Confederacy.

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A final word of advice: Try to visit these sites near the time of year the actions occurred to gain a better understanding of the events. Seeing Gettysburg with snow on the ground, for example, makes it harder to imagine what happened in July 1863.