Itinerary

Thursday, August 16, 2012 – Gettysburg
Afternoon Arrive in Gettysburg, Pa
Individuals to be checked in by 3:30 pm
Check-in to the Quality Inn on the battlefield
4:00 pm Depart on motorcoach to meet Mrs. Shriver & Tour home
The mission of the Shriver House Museum is to provide an often overlooked perspective of the Battle of Gettysburg, the civilian experience during and after one of the deadliest and most historic battles ever fought on American soil.
The home of George Washington Shriver has been restored to it's original 1860's appearance to preserve its history for future generations. Tours include all four floors of the Shriver's home - from the Confederate sharpshooters nest in the garret to the cellar that housed Shriver's Saloon.
Wine and Cheese Reception in the Shriver Saloon
6:30 pm Dinner at Herr’s Tavern on ridge where the Battle began.
Surprise Historian Speaker to set the stage

Friday, August 17, 2012 – Manassas – July 1861
Breakfast (included) at the hotel
8:00 am Depart for Manassas - 1 hour & 35 minutes drive
View movie – excellent presentation.
Meet Historian Guide for tour of Battlefield
Manassas National Battlefield Park was established in 1940 to preserve the scene of two major Civil War battles. Located a few miles north of the prized railroad junction of Manassas, Virginia, the peaceful Virginia countryside bore witness to clashes between the armies of the North and South in 1861 and 1862. Today, more than 5,000 acres comprise the battlefield
park, allowing the visitor to explore the historic terrain where men fought and died for their beliefs a century ago.
12:00 pm Picnic on Battlefield (included)
3:00 pm Tour of Oatlands Plantation – on retreat route George Carter, a great-grandson of legendary planter Robert "King" Carter of the Northern Neck, built this mansion in the Federal style in 1804 but later converted it to the Greek Revival manse we see today. His formal terraced garden and its 1810 propagation greenhouse -- it's considered America's second oldest -- are as interesting as the mansion itself. The plantation's remaining 330 acres also contain unique tree species. Now operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Oatlands hosts numerous events.
5:00 pm Depart for Emmittsburg & dinner
6:15 pm Dinner at Carriage House Inn – Crab cake and Steak

Saturday, August 18, 2012 - Harpers Ferry, (1859) Antietam – September 1862
Breakfast (included) at hotel
8:00 am Depart for Harpers Ferry - 1 hour drive
9:30 am Meet historian guide
Harpers Ferry
Site of the famous John Brown’s Raid in 1859, it also changed hands throughout the Civil War. When Lee was preparing to take the war to the north – also known as Lee’s first invasion of the north – he sent Stonewall Jackson to capture Harpers Ferry in September of 1862 just prior to the Battle of Antietam.
Learning that the garrison at Harpers Ferry had not retreated after his incursion into Maryland, Lee decided to surround the force and capture it. He divided his army into four columns, three of which converged upon and invested Harpers Ferry. On September 15, after Confederate artillery was placed on the heights overlooking the town, Union commander Col. Miles surrendered the garrison of more than 12,000. Miles was mortally wounded by a last salvo fired from a battery on Loudoun Heights. Jackson took possession of Harpers Ferry, then led most of his soldiers to join with Lee at Sharpsburg. After paroling the prisoners at Harpers Ferry, A.P. Hill’s division arrived in time to save Lee’s army from near-defeat at Sharpsburg. (Antietam)
12:30 pm Time to explore and have lunch (on own) in Harpers Ferry
Great bookstore
2:00 pm Depart for Antietam Battlefield
2:30 pm Meet historian for tour of Battlefield
Antietam ~ The Bloodiest One-Day Battle in American History
23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after twelve hours of savage combat on September 17, 1862. The Battle of Antietam ended the Confederate Army of Northern
Virginia’s first invasion into the North and led to Abraham Lincoln’s issuance of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
5:30 pm Depart Antietam
6:30 pm Dinner at Mountaingate Buffet
Return to Gettysburg

Sunday, August 19, 2012 – Gettysburg - 1863
Breakfast (included) at hotel
8:00 am Brand-New Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor’s Center
 Film – “A New Birth of Freedom”
 Museum
 Cyclorama
10:30 am Pick-up historian to tour the battlefield on your coach
Fought over the first three days of July 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg was one of the most critical battles of the Civil War having occurred at a time when the fate of the nation hung in the balance- the summer of 1863. Often referred to as the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy", it was the culmination of the second and most ambitious invasion of the North by General Robert E. Lee and the "Army of Northern Virginia". The "Army of the Potomac", the Union army that had long been the nemesis of Lee, met the Confederate invasion at the crossroads town of Gettysburg and though it was under a new commander, General George Gordon Meade, the northerners fought with a desperation born of defending their home territory. The Union victory at the Battle of Gettysburg resulted in Lee's retreat to Virginia and an end to the hopes of the Confederacy for independence.
12:00 pm Lunch (included) on the Battlefield - box lunches delivered
4:00 pm We will walk Pickett’s Charge – those who do not want to
may return to the bus.
6:30 pm Dinner at Dobbin House
7:30 pm General and Mrs. Lee will speak following dinner

Monday, August 20, 2012 – Home
Breakfast at the Dobbin House
Abe Lincoln to speak
11:00 am Check out time

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