Take a comprehensive battlefield tour of the battle of the Spotsylvania Court House; May 8-21, 1864.
The battle of the Spotsylvania Court House is the next battle of Grant’s Overland Campaign immediately after the Wilderness.
Your private battlefield tour will start at the Spotsylvania Battlefield Exhibit Shelter – National Park Service where you will meet your own battlefield guide. Receive a tour introduction and hear about Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant racing to see who would possess the next vital crossroads leading to Richmond.
See where the opening shots of the battle took place at Laurel Hill on May 8, 1864.
Hear about the death of General John Sedgwick where they couldn’t hit an elephant from this distance! He would become the highest-ranking Union General to die in the Civil War.
We’ll see the site where Colonel Emory Upton led a heroic and innovative Union assault on the Lee’s Mule Shoe on May 10, 1864.
Explore the infamous Mule Shoe where Robert E. Lee’s earthworks can still be seen today. While there, we’ll hear about the massive assault on May 12, 1864, which led to 22-hours of sustained hand-to-hand combat.
See the famous Bloody Angle where the fightings were the most intense and desperate.
We’ll see monuments left by those regiments who fought in and around the Mule Shoe.
Go to Lee’s Final Line, where the National Park Service has recreated a Civil War line of earthworks.
We’ll conclude with Grant’s decision to withdraw and move south towards Richmond where he will say “I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer!” And the Overland Campaign will continue, to the North Anna.
This private battlefield tour pairs nicely with the battle of the North Anna which is the next battle of the Overland Campaign; May 23-24, 1864.
Let us show you the way as you relax and skip the self-guided tour hassle. Your own battlefield guide will meet you in front of the Spotsylvania Battlefield Exhibit Shelter – National Park Service.
After an introduction, your battlefield guide will join your vehicle as you depart to your first stop. It is recommended that the battlefield guide drive your vehicle so you can relax and enjoy the tour, but it’s up to you who drives.
Joining your vehicle keeps the cost down so you can see more battlefields with us.
Step-on battlefield guides are available for larger passenger vehicles (van or bus). For more information and prices, please contact us.
Note: Battle of Spotsylvania Court House can be tailored into one of our Custom Battlefield Tours.
