The Road to Gettysburg

Chancellorsville & Brandy Station
FromUSD$550
Chancellorsville & Brandy Station
FromUSD$550
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1880
  • Guided Driving Tour With stops in each location
  • 8 Hours9:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Fredericksburg & Culpeper Area Battlefields
  • $550Maximum 6 guests

Join a Historic Campaign on This Battles of Chancellorsville & Brandy Station Combo Tour

Take a comprehensive battlefield tour of the battle of Chancellorsville; May 1-3, 1863, and the battle of Brandy Station; June 9, 1863.

If you’re interested in events that led to the battle of Gettysburg, then this tour is for you! We’ll take a look at the battle that encouraged Robert E. Lee to invade the North for the second time, leading to the Gettysburg Campaign.

To understand Gettysburg, one must understand Chancellorsville first! Next, we’ll follow one of Lee’s invasion routes as the first opening action begins and turns into the largest cavalry action of the war at Brandy Station.

Your private battlefield tour will start at the Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center, where you will get an introduction from your own battlefield guide.

Travel to the Chancellorsville Day One site preserved by the American Battlefield Trust and hear how the opening phase of the battle begins.

Go to the famous Chancellorsville Crossroads and see General Joseph Hooker’s headquarters as he makes his plans where certain destruction awaits.

Follow a portion of Stonewall Jackson’s famous Flank Attack March on May 2, 1863, and go to the location where Stonewall Jackson’s famous Flank Attack begins.

Visit the spot where Stonewall Jackson’s wounding took place.

Last, we’ll tour the third day’s battle at Hazel Grove and Fairview which was perhaps the bloodiest morning in the Civil War on May 3, 1863.

We’ll take a 30-minute lunch break where your battlefield guide will give you a recommendation for a quick counter service location or restaurant if requested.

Afterward, we’ll travel to Brandy Station outside of Culpeper as we discuss Lee’s plans to invade the North a second time and follow a portion of his Army invasion route.

At Brandy Station, we’ll discuss the large Confederate cavalry screen of Lee’s invasion forces there and US General Hooker’s plans to destroy or disperse them.

The tour will see the location of the Confederate cavalry review field.

Later, the tour will stop at the area where US cavalry will push across Beverly’s Ford and the site where this epic cavalry battle begins.

We’ll see the various cavalry action between J. E. B. Stuart and General Alfred Pleasonton’s forces where out flew the sabers, and most handsomely they were used.

At Fleetwood Hill, you will see where the cavalry fought, saber to saber, pistol to pistol, saddle to saddle, and stirrup to stirrup.

There is much amazingly more to the opening phase of the Gettysburg Campaign and the largest cavalry battle in the Civil War, and we’ll take you there!

In the end, your battlefield guide will take you back to the tour starting location at the Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center with commentary.

This private battlefield tour pairs nicely with the battles of Mine Run and The Wilderness: After Gettysburg combo tour. Taking place in November of 1863 and May of 1864, it will pick up where you left off and start after the Gettysburg Campaign.

Let a Local Battlefield Guide Show You the Way

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 Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center.

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: The battles of Chancellorsville and Brandy Station can be tailored into one of our Custom Battlefield Tours.

What's Included

  • Professional & qualified local battlefield guide
  • Locate ancestor’s regiment on the battlefield With advance notice only
  • A 15% discount on purchases of $50 and above at the Chancellorsville National Park Battlefield Museum gift shop

What to Bring

  • Comfortable shoes
  • Bottled water
  • Jacket & umbrella
  • Sunglasses & sunscreen
  • Hat & light clothes
  • Insect repellant

What's Not Included

  • Vehicle
  • Visit to the Battlefield Visitor Center museum, film, and gift shop
  • Food & drinks
  • Gratuities Optional

Overview

  • Tour meets at 9:00 am in front of the Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center; 9001 Plank Rd. Spotsylvania, VA 22553.
  • A comprehensive tour of the entire Chancellorsville battlefield area – May 1-3, 1863
  • A 30-minute lunch break at a recommended location by your battlefield guide
  • Travel to the Brandy Station battlefield with commentary
  • A comprehensive tour of the entire Brandy Station battlefield area – June 9, 1863

Special Notes

  • The minimum recommended age is 10 years old.
  • The tour makes multiple stops and gets out of the vehicle
  • Walking at stops is minimal, usually steps from the vehicle (no hiking involved)
  • Tour can accommodate those with mobility challenges
  • Traveling between stops has commentary
  • The tour continues in all weather conditions as adjustments can be made to make everyone comfortable
  • We can locate an ancestor’s unit on the battlefield for no additional charge by simply giving us their unit’s information, for example, 10th New York regiment – Advance notice of a week or more is advised to better prepare.

Reviews

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