Spring Campaign
SPRING CAMPAIGN: THE SOUTH CAROLINA LOWCOUNTRY
Extend your Civil War Weekend experience with an optional three-night field trip to South Carolina’s Lowcountry. Renowned for its outstanding natural beauty and delicious food, the Lowcountry was also home to some of the Civil War’s pivotal moments: the start of the fighting at Charleston’s Fort Sumter; the formation of the first Black regiment to fight in the war; the disintegration of slavery in the sea islands; the Battle of Honey Hill and, ultimately, occupation by Sherman’s troops. We will tour key sites in Charleston, Beaufort, and the surrounding areas, in the hands of some of the lowcountry’s most experienced Civil War experts.
Our trip begins in Beaufort, South Carolina, a town steeped in history. Our guides will be Dr. Stephen Wise, director of the Parris Island Museum, and Dr. John McCardell, former president of both Middlebury College and Sewanee: The University of the South. Among other highlights of lowcountry history, we will visit the Penn Center, founded in 1862 as a school for the formerly enslaved; the Battle of Honey Hill, where advance forces involved with Sherman’s March were repelled by Confederate troops in November 1864; and the Combahee River, site of Harriet Tubman’s storied raid into the heart of the plantation South.
Rick Hatcher, NPS historian at Fort Sumter from 1992 to 2015, will lead us on a tour of Sullivan’s Island and Fort Moultrie, from where Major Robert Anderson led his troops on the fateful move to Fort Sumter on December 26, 1860.
We will also visit the CSS Hunley museum, where we’ll learn the incredible story of the pioneering submarine that sank in 1864 and was raised from the ocean floor in 2000. Our final stop is the Museum of the Reconstruction Era in Columbia, South Carolina, located in the family home of Woodrow Wilson.
Throughout the Spring Campaign, we’ll enjoy the comfort of a charter bus, the camaraderie of fellow history enthusiasts, delicious meals, and local insights from our expert guides.
Previous spring campaigns:
March 30- April 1, 2025. Spring Campaign: Gettysburg. A two-night field trip to Gettysburg and Frederick, Maryland, including a tour of Gettysburg with Licensed Battlefield Guide Dave Weaver, a visit to the National Museum of Civil War Medicine led by Dana Shoaf, and a guided tour of the Monocacy Battlefield.
March 24-26, 2024. Spring Campaign: Fredericksburg. A two-night field trip to the historic sites of Fredericksburg, Virginia, including downtown Fredericksburg, the battlefields of the 1864 Overland Campaign, Spotsylvania, the Fredericksburg National Cemetery, Richard Kirkland Memorial, and the Fredericksburg Confederate Cemetery, led by historian and tour guide John Hennessy.
March 27-29, 2022. Spring Campaign: Antietam. A two-night field trip to Harpers Ferry and Antietam, led by retired National Park Service historian Dennis Frye, exploring the place where John Brown tried to spark a massive slave rebellion, as well as the crucial battle that paved the way for Lincoln’s preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
March 24-26, 2019. Spring Campaign: The Virginia Peninsula. A two-night field trip to the historic sites of the Virginia Peninsula, including Fort Monroe, battlefields of McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign, and The Mariners’ Museum, led by expert guide Jonathan White.
March 18-20, 2018. Spring Campaign: The Shenandoah Valley. A two-night field trip to the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, including a visit to the historic town of Lexington and a tour of “Stonewall” Jackson’s 1862 Valley Campaign, led by expert guide Jonathan Noyalas.
March 19-21 2017. Spring Campaign: Petersburg. An optional two-night field trip immediately following Civil War Weekend. We enjoyed a memorable trip to the city where the Civil War entered its final stages, including a guided tour of Petersburg National Battlefield, a behind-the-scenes visit to Pamplin Historical Park, and meals in historic restaurants.