This is a sketch of cannons on the upper deck of a fort.

Heritage Sites

The places highlighted here — formerly called the Civil War Discovery Trail — are not just any places. They are the celebrated sites and structures that bring the earliest chapters of the American story to life, such as battlefields, historic homes, stations on the Underground Railroad, cemeteries, and parks. Together, they constitute the essential stops on a trail to discovering not only America’s military history, but the political, social and human dimensions of the founding and forging of the United States.

A sketch of a crowd waving an American flag in the street
Civil War  |  Fort

Fort Jackson

Port Sulphur, Louisiana | This restored fort was built to defend New Orleans and the mouth of the Mississippi River.
Civil War  |  Historic Site

Town of La Grange

La Grange, Tennessee | Not unlike other Southern towns that were occupied by Union troops, La Grange suffered severely at the hands of the thousands...