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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.

Photograph of the National Museum of the U.S. Navy
Civil War  |  Museum

National Museum of the U.S. Navy

Washington, DC | The museum is on the Washington Navy Yard where Rear Adm. John Dahlgren oversaw production of Civil War guns and frequently met with...
This is a landscape sketch of mountains and valleys.
Civil War  |  Museum

Gettysburg Heritage Center

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania | Learn what the Battle of Gettysburg meant to the people who lived here during the war.
Civil War  |  Museum

Battle of Carthage Civil War Museum

Carthage, Missouri | The museum covers the history of the Battle of Carthage, the first full-scale land battle of the Civil War.
Civil War  |  Historic Site

Alton Military Prison Site

Alton, Illinois | The historical site opened in 1833 as the first Illinois State Penitentiary and was closed in 1860, when the last prisoners were...
Civil War  |  Cemetery

Stonewall Jackson's Grave

Lexington, Virginia | Stonewall Jackson's grave is marked by Valentine's bronze statue of the general.
Civil War  |  Museum

Baltimore Civil War Museum

Baltimore, Maryland | Site tells of Baltimore during the Civil War and addresses Maryland's railroad history and the building's role in the...
Civil War  |  Museum

Warren Rifles Confederate Museum

Front Royal, Virginia | Exhibits here include memorabilia of Belle Boyd, Mosby's Rangers, Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and others...