The Civil War Trails Program founded by Civil War Trails, Inc. of

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

is a multi-state heritage tourism initiative designed to draw connections between and encourage visitation to Civil War sites. Efforts to increase visitation and signage have stepped up in recent years in preparation of the

sesquicentennial An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints. ...

of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. This includes and increased focus on lesser known sites with the addition of directional "trailblazer signs" for more than 1000 previously uninterpreted Civil War sites in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and West Virginia. Tennessee joined the program in 2008.

State participation

The North Carolina Civil War Trails Program chapter includes more than 700 sites. This chapter was dedicated on the

Bentonville Battlefield Bentonville Battlefield is a North Carolina state historic site at 5466 Harper House Road in Johnston County, North Carolina. It belongs to the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and is the site of the 1865 Battle of Be ...

on March 14, 2005. The main focus of the Trails program is a driving tour of the key places of the 1865 Carolinas Campaign, which culminated in the Battle of Bentonville. It also includes the

Burnside Expedition Burnside's North Carolina Expedition (also known as the Burnside Expedition) was a series of engagements fought along the North Carolina Coast between February and June 1862. The expedition was part of Winfield Scott's overall Anaconda Plan, which ...

, Foster's Raid, among other key moments in the Carolinas' Civil War history. From the launch of its chapter in 2008, Tennessee encouraged individual and community organizations to propose new sites for inclusion on the statewide map. In order to be eligible for inclusion, a proposed location must be as close as possible to where the Civil War event happened and must have existing parking for at least three cars and a bus.

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.civilwartrails.org/ Cultural tourism American Civil War sites Auto trails in the United States