A Civil War Road Trip of a Lifetime: Antietam, Gettysburg, and Beyond

Join author John Banks on a captivating journey through America's rich history as he explores famous battlefields, historic homes, and forts across the country.Over more than a year, John Banks crisscrossed the country, exploring battlefields, historic houses, forts, and more. He rode on the back of an ATV with his “psychotic connection” in Mississippi, went under the spell of an amateur hypnotist at a U.S. Army fort in Tennessee, admired a sunset from the grounds of the notorious Andersonville prison camp in Georgia, prayed during a tense boat ride in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, and briefly interviewed Louie the wild boar in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Join him on a road trip like no other.Table of ContentsForeword: The road less traveledAcknowledgmentsCHAPTER 1: A ‘lobster claw’ and three little demonsCHAPTER 2: Meet Mrs. B, Civil War Mission ControlCHAPTER 3: Charleston, South Carolina: Storming a Rebel fort with an EnglishmanCHAPTER 4: Columbia, Tennessee: ‘Murder’ and marriage in the Mule Capital of the WorldCHAPTER 5: Sharpsburg, Maryland: Tales from my Civil War poppaCHAPTER 6: Memphis, Tennessee and Marion: Arkansas: Lives lost and a passion found on the mighty MississippiCHAPTER 7: Hinds County, Mississippi: Exploring Champion Hill with my ‘psychotic connection’CHAPTER 8: Vicksburg, Mississippi: ‘Whoa, he’s a Black guy’CHAPTER 9: Resaca, Georgia: Characters, coonskin caps, and cognac ‘cee-gars’CHAPTER 10: Perryville, Kentucky: ‘What a pisser’CHAPTER 11: Thompson’s Station, Tennessee: Alice’s 15 seconds of fameCHAPTER 12: Ashwood, Tennessee: The ‘lost’ mansion site of ‘The Fighting Bishop’CHAPTER 13: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: My very own ‘Philly Special’CHAPTER 14: Shepherdstown, West Virginia: In the footsteps of a Civil War badassCHAPTER 15: Franklin, Tennessee: ‘Hypno-history’ at a U.S. Army fortCHAPTER 16: Middle Tennessee: Spies, gaps, and gravesCHAPTER 17: Roberts Switch, Tennessee: Exploring graveyards with a moonshiner’s sonCHAPTER 18: Andersonville, Georgia: Voices from America’s saddest placeCHAPTER 19: Deatonville, Virginia: ‘The House With Nobody In It’CHAPTER 20: Farmville, Virginia: A vow to be buried on his battlefieldCHAPTER 21: Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley: The Mother RoadCHAPTER 22: Sharpsburg to Frederick, Maryland: Abraham Lincoln and The Oreo Cookie LadyCHAPTER 23: Middletown, Virginia: Rambling with ‘The Chief’ at Cedar CreekCHAPTER 24: Nashville, Tennessee: On the trail of a Medal of Honor recipient with an ex-roadie in an all-girl bandCHAPTER 25: Murfreesboro, Tennessee: Carnage in a construction zoneCHAPTER 26: Middletown, Maryland: A love story in a house with a presidential suiteCHAPTER 27: Henrico, Virginia: Guardian of a Medal of Honor recipient’s legacyCHAPTER 28: Richmond, Virginia: Talking Turkey Hill at Cold HarborCHAPTER 29: Sharpsburg, Maryland: Mayhem and monarchs in the 40-Acre CornfieldCHAPTER 30: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: My first ghost walk and investigationCHAPTER 31: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: A collection that got out of handCHAPTER 32: Trevilians, Virginia: Where Custer lost his underwear and love lettersCHAPTER 33: Henrico, Virginia: ‘It’s always an honor to be on that ground’CHAPTER 34: Marshall, North Carolina: Four hours in ‘Bloody Madison’CHAPTER 35: Sharpsburg, Maryland: ‘The Shadow King’CHAPTER 36: Lessons learnedAcknowledgementsBibliographyIndex Read more