Great Commanders Series: Greene vs. Cornwallis in the Carolinas – October 31-November 3, 2012
October 31, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Wednesday, October 31 (7:30PM) to Saturday, November 3, 2012 (5:00pm)
Led by Joshua Howard
Based in Charlotte, NC
Tour Cost: $475.00
When we started our American history tour company in 2009, our partner Dave Hinze had the idea for a “Great Commanders Series” which would pit two notable military commanders against each other during a campaign or series of battles. These commanders could be either army leaders or subordinate commanders like our highly successful George H. Thomas and Patrick Cleburne tour of Chickamauga and Chattanooga in 2010.
We have decided to honor Dave’s idea by continuing the “Great Commanders Series” this year with our Greene vs. Cornwallis in the Carolinas tour. Our tour will focus on the strategy and tactics associated with famous battles of Cowpens, Kings Mountain and Guilford Courthouse, along with some minor sites which always make our tours unique. This tour will cover the major engagements in depth and you can expect some walking of the battlefields.
The Vicksburg Campaign:Beyond the Park Boundaries – October 24 -27, 2012
October 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Wednesday, October 24 (7:30PM) to Saturday, October 27, 2012 (5:00pm)
Led by A. Wilson “Will” Greene and Terry Winschel
Based in Vicksburg, MS
Tour Cost: $475.00
Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s campaign to capture Vicksburg on the east bank of the Mississippi River was a wide-ranging military and logistical operation. It was also a major component in the North’s strategic plan to defeat the Confederacy. Our tour of the Vicksburg campaign will live up to this analysis by ranging far beyond the National Military Park’s boundaries as we look at Grant’s masterpiece in depth. Our lead historian, Will Greene did an exemplary job last year at Shiloh, so we are fortunate to benefit from his expert services again here at Vicksburg.
An important site in the early Federal attempt to get at Vicksburg will be our stop at Chickasaw Bayou, where Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s troops suffered a setback in December 1862 delivered by Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton’s Confederates. From this battlefield, we’ll cross the Mississippi to explore the area around “Grant’s Canal” where Union forces attempted to cut a waterway that would essentially bypass the city, rendering the heavily gunned fortress powerless. Then it’s on to Grand Gulf to see the strongly fortified Confederate position which proved too much for Union Admiral David Dixon Porter’s gunboats, despite a heavy bombardment. After the setback at Grand Gulf, Grant decided to cross the river near Port Gibson. We will stop at Bruinsburg where Union infantrymen forced the bluffs to start the final effort to capture Vicksburg. We will tour the battle sites around Port Gibson where Grant was finally able to dent the Confederate lines, but only after dogged fighting on both sides. We’ll also see the ruins of Windsor Plantation, made famous by Hollywood as well as the Civil War.
Custer in Kansas: Hancock’s War of 1867-68 on the Southern Plains – October 10-13, 2012
October 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Wednesday, October 10 (7:30PM) to Saturday, October 13, 2012 (5:00pm)
Led by Robert F. O’Neill and Bruce Venter
Based in Hays, KS
Tour Registration Fee: $495.00
Shortly after the Civil War ended two iconic figures from that war, Major General Winfield Scott Hancock and Major General George Armstrong Custer (now a lieutenant colonel) came to the Kansas Plains to fight Indians. In 1867 Hancock’s mission was to discourage Indian raiding in Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska, but the famous Union general ended up with a full scale war on his hands by 1868. Custer, a famed cavalryman at the time was a perfect subordinate for Hancock. But “Hancock’s War” as it was called did not do either officer’s reputation any good. Our tour will visit the battle sites and forts of Custer’s campaign thru Kansas, years before his final encounter with the Sioux in Montana.
On our first day we will start with a visit to Fort Hays, built to protect the railroad which was being constructed parallel to the old Smoky Hill Trail. With four original buildings intact, the fort saw the likes of Custer, Phil Sheridan and Buffalo Bill Cody. Nearby is the tree-covered Custer Island where the general bivouacked his 7th Cavalry troopers. Then it’s on to Fort Larned, an outstanding example of a frontier fort that retains most of its original buildings. After Fort Larned, we’ll visit Pawnee Rock, a well-known landmark along the Santa Fe Trail with some great stories. From there you’ll get to see the obscure Pawnee Fork Crossing which now sits on the grounds of a state hospital. At Burdett, we’ll stop at the site where Hancock and Custer faced off an Indian band. Nearby you’ll see the site of the Pawnee River Indian village burned by Hancock.
Burgoyne’s Saratoga Campaign of 1777: From Fort Ticonderoga to Bemis Heights
September 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Wednesday, September 12 (7:30PM) to Saturday, September 15, 2012 (5:00pm)
Led by Douglas Cubbison and Bruce Venter
Based in Lake George, NY
Tour Registration Fee: $495.00
During the summer and fall of 1777 one of the great military campaigns of world history took place in the dense forests and rolling fields of upstate New York. British Lt. Gen. John “Gentleman Johnny” Burgoyne led a combined force of some 9,000 British Redcoats, German hirelings, vengeful Tories and blood-thirsty Indians. This army descended from Canada, aiming to cut off the American middle colonies from their New England neighbors.
Burgoyne’s invasion was part of a three-pronged strategic plan to break the back of the rebellion. His army marched directly south through a near-impenetrable wilderness, attempting to reach its final objective: Albany. But American fortunes changed decisively on the west bank of the Hudson River near Saratoga. The patriot army, initially led by Maj. Gen. Philip Schuyler, but now commanded by Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates, and ably led on the battlefield by Brig. Gen. Benedict Arnold and Col. Daniel Morgan, stopped Burgoyne’s campaign in its tracks. The surrender of Burgoyne’s army in October 1777 was more important to the Rebel cause than any other event during the American Revolution. The two climatic battles at Freeman’s Farm and Bemis Heights led to a French alliance the following year, effectively insuring an American triumph over the forces of Lt Gen. Charles Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown.
Remembering Dave Hinze
August 22, 2011 by 4 Comments
Bruce Venter
We must take time to remember our good friend and business partner, Dave Hinze who left us suddenly one year ago on August 18, 2010.
But this one year anniversary is not the only day that I think of Dave. On our kitchen countertop, we have a 3×4 framed picture of Dave and me doing the Swamp Fox tour in South Carolina in 2009. The tour was Dave’s brainchild (he was crazy about Francis Marion) and so far it’s been the most successful tour of either Stars & Stripes Events or America’s History. The picture shows me lecturing to our tour group about the British Navy’s 1776 attack on Charleston’s Fort Moultrie where Marion was stationed as an officer long before his famous career as a partisan. I’m pointing with my left arm extended out to the harbor where the Royal Navy was firing round shot at the fort. Dave, with his head down looking at a map, is mimicking me by also pointing with his left arm extended out to the Charleston harbor. It was so characteristic of Dave, making sure everyone understood what was going on.
Leatherstocking Country: A Successful Combination of America’s History with Literature
August 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Bruce Venter
Our July tour entitled Leatherstocking Tales: The Real Historic Sites of James Fenimore Cooper’s Novels proved to be a good bet as we combined familiar titles (and some not so familiar) from American literature with the historic sites that influenced the famous American author. I wasn’t sure how this concept would play when I first conceived it sometime last year, but finding the right tour leader made all the difference. Dr. Wayne Franklin, professor of English and department head at the University of Connecticut proved to be “the man” when it comes to Cooper expertise. Wayne did a fantastic job, demonstrating not only a knowledge of Cooper’s writings but also being familiar with the historical background of 18th and 19th century sites and personalities which influenced Cooper. Wayne has Albany, NY roots as does your humble blogger, so we were able to reminisce about the city’s rich, colorful political history which we shared in common. We had a great, mixed group of participants who came because of their interest in Cooper as well as American history. As always, there were a number of repeat customers along with some new faces. Wayne also brought along his lovely wife, Suzanne who provided much enjoyable conversation. It was great to have my cousin, Ann O’Brien Teta with us. One of America’s History’s tour leaders, Bill Welsch also joined the tour.
Fredericksburg: Not Just the Sunken Road
July 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Bruce Venter
To paraphrase a famous depiction used to describe Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, I would have to say that our Fredericksburg tour leader, Frank O’Reilly was simply “superb.” I knew there was more to the battle of Fredericksburg than just the maniacal assaults at the Sunken Road. But Frank’s incredible expertise brought many other aspects of this campaign to a new, higher level of comprehension for me and our tour participants. Frank’s understanding of the campaign’s political, logistical, cartographic, and command and control problems made this tour unforgettable. He also included a good dose of personal valor stories, descriptions of the idiosyncratic personalities of various leaders on both sides and leadership questions for us to consider on different parts of the field. As Tom Lannon from Phoenix, Arizona put it, “From my point of view as a tour attendee three days with Frank O’Reilly on the Fredericksburg battlefield was a real treat. The guy has an amazing amount of knowledge about the history there and did an outstanding job of conveying what happened and why. I could not have asked for more. And all the things you did to make it comfortable with the accommodations, the lunches, snacks and transportation were just first rate. Thanks for everything and I am sure I will see you on another tour in the future.”