Get Out of the Car Tours

May 24, 2025 – 10:00 a.m.

Monocacy – July 9, 1864

Led by Ranger Matthew Borders

Co-Hosted by The Civil War Breakfast Club

This approximately 2-hour program will cover the most intense portion of the Battle of Monocacy, the fighting at Thomas Farm. By 3pm on July 9, 1864, Lieutenant General Jubal Early’s Confederate forces had been stymied in clearing the road to Washington DC for seven hours. The battle was taking to long and the day was slipping away. To break the Federal resistance, Early ordered the division of Major General John B. Gordon over the Monocacy River to punch through the Federal resistance. Opposing Gordon was the veteran 3^rd Division of the VI Corps, commanded by Brigadier General James Ricketts.

Nearly evenly matched in number, the clash of divisions on Thomas Farm saw extensive fighting from 3:30pm to about 5pm as the battlelines moved back and forth across the fields. Men fell, civilian property was destroyed and the fate of Washington DC hung in the balance. Join us on this two-mile hike as we dive into the specifics of the fighting and the men who fought here on May 17, 2025.

The Monocacy Get Out of the Car program will be at Thomas Farm, Tour stop three on Monocacy National Battlefield.

The address is: 4460 Baker Valley Road, we will be parking in the large parking area near the Thomas Farm Barn.

Below is a map to make directions easier for you. 

June 21, 2025 – 10:30 a.m.

St. James Church

Brandy Station – June 9, 1863

Led by Certified Guides Tracy Baer and Michael “Six Questions” Lentz

The Battle of Brandy Station – Culpeper, VA

St. James Church action

The Battle of Brandy Station is most widely known for the climactic action that took place on the important high ground of Fleetwood Hill. Preceding this was the initial Confederate defensive position that was hastily formed along a low plateau between the home of Mary Gee and St.James Church. This line was held by mounted and dismounted cavalry and sixteen pieces of artillery and was important to protect Fleetwood to the rear.

The tour will give a brief look at the events leading up to this position as well as what was going on at the same time and afterwards, but focus on the specific area, including the Union plan and attack and the Confederate response. We will also discuss the players involved and their roles and responses throughout the battle.

This land has been preserved by the American Battlefield Trust and portions have been turned over to the state of Virginia as the commonwealth’s 43 rd State Park, so join us to explore the well-preserved fields to see the Union cavalry’s perspective and inspect the lines held by JEB Stuart’s men. The hike will be over open and slightly rolling fields and gravel roads and be less than 1.5 miles. Insect repellent is recommended.

The tour will meet at the Southern States convenience store and gas station, and we will caravan from there to the St. James Church line.

Tracy Baer is a native of Chambersburg, PA, where he lives with his wife and four dogs. After receiving his BA from Shippensburg University in 1983, Tracy stepped into the family business, Baer’s Sign Service, and took over ownership in 1995. Growing up in an area with a very rich Civil War history has given him many opportunities to study and research that pivotal time of the Nation’s past. Tracy became a Federally Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg National Military Park in 2016 and been able to meet people from around the world and show them that hallowed ground. He is also a certified battlefield guide for Culpeper Battlefield Tours in Virginia, focusing on the Battle of Brandy Station and the 1863 Winter Encampment. He also frequently speaks in person or remotely to organizations on various aspects of the war. Tracy also developed a Civil War related walking tour of his hometown along with a driving tour of Franklin County. He is also active in researching and preserving the memories of the African American Civil War soldiers buried in Chambersburg’s Mt. Vernon.

Michael Lentz, also known as “Six Questions” by Addressing Gettysburg followers, has been a certified guide with Culpeper Battlefield Tours since 2022. Originally from Colorado, Lentz moved to Pennsylvania in 2019 in order to pursue becoming a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg.

August 16, 2025 – 10:00 a.m.

First Bull Run: Matthews Hill – July 21, 1861

Led by Harry Smeltzer. Cohosted by The History Things Podcast

Most visitors to the Manassas National Battlefield Park spend most, if not all, of their time in the vicinity of the NPS Visitor’s Center on Henry House Hill, but there is much more to see. Join us for a few hours as we explore Matthews Hill and the area of the First Battle of Bull Run field north of the Warrenton Turnpike (Lee Highway). This is where the important opening engagements of the first large scale, and perhaps most influential, battle of the Civil War took place on July 21, 1861. We’ll use plenty of first person accounts to give an idea of how the action unfolded, and provide more insight into the people who, by and large, there had their first encounters with the chaos of war.

Harry Smeltzer is the host of Bull Runnings (bullrunnings.wordpress.com), a website dedicated to the digitization of primary resources and original content related to the First Battle of Bull Run.  He lives just outside Pittsburgh, and was born and raised in Southwestern PA.  He has earned degrees at The Pennsylvania State University and the Katz School of the University of Pittsburgh.  He’s also been published in print media including in the journal Civil War History, The Civil War Monitor, Civil War Times, and America’s Civil War.  He is a Digital History Advisor for The Civil War Monitor and a former Contributing Editor for America’s Civil War. He sits on the board of directors of the Save Historic Antietam Foundation.  He has presented programs to organizations in eight states and the District of Columbia and organizes and leads tours at Manassas National Battlefield Park. Groups with which he’s worked include Civil War round tables, libraries, historical societies, universities, preservation groups, and the United States Marine Corps. He’s been hosting Bull Runnings since November 2006.

September 27, 2025 – 10:00 a.m.

The Cornfield at Antietam

Led by Bradley M. Gottfried

“In the time that I am writing every stalk of corn in the northern and greater part of the field was cut as closely as could have been done with a knife, and the slain lay in rows precisely as they had stood in their ranks a few moments before. It was never my fortune to witness a more bloody, dismal battlefield.” –Joseph Hooker

Join Brad Gottfried, Antietam Certified Battlefield Guide and author of 22 books on the Civil War, on a stroll from the Antietam Visitors Center to the Cornfield, where we will hear about and see the bloody battle that occurred there. Brad will use quotes and maps to illustrate the fight. Along the way, we will stop outside the Dunker Church and West Woods to hear about their significance.

Brad Gottfried has 40-years’ experience as a college faculty member and administrator. He retired in 2017 and is now an Antietam Certified Battlefield Guide and a Gettysburg Licensed Town Guide.He has written 22 books on the Civil War, including nine campaign map books and several on Antietam and Gettysburg.

Park at the visitor center lot. A representative from each car must go into the visitor center and pay a $20.00 fee. Those who hold National Park passes need not pay but should go inside to check in. 

You can pre-pay the entrance fee on www.recreation.gov. This is a National Park Service fee and not one charged by Addressing Gettysburg.

October 18, 2025 – 10:00 a.m.

African Americans at Gettysburg

“That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom”- Abraham Lincoln

While the three day Battle of Gettysburg is filled with countless stories of valor and bravery, there have always been other stories beneath the surface of citizens whose fate as Americans was intertwined with the outcome of the battle. Join us as we explore the lives of some of the African Americans who longed for Lincoln’s vision of a New Birth of Freedom.