General Robert E. Lee entered Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, and moved into the Widow Thompson’s house using it as his headquarters for the duration of the battle. Later development all but obliterated the historic four-acre parcel, that is, until  the Civil War Trust raised  $6,000,000 in 2015 to tear down the motel and restaurant  on the property. For the full story go to their website (civilwar.org). After the project was completed, Lee’s Headquarters were finally included in Gettysburg National Military Park. The first photo is dated 1863 and the second 1913.

Another single dwelling at a major Civil War battle,  also in 1863 and also having gone through extensive renovation, is Shirley House in Vicksburg, MS. It witnessed the fiercest of the fighting during the 47-day siege. The first photo is dated 1863, and the third is from 1902 before restoration (click to enlarge).

The Stone House was built in 1848 and is located in Manassas, Va.,  where two major battles (both known as Manassas in the North and Bull Run in the South) were fought. Both sides occupied the house, but it was primarily a hospital under Confederate control. It was sold to the Federal Government and renovated in 1949. The first photo is from the early 1900s while the third dates from 1862. The final photo shows the challenges presented by being just 30 miles from Washington, D.C.

The McLean House was also built in 1848 and is located in Appomattox, Va. It served as the surrender site for the Confederate Army when Lee and Grant met there on April 9, 1865. It had been purchased by Wilmer McLean in 1863 who, ironically, moved there to avoid the war, which had started on his farm in 1861 in Manassas, Va.! In the 1890s it was dismantled to be moved to Washinton D.C. where it was intended to be reassembled and  serve as a Civil War museum . That never happened so the scraps sat in pieces for 50 years when many of the old materials (5,000 bricks)  and new ones were used to reconstruct the dwelling, which then opened for tours in 1949. The first photo is dated 1865.

Established in 1905, Point Park is located in the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. It resides on top of Lookout Mountain, which is on the northwest corner of Georgia, the northeast corner of Alabama, and on the Tennessee state line.For many years two prominant vistas–Lookout Mountain and Umbrella Rock– have been extremely popular. The first photo shows the Park entrance in 1907. The third photo shows a Union band on top of Lookout Mountain in 1864.

Umbrella Rock has provided hundreds of fascinating photos over the years as you can see in the following examples :

1863

1909

19171918UndatedUndatedNow

But, unfortunately, here is a sign of the times (click to enlarge):

The former Custis-Lee Mansion became Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial in 1972. It was built in 1802 on a bluff just across the Potomac River from Washington D.C. It was occupied by Lee’s family for 30 years until Lee left in 1861. The Federals took over in 1864 and started Arlington Cemetery. The first photo shows the front porch in 1861 with Mathew Brady in a top hat. The second photo is dated 1864.