American Heritage: Historic Sites, Museums and Battlefields across the US

Here, on October 19, 1781, American and French troops handed Britain such a devastating defeat British Prime Minister Frederick Lord North is claimed to have said, "Oh God, it's all over."

The site of the first Civil War battle west of the Mississippi now contains a museum, visitor center, and displays battle re-enactments.

This 1863 battle site marks the scene of the fiercest clash between Indians and white soldiers in North Dakota.

An interpretive shelter features an exhibit explaining the battle fought here June 17, 1877 - the first of the Nez Perce Wars.

On the site of the Battle of Washita stands a new Visitor's Center with a bookstore and an interactive museum exhibit.

This unique National Park is the only site in the National Park System that honors the bravery and sacrifices of all those who participated in the Pacific Theater of World War II.

The Battle of Stones River began on the last day of 1862, was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the Civil War, and produced important military and political gains for the Union.

Alaska's oldest federally designated park was established in 1910 to commemorate the 1804 Battle of Sitka.

Here in the autumn of 1777 American forces met, defeated and forced a major British army to surrender—a crucial American victory that renewed patriots' hopes for independence.

The site of the 1864 attack on Native American villages by Colorado Territory Militia now exists as a memorial to those killed in the massacre.

In 1836, General Sam Houston defeated the Mexican army at San Jacinto and won independence for Texas. 

Fighting to maintain control of the Mississippi River, 7,500 Confederate soldiers held off attacks by over 30,000 Union troops at Port Hudson.

Explore the people and events that shaped the siege which led to the fall of the capital of the Confederacy and the surrender of Gen. Robert E. Lee's army.

Pecos preserves 12,000 years of history including the ancient pueblo of Pecos, Colonial Missions, Santa Fe Trail sites, and 20th century ranch history of Forked Lightning Ranch.

On March 7 and 8, 1862, 26,000 soldiers fought here to decide the fate of Missouri. The 4,300-acre park honors those who fought for their way of life, North and South.

Zachary Taylor's armies met those of Mexican general Mariano Arista at this site in 1846, resulting in the first battle of the controversial Mexican-American War.

Once the home to Cherokee Indians, the site has also contained several towns, a trading post and was home to two Revolutionary War battles.

The New Market State Historic Park commemorates a pitched 1864 battle in which cadets from the nearby Virginia Military Institute helped score a win for the Confederacy.

The fighting at Natural Bridge in 1865 ended with the retreat of Union forces, preserving the autonomy of Tallahassee from federal control.

The Battle at Moores Creek took place on February 27, 1776 and was an epic ending to British rule in the North Carolina colony.

At this field in 1864, Lew Wallace's Union forces clashed with Jubal Early's Confederates.

The Civil War’s largest cavalry battle comes alive on this historic battlefield.

This area memorializes one of the last armed efforts of the Northern Plains Indians to preserve their way of life.

Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield is a 2,923 acre National Battlefield that preserves a Civil War battleground of the Atlanta Campaign, fought here from June 19, 1864 until July 2, 1864.

The six sites of this historical park and preserve represent a treasure trove of south Louisiana's historical and cultural riches.

One of the most successful rear guard actions in American history, the Battle of Hubbardton was the only Revolutionary War battle fought entirely in Vermont.

The late-18th century house, which today features fine antiques of the colonial and Revolutionary War eras, was first owned by Philip Alston, whose band of Whigs was attacked in 1781 by Tories.

The largest, most hotly-contested battle of the Revolutionary War's Southern Campaign was fought at this small North Carolina backcounty hamlet of Guilford Courthouse.

Visitors to the site will find a memorial to Grant's headquarters during the siege of Petersburg. The actual building was torn down for supplies.

The iconic battlefield bears witness to the bloodshed, bravery, and endless sacrifices endured by Civil War soldiers.

This park offers lessons about 18th century frontier life as experienced by pioneers along the western fringe of the American Revolution.

Between 1862 and 1864 four battles near Fredericksburg claimed the lives of more than 110,000 American soldiers.

Fort Sumter National Monument commemorates defining moments in American history within a military continuum that spans more than a century and a half.

This fort was the site of a battle that changed the course of military history and technology, being the first to use rifled cannons.

Fort Mifflin, only a few minutes from historic downtown Philadelphia, is the only Revolutionary War battlefield completely intact.

Georgia's fate was decided in 1742 when Spanish and British forces clashed on St. Simons Island. Fort Frederica's troops defeated the Spanish, ensuring Georgia's future as a British colony.

The Fort Edwards visitor center offers insight into the history of the fort and its role in the French and Indian War. In addition, the site is now home to several archaeological digs.

The Second Seminole War drove soldiers in 1836 to seek refuge and a strong defensive position in central Florida, and they found it in Fort Cooper.

The fort was built in the interim between the Second and Third Seminole Wars to defend against Native American attacks.

In a brutal massacre, Col. J.W. Fannin and his men were executed by Mexican forces at this site in 1836.

The Union Army was victorious here at the site of an 1863 Civil War battle.

One of the bloodiest battles of the Second Seminole War was fought in this location.

A pasturing area at the time of the battle, this Revolutionary War site commemorates the place where Daniel Morgan and his army turned the flanks of Banastre Tarleton's British army.

This was the site of the only Revolutionary War battle fought in Delaware.

In the summer of 1865, General Patrick E. Connor led a column of troops from Fort Laramie into the Powder River Country of northern Wyoming with the intention of making war on the Indians to force the peace.

The nation's oldest and largest military park, Chickamauga and Chattanooga commemorates the site of two Civil War battlefields with monuments and walking tours.

Cedar Creek Battlefield and the Lower Shenandoah Valley that encompasses it have rich histories that span many themes and generations, from the Native Americans, through the Civil War and to the present.

Bushy Run Battlefield preserves and interprets the site of this pivotal battle fought between British and Native Americans during Pontiac's War and the role of this British victory in maintaining control of North America.

This field hosts frequent re-enactments of the battle that occurred here in 1862.

The Confederate victory at Brices Cross Roads was a significant victory for Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest, but its long term effect on the war proved costly for the Confederates.

The Brandywine Battlefield Historic Site brings to life the largest engagement of the Revolutionary War, fought on September 11, 1777, between the Continental Army and the British forces.

Located 16 miles south of Chinook, Montana, the battlefield commemorates the final conflict of the Nez Perce War of 1877.

There are picnic tables, information signs, and a twelve-foot marble obelisk commemorating a 1791 skirmish between settlers and Native Americans at this pleasant outdoor site.

With a technologically advanced, fiber optic exhibit, visitors can see the strategic military campaigns from the 1865 battle.

Today, the site is restored and furnished in the mid-19th century fashion, but it still displays damage from the shot and shell that hammered it during the Battle of Lexington.

At this field on Sept. 17, 1862, the Battle of Antietam, dubbed "the bloodiest day in American history," claimed the lives of 23,000 Civil War soldiers.

On this site in 1771, an armed rebellion of backcountry farmers battled against royal governor William Tryon's militia. Visitors can tour the 18th-century Allen House and battlefield monuments.