Glory, Valor & Sacrifice: Southeast Michigan Civil War Remembrance Tours
July 24/25, August 14/15, September 11/12
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Feedback from 2009 tours
I’ve lived on Grosse Ile all my life and never realized what a rich history we have in SE Michigan that related to the Civil War. From seeing the battle flag with its bullet holes from the Civil War to riding on the bus with such knowledgeable historians as Steve Alexander and David Finney, every minute of the tour was worth my time and money.” —-Pamela A. Frucci, Grosse Ile Trustee
“I had a great time. I didn’t know there was this much history around here. I really enjoyed the trip to Fort Wayne. I haven’t been there since I was inducted into the military.” —–Jim Sellers
“The tour was truly ‘first class.’” —–Gary Wlosinski , Ann Arbor Roundtable Vice President
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“Thank God for Michigan!”
It’s been said President Abraham Lincoln uttered those famous words when the First Michigan Infantry, made up from men from Detroit and outlying communities, became the first western regiment to arrive in Washington D.C. in response to the President’s call to defend and preserve our nation.
While the brutal battles of this divisive war that threatened to destroy the United States took place hundreds and thousands of miles away, Glory, Valor & Sacrifice Civil War Remembrance Tours pay homage to the local people, places and events that played prominent roles in preserving the Union and shaping our Nation’s history.
Join David Ingall, a Civil War expert and former assistant director of the Monroe County Historical Museum, on these full day, narrated bus excursions throughout southeast Michigan to celebrate our region’s vibrant history and bring to life the stories of the people who valiantly served and sacrificed in the name of our great nation.
Designed to appeal to locals as well as out-of-town tourists, the Glory, Valor & Sacrifice motorcoach tours traverse a historic trail created by linking together local museum exhibits, forts, monuments, markers, forgotten landmarks and cemeteries centered around the Civil War.
Saturday tours – Metro Detroit
Saturday tours feature Civil War sites of interest in the metro-Detroit area. Stops include the Weldon Petz Abraham Lincoln Exhibit at the Plymouth Historical Museum and the Battle Flag of Company E First Michigan Cavalry exhibit at the Dearborn Historical Museum. The flag, carried by Sergeant Thomas Henry Sheppard, survived 16 months of war and 13 major battles. Wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg and then taken prisoner, Sheppard was sent to the infamous Andersonville, Georgia prison where he and other Union soldiers endured horrific conditions. Throughout his imprisonment, Sheppard managed to safely conceal the precious regimental flag that bears 72 bullet holes.
Other stops include: historic Elmwood and Woodmere Cemeteries, the final resting places for hundreds of Civil War soldiers including several famous generals and medal of honor recipients as well as prominent politicians of this era; Belle Isle, where a statue pays tribute to Michigan’s first Civil War general and his horse Plug Ugly; Fort Wayne, the training ground for several Michigan regiments; and Campus Martius Park, the center of several Civil War gatherings and current home of the Soldiers and Sailors monument and historical marker dedicated to the famous Michigan Iron Brigade.
Sunday tours – Monroe County & More
A regional Civil War tour wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Monroe, the adopted hometown of Civil War hero General George Armstrong Custer, the “boy general” who led the acclaimed Michigan Cavalry Brigade in a charge against Jeb Stuart’s men in what’s often called “the cavalry battle that saved the Union.”
After a brief tour of sites related to Custer’s life in Monroe as well as other Civil War soldiers and generals including Colonel Norman Hall, who served with distinction at Fort Sumpter and Gettysburg, we’ll head west to the cities of Tecumseh, Dundee, Adrian, Tipton and Hillsdale. Sites of interest include a monument to those who died aboard the Sultana, America’s greatest maritime disaster; the first Michigan monument dedicated to Civil War veterans, Laura Smith Haviland statue, and more.
What’s included?
Tours include: expert narration by David Ingall, comfortable motor coach transportation, morning coffee break, lunch, admission fees and gratuities.
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HOMETOWN HISTORY TOURS 
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