r.c.m history tours

Our family of four signed up for a tour with Bob Murphy. Bob was extremely knowledgable, flexible in terms of knowing how much to outline without making it boring. It was a very enjoyable experience and we would highly recommend Bob!

I signed up for a 6-hour tour with Bob Murphy on Oct. 11, 2014, and it turned out to be worth every penny. He provided a great overview of events related to the first Maryland campaign by visiting the passes in South Mountain, Harpers Ferry, and then the Antietam battlefield. He is extremely knowledgeable about this history of this area and was able to answer all of my questions. I ended up with a greatly enhanced understanding of not just the Battle of Antietam but also how the three areas we visited were linked together in history. I highly recommended that you get in touch with Bob if you are planning a visit to this area.

On my second trip to the Antietam Battlefield, I set up a tour for my family with Mr. Murphy. I can now honestly say that I have truly seen the battlefield. My family consisted of two adults, two seventeen year olds, a sixteen year old and a 10 year old. Bob conducted his tour with knowledge and enthusiasm that kept the ENTIRE family attentive for over three hours. His knowledge and presentation skills are unsurpassed. He has a fantastic way of interspersing facts for advanced students of the Civil War while creating a basic mental picture of the battle that my ten year old could also follow. What a class act and caring person. His description of the action at Bloody Lane will leave you silent and speechless. Do yourself a favor and spend an afternoon with Bob Murphy !!!

If you are a Civil War newbie or a longtime studier of the War, you want to be sure to see Antietam and you want to see it with Bob Murphy. He is one of the best tour guides we have ever had...My wife and I included Sharpsburg on our stops during our recent return home to Boston from Florida. We wanted to see Antietam. The place where we were staying lined Bob up for us and he was more than we could have expected. He spent three-and-a-half hours with us and he really made the battle come alive. It was amazing to us how much he knew but our heads weren't spinning when he was finished. We had a keen understanding of the trials and tribulations facing both the North and South and how the local terrain played such a key role in the outcome. There is no question that we would highly recommend Bob to anyone visiting Sharpsburg.

Bob Murphy acted as our guide during a recent trip to the Antietam Battlefield, as so, when we booked a trip to Gettysburg, I contacted him to see if he would guide for us there. Was very pleased that he agreed to do so and prior to our visit, Bob researched the area in which an ancestor was killed during the battle and took us there as a part of the tour. He went way beyond what was expected. Bob's easy going nature and quick whit makes a tour of Antietam, Harper's Ferry and Gettysburg an exceptional experience.We HIGHLY Recommend him.

This is the kind of tour that one can only hope for! My brother and I are Civil War buffs. We have had some tours where the guide is a preachy scout leader with a prepared spiel, which frankly feels more like a high school lecture. Bob Murphy's tour is like visiting with someone who actually fought the battle. His depth of knowledge and presentation give you an appreciation of how the battle unfolded and WHY the opposing armies interacted the way that they did. He explains topography and timing which gives the battle context and historical scope. He tailors his tour to the client's needs and interests. He is personable and his information and vignettes were always interesting. I could not recommend him more highly. We did Harpers Ferry as well. Bob picked us up at our hotel and hauled us around all day A great experience!

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of Antietam with Bob Murphy. He was very informative. His knowledge of the battlefield and the terrain was amazing. He provides a great perspective of the difficulties facing both sides. This was one of the best tours we have ever taken. We will definitely recommend Bob to our friends and family.

When planning our stay at Sharpsburg I asked Joanne, Innkeper of the Jacob Rohrbach Inn, to make reservations for us for a guided tour of Harpers Ferry and the Antietam battlefield. Joanne made reservations for us with R.C.M. History Tours. Bob, our guide, met us at the inn after breakfast on july 3rd. We did the Harpers Ferry tour first. We immediately liked Bob and we had the best time listening and learning from Bob. The man is a walking encyclopidia. Only Bob is much more fun to learn from. On july 5th we did the battlefield tour. Again Bob gave us a great tour. Being a dutchman, i have some knowledge about the battle but during the tour Bob really showed and taught me a lot about the bloodiest single day battle in american history. Thank you Bob for the fantastic tours!!!

Bob Murphy is a master of the subject matter and the terrain and the nuances of his client's interests. You get the feeling that this fit gentleman could take you through the approaches up and over the mountains and then through the battle, all bloody day, if the client can keep up. But with me he was patient. I have never been so well oriented as I was by Bob to the South Mountain notches, to the contours of the ground, and to the flow of the battle, as I was with him. He knew the combat leaders' strengths and weaknesses, but more than that and unit sizes and weapons ranges, he made you feel like you understand how dark and rain and the challenges of communications shaped the battle. And, my special interest as a former infantry officer: logistics. Bob agreed that one of the great limiting factors in battle was ammo. When you run out, that's it. Bob is a great guide. Be sure to contact him.

We found Bob through an Internet search and were glad we did! He took us to all of the places we wanted to see and was able to tie them together in an informative way. His descriptions of the battles and skirmishes brought them to life. Just the right amount of detail to keep our interest.If I were going back to the Antietam area, you can bet I would hire Bob to take me around again.Anyone who has an interest in the American Civil War, who misses the Harper's Ferry / Antietam / Sharpsburg area and Bob Murphy as a guide, misses out on the unheralded turning point of that war.

Bob Murphy was a wonderful tour guide. His explanations and patience with our questions ( of which there were many!) were comprehensive but simply put.There were 4 of us on the tour and we all thought Bob was terrific. His command of all the facts was truly amazing.Run, don't walk to hire him as your guide.

Bob Murphy was a great guide for myself and my two sons, 11 and 14. He patiently answered adult and child questions from all conceivable perspectives, telling us about the history of Civil War generals as a group of individuals each with their own political, military and social motives, at the same time that he graphically laid out the events of the day of battle for each site, among other things. His historical knowledge is obviously deep and wide-ranging. At the same time, I really appreciated his personal thoughts and opinions - the voice of the historian. We came away with a personal connection to these fields and streams that none of us could have gathered otherwise. I highly recommend hiring Bob.

Bob Murphy was a Blessing to find. He first is a warm friendly person who helps you understand the battles and feelings of the men fighting these special days. His knowledge is unbelievable on all phases of the fighting and strategy of leaders. He actually makes history interesting to learn. On his tour you feel as if you were there and could feel what was happening and not just looking at mountains, rivers and rolling fields.We were two couples who came away talking of his tour information hours after our tour ended. Could not have chosen a better tour guide or person to spend half a day with. We thank him for sharing his time and expertise with us. You have a "Lucky Day" if Bob was your guide.

Three of us knew only the basics of the battle. We were directed thru the battlefield as the fighting of the day of September 17, 1862 proceeded. To see the hilly terrain makes more obvious why so many died. Bob Murphy is extremely knowledgable and answers questions thoroughly and completely. His tour was extremely enjoyable as wel as educational. Next time we'll ask Bob to show us Harpers Ferry.

Rode with Bob one afternoon to HarpersFerry and the next morning to Antietam. Bob's knowledge of the fields and the area is superb-I thought I knew a little bit about the battles, but after having Bob guide me, it all makes so much more sense! He's tops! Time WELL SPENT!!Bob Murphy is a particularly excellent guide if you're a Civil War buff (nut?). Bob ascertains quickly how much you already know, and then fills in all the rest from there-fills your head pretty good! This is no "cookie cutter" presentation that you might hear on a bus tour-this is the real stuff!