Gettysburg

[notquiteright]

Spent the weekend walking Gettysburg battle field. Bit rainy but cool enough.

Wonderful and moving experience. Watched a battery section recreated by enactors, the Fluvanna battery of CSA light artillery do crew drill and fire blanks. Very cool.

Standing where Americans fought so determinely to preserve the Union or break it apart was moving. Looking down from Oak Ridge or across the valley from Seminary to Cemetery Ridge, standing on Culp's Hill it was easy to imagine the lines of troops hard to imagine the Hell they stepped off into or stood steadfast as it approached.

The town was nice too, Infantry reenactors and museums. The new Park Visitor's Center was disappointing, it is new and more like a for profit park than Gateway to history.

Ghost tours is the latest fad and every tour center, guide office has at least one. Little odd.

Oh one great thing was the volunteer guides. They were everywhere. If you have not studied up they are an excellent resource.

Found some good reference books, of course a shirt and cap or two.

Great trip, I'd recommend everyone who can make the trip do so. For me it is a good reminder of how many men sacrificed to preserve the Union, sometimes we forget the men who died keeping us one nation and dwell on those who would have torn us asunder.

 

[Graham]

Re: Gettysburg

Subdivisions are encroaching. They shouldn't be.

The civil war defined so much of modern America.

I agree: It is a moving experience to be there.

Every high school should make it there for a field-trip, as mine did.

 

[WPG]

Re: Gettysburg

The local people have been able to stop the casino and some other bs development.

 

[Redmanss]

Re: Gettysburg

My wife and I took a trip there back in '02. Leaves one speechless to think of what took place there. It and many of the other Civil War battlefields are must see places if you want to understand where we come from.

 

[canman]

Re: Gettysburg

I Go there often. Great place.

 

[TimK]

Re: Gettysburg

Get a copy of "Killer Angels". It's sort of historical fiction, but more history than fiction. It's the best book I've read on the battle of Gettysburg.

Link

 

[cpc1027]

Re: Gettysburg

I've been there numerous times with school, boy scouts, and individually. It's a great historical site and I always enjoy my time there.

 

[KNIGHT11B4]

Re: Gettysburg

Was lucky enough to grow up not to far from Gettysburg and was able to make multiple trips there.

If your ever in the area you should see it. Makes you appreciate things a bit more. A lot of history in that area.

 

[XTR]

Re: Gettysburg

I've read much on military history, always been an interest. Two places have moved me. The day I stepped off of a small boat and unexpectedly found myself standing in the middle of Battleship Row at Pearl (I didn't know where the small boat dock was on Ford Island when I got in at Subbase) and Gettysburg.

 

[Jerry m]

Re: Gettysburg

Neat story about Gettysburg. While on a boy scout trip in 1968-69(?), we visited Gettysburg. It had rained like a bitch for a few day preceding our trip. Well when we got to Devil's Den, you can imagine the activities of 10-12 scouts, we were all over the rocks. My buddy reaches down and says "hey look what I found". In his hand, he is holding a complete cartridge from a Spencer carbine or some other large rim-fire cartridge. Of course a 10 year old would never think of the historical significance of such a find and he put it in his pocket and took it home.

I have been back many times (but never found anything). I have not gone back since they build the new visitors center. I am interested to see what they have now in place of the electric map that had been there for decades.

Neat place.

Good luck

Jerry

 

[Shredder58]

Re: Gettysburg

Have not been there yet, but it's on my "to do" list. Have read "Killer Angels" and I had to buy the book to add it to my library...recommended reading.

 

[HOGGHEAD]

Re: Gettysburg

Some very brave Americans died there. On both sides. I could not imagine firing upon my neighbor, or friend, or even another family member as many did.

I travel all around WV. And there are a bunch of small battle and skirmish sites in my state. Plus WV really was in the middle with different members of the same family joining different sides. Pretty hard to imagine if you ask me. But they did it.

Never been to Gettysburg. But I think it would be a solemn moment. Tom.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Gettysburg

My first trip, we took several days, and I managed to completely read <span style="font-style: italic">Killer Angels</span> in the evenings. I am very glad we did it before we both attained our current levels of disability, because much of what we especially enjoyed would not have been possible afterward.

While the change was not apocalyptic; it did change my life permanently. My Nation is now a different and far more intriguing place to my mind. I have returned several times; and have made it a point to introduce the experience to the two other, younger generations of my family.

They now love the place in much the same degree as I; and I adjudge the success of the community's intent by that yardstick. It brings you to that place in history in a way I have not experienced elsewhere.

This is truly a place where yearly plans to visit Gettysburg are not influenced by the outer world's financial crunches. You do this regardless. It becomes the part of your legacy that you'll look ahead to and never regret having done before you're dead, Hell or high water.

This is one particular instance where my usual aversion toward the NPS is <span style="font-style: italic">not</span> warranted. They have done an excellent job at Gettysburg.

While there are many many places and ways to spend your money there, I don't see it as any kind of a tourist trap. IMHO, the worst issue is parking, and it is not (quite) so bad that it ever prompted me to change my plans about visiting anything. The available tours are a good idea for this (and other) good reason(s).

I heartily advise in favor of visiting there, taking time to do it right, and not planning on 'doing everything' in one visit. First, that's not possible; and second, trying to do that will not doing anyone, yourself especially, any good.

<span style="font-style: italic">This</span> road really <span style="font-style: italic">does</span> need to be travelled in low gear.

Greg

 

[crkone]

Re: Gettysburg

Visited Gettysburg a few years ago and it was a moving experience, we actually found a stake while walking around devils den, wanted to keep it but did the right thing and turned it in to the visitors center.... have to say that the overwhelming feeling i had of all the lives lost, left a lasting impression on me.... bless them all...