Only have about 15 minutes for this post, but here goes. A lot of people go to Gettysburg every year, but I think there is a better way to do it, and that way is based on story. A story is a chronology, and here's what I came up with, mostly on the spur of the moment.
When I was a kid, my parents brought me to Gettysburg on a day trip (from D.C. I think). I only have a couple of memories from that trip, but one was the "electric map" which showed how troops moved around the battlefield with blinking lights (it didn't seem so archaic in the early 80s). The other memory was visiting Big Round Top and Little Round Top and hearing a lecture by a guide... Little Round Top was better for artillery!
Anyway, my wife and I recently took a trip to Gettysburg and I wanted to make it interesting for her, and fun for me. As I like stories, I decided it would be fun to explore the city in a chronology of the battle. We went July 4th week, during the annual reenactment, which does not, as I had assumed, take place on the battlefield.
So, driving in to the city, we stopped in Cashtown, a short drive west of Gettysburg. As I suspect most of you know, Cashtown was Lee's base on June 30th, 1863. We bought some fresh fruit at a farm in Cashtown (the historic Round Barn!) and bought some wine at the Hauser Estate Winery there which gave us a free tasting. Great customer service there and I recommend the Riesling.
Then we drove in to the city and stayed at the excellent Brickhouse Inn. One of its two buildings was occupied by Confederate sharpshooters during the battle.
So, morning after checking in, I decided to focus on Day 1 of the battle. We went to the Seminary Ridge museum and did the tour of the Cupola. $20... perhaps overpriced, but the start of this story is what Buford saw up there in the Cupola, the whole battlefield and the Confederate Army encamped near Cashtown.
The museum is mostly lame... it's a museum, but you need the museum for air conditioning! So, unfortunately, the National Parks Service ("NPS")has not established a good hiking trail for visitors to experience the terrain of Day 1 of the battle, but you can kind of walk around and see it with a DIY trek. From the Seminary, you have to walk north to the road (or I guess you could tramp across the field straight toward the woods to the West, but there is no actual path). There are a couple of marked hiking paths that are very short that go a short distance to a stream... I forget the name now... Willoughby Run? We did not see any good way to cross over and continue on to Herr Ridge, but you get an idea of the battle moving back and forth across this area from Willoughby Run (and Herr Ridge further West) and back to the Union rallying point at Macpherson Ridge closer to the Seminary.
Then we walked north up to see the unfinished (it is finished now...) railroad tracks where a Confederate general whose name escapes me surrendered (experts here likely know about the unfinished railroad at Gettysburg).
There is a house near there, Mrs. Thompson's house, where Lee had established headquarters on the evening of Day 1. It was locked, but it's fun to walk around and see each of these landmarks.
Walking along the road with traffic zooming past (thanks NPS! where the heck is the walking path?!) isn't much fun, but if you want to get a real sense of the geography of Day 1, and read an account of the battle, it's worth it.
After that long, sweaty walk in the summer heat, we cooled off in the Seminary museum. I'm not a huge fan of museums, but oh the A/C! and it was fun to quickly go through the exhibits.
After eating at the Dobbin House, built in the 1700s, we went to the Shriver House, a privately owned museum. A retired schoolteacher gave a fantastic tour of the house telling the story of the inhabitants of the home during the battle, how the owner of the house went away to war just before opening a tavern in the basement which we saw, how Confederate sharpshooters shot from the attic, etc.
The next day we did a LONG hike encompassing Days 2 and 3 of the battle, and ending with Pickett's Charge. Basically we did the Billy Yank Trail which is over 10 miles, and is unfortunately, not an official trail (again... thanks for nothing NPS!) We walked there from the Brickhouse Inn and improvised a bit, but mostly stayed to the trail.
We brought peaches purchased on our drive in to the city a couple days earlier (from the Historic Round Bard). Almost by accident, we ended up eating them at General Sickles' Peach Orchard! Do it when you visit Gettysburg. Read all about Sickles if you haven't already and picnic in the shade of a peach tree while you ponder the wisdom of his decision to advance beyond the Union line and establish a wedge position there.
Toward the end of the hike, you arrive at the start of Pickett's Charge, which as most of you know, is essentially the end of the battle.
We caught an amazing concert by the 2d South Carolina String Band in a big tent at the reenactment that night, which is as close as you can get to knowing what it would be like to hear a band play actual Civil War tunes during the war.
The next day, we went to the museum, mainly to see the Cyclorama which depicts Pickett's charge. If you haven't seen the Cyclorama, you should start planning a trip to Gettysburg. It isn't often you get to experience exactly what a Victorian would have paid to see in the 1880s. It's pretty impressive at roughly 377 feet in circumference and filling nearly your entire field of vision.
If anyone is planning a trip to Gettysburg, I highly recommend doing something like the above... try to experience the story of the battle as a chronology. You can't do it in one day, and if you don't hike long distances, you'll need a full 3-4 days. It can be done in two if you can do the Bill Yank trail in one day.
When I was a kid, my parents brought me to Gettysburg on a day trip (from D.C. I think). I only have a couple of memories from that trip, but one was the "electric map" which showed how troops moved around the battlefield with blinking lights (it didn't seem so archaic in the early 80s). The other memory was visiting Big Round Top and Little Round Top and hearing a lecture by a guide... Little Round Top was better for artillery!
Anyway, my wife and I recently took a trip to Gettysburg and I wanted to make it interesting for her, and fun for me. As I like stories, I decided it would be fun to explore the city in a chronology of the battle. We went July 4th week, during the annual reenactment, which does not, as I had assumed, take place on the battlefield.
So, driving in to the city, we stopped in Cashtown, a short drive west of Gettysburg. As I suspect most of you know, Cashtown was Lee's base on June 30th, 1863. We bought some fresh fruit at a farm in Cashtown (the historic Round Barn!) and bought some wine at the Hauser Estate Winery there which gave us a free tasting. Great customer service there and I recommend the Riesling.
Then we drove in to the city and stayed at the excellent Brickhouse Inn. One of its two buildings was occupied by Confederate sharpshooters during the battle.
So, morning after checking in, I decided to focus on Day 1 of the battle. We went to the Seminary Ridge museum and did the tour of the Cupola. $20... perhaps overpriced, but the start of this story is what Buford saw up there in the Cupola, the whole battlefield and the Confederate Army encamped near Cashtown.
The museum is mostly lame... it's a museum, but you need the museum for air conditioning! So, unfortunately, the National Parks Service ("NPS")has not established a good hiking trail for visitors to experience the terrain of Day 1 of the battle, but you can kind of walk around and see it with a DIY trek. From the Seminary, you have to walk north to the road (or I guess you could tramp across the field straight toward the woods to the West, but there is no actual path). There are a couple of marked hiking paths that are very short that go a short distance to a stream... I forget the name now... Willoughby Run? We did not see any good way to cross over and continue on to Herr Ridge, but you get an idea of the battle moving back and forth across this area from Willoughby Run (and Herr Ridge further West) and back to the Union rallying point at Macpherson Ridge closer to the Seminary.
Then we walked north up to see the unfinished (it is finished now...) railroad tracks where a Confederate general whose name escapes me surrendered (experts here likely know about the unfinished railroad at Gettysburg).
There is a house near there, Mrs. Thompson's house, where Lee had established headquarters on the evening of Day 1. It was locked, but it's fun to walk around and see each of these landmarks.
Walking along the road with traffic zooming past (thanks NPS! where the heck is the walking path?!) isn't much fun, but if you want to get a real sense of the geography of Day 1, and read an account of the battle, it's worth it.
After that long, sweaty walk in the summer heat, we cooled off in the Seminary museum. I'm not a huge fan of museums, but oh the A/C! and it was fun to quickly go through the exhibits.
After eating at the Dobbin House, built in the 1700s, we went to the Shriver House, a privately owned museum. A retired schoolteacher gave a fantastic tour of the house telling the story of the inhabitants of the home during the battle, how the owner of the house went away to war just before opening a tavern in the basement which we saw, how Confederate sharpshooters shot from the attic, etc.
The next day we did a LONG hike encompassing Days 2 and 3 of the battle, and ending with Pickett's Charge. Basically we did the Billy Yank Trail which is over 10 miles, and is unfortunately, not an official trail (again... thanks for nothing NPS!) We walked there from the Brickhouse Inn and improvised a bit, but mostly stayed to the trail.
We brought peaches purchased on our drive in to the city a couple days earlier (from the Historic Round Bard). Almost by accident, we ended up eating them at General Sickles' Peach Orchard! Do it when you visit Gettysburg. Read all about Sickles if you haven't already and picnic in the shade of a peach tree while you ponder the wisdom of his decision to advance beyond the Union line and establish a wedge position there.
Toward the end of the hike, you arrive at the start of Pickett's Charge, which as most of you know, is essentially the end of the battle.
We caught an amazing concert by the 2d South Carolina String Band in a big tent at the reenactment that night, which is as close as you can get to knowing what it would be like to hear a band play actual Civil War tunes during the war.
The next day, we went to the museum, mainly to see the Cyclorama which depicts Pickett's charge. If you haven't seen the Cyclorama, you should start planning a trip to Gettysburg. It isn't often you get to experience exactly what a Victorian would have paid to see in the 1880s. It's pretty impressive at roughly 377 feet in circumference and filling nearly your entire field of vision.
If anyone is planning a trip to Gettysburg, I highly recommend doing something like the above... try to experience the story of the battle as a chronology. You can't do it in one day, and if you don't hike long distances, you'll need a full 3-4 days. It can be done in two if you can do the Bill Yank trail in one day.
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