"Order of Battle! Order of Battle!"

I used to walk from my apartment to Devil's Den and back. Quite the hike, but totally worth it.

Honestly, you're not missing much lol. The best thing for me was their rewards program, and they totally changed it last year, so it's really not worth it anymore.

I've also added modules on uniforms, flags, civilians, and politics to my "pre-Gettysburg" section. I'm planning to make an enlisted soldier's uniform and regimental flag while I continue my studies; it serves a dual purpose of getting a more intimate knowledge of the uniform and saves some money when I'm purchasing reenacting gear after I move back to Gettysburg. I'll also be cooking period food and writing a series of essays regarding the political circumstances facing the antebellum United States, the CSA and USA at war, and the Reconstruction era.

Again, it's a lot, but I want a comprehensive understanding of the war and the period before I touch the Gettysburg Campaign.

Wow that's awesome!! You've got a great plan. If you don't mind me asking, why did you move to Myrtle Beach?
 
Wow that's awesome!! You've got a great plan. If you don't mind me asking, why did you move to Myrtle Beach?

Let's put it this way: Living in Gettysburg is distracting. People in the Civil War "community" there come fully loaded with their own ideas of how things should be done, and they're quick to dismiss anyone who doesn't follow the "normal" path. You have people trying to write books, reenactors boiled down in politics that make it hard to join a unit, people who are desperate to be the smartest person in the room, and people who think that unless you're 65 and retired, you can't possibly know anything about Gettysburg or the Civil War.

I've lived in Myrtle Beach before, actually. Moved down here on my 20th birthday to be with a long-distance girlfriend, and 6 months later I moved back to Maryland. After struggling to get anything started with my Licensed Battlefield Guide studies for 6 years, shelling out 700-odd bucks for the "test prep" courses offered by the Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides, and winding up with PTSD following a nasty breakup which involved my ex cheating on me with a guide from Antietam, I needed to get away and focus on my LBG studies.

Myrtle Beach is, honestly, not a great place to live. Crime, drugs; you name it, we've got it. I'm not a "beach bum", I'm too "casual" to be a serious golfer, and any shopping you can do here can be found anywhere around the country. So, I'm not distracted by any of the stuff people come here for. I'm 500 miles away from Gettysburg, my parents, sister and nephew, and every time I see pictures of Gettysburg on Facebook I get emotional; but it's missing all that and knowing that I'm going home one day in the future that keeps me going. Between this and finishing my novel, I've got plenty of fuel to get me there.

I'm like Stallone in Rocky 4. I moved far away to "train", and when I'm ready I'm kicking that exam's keester.
 
We had an exceptionally good guide who drove us around in my car. I was so excited about my first visit to Gettysburg that I wrote down about 20 questions I had on a clipboard. The guide had the order of battle thoroughly memorized as well as other sundry details. At the time, I was very interested in Gen'l. Dan Sickles and his corps' performance on Day 2. It was interesting to hear our guide's off-the-record opinion on Sickles' III Corps taking the brunt of Longstreet's major attack and nullifying any chance of a successful CSA breakthrough on the AOP left. Not that I agreed with him entirely, but it was refreshing to consider another view off the beaten path.

My point being it is imperative the Nat'l. Battlefied Guides learn the "Order of Battle" and other important facts, but a well-reasoned parenthetical opinion is nice to hear every one in a while.
 
We had an exceptionally good guide who drove us around in my car. I was so excited about my first visit to Gettysburg that I wrote down about 20 questions I had on a clipboard. The guide had the order of battle thoroughly memorized as well as other sundry details. At the time, I was very interested in Gen'l. Dan Sickles and his corps' performance on Day 2. It was interesting to hear our guide's off-the-record opinion on Sickles' III Corps taking the brunt of Longstreet's major attack and nullifying any chance of a successful CSA breakthrough on the AOP left. Not that I agreed with him entirely, but it was refreshing to consider another view off the beaten path.

My point being it is imperative the Nat'l. Battlefied Guides learn the "Order of Battle" and other important facts, but a well-reasoned parenthetical opinion is nice to hear every one in a while.

I've never questioned the fact that knowing the Order of Battle is crucial. It's in how one goes about studying for the LBG exam and actually amassing the knowledge for which they are so revered that I have received so much consternation.
 
I've never questioned the fact that knowing the Order of Battle is crucial. It's in how one goes about studying for the LBG exam and actually amassing the knowledge for which they are so revered that I have received so much consternation.
I have great respect for the LBGs and those pursuing that designation. I'm quite certain you will reach your goal and it will be a rewarding experience in the end.
 
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