Wow! New view!

[pamc153PA]

If you haven't checked out the Gettysburg Earthcam in the last day or so, you should--it's not Pickett's Charge, anymore!

www.earthcam.com/gettysburg

 

[28thNewYork]

Although Gettysburg is one of my favorite topics of study, it has been years since I have actually been there. In that time, I had forgotten how expansive the area was. Thanks for permitting me to be reminded.

 

[TalkingJohnMc]

Thanks for the link. I just returned from Gettysburg two weeks ago. We had a great time again.

 

[Nathanb1]

Hey, I can almost pat Lo!

 

[godofredus]

Taking a look at the cam I have a problem reconciling the views with the standard maps I've seen.
It looks like the views start on the left flank of the charge (walk) and then crosses the Emmitsburg Road; the camera running perpendicular to the line. The post and rail fence seems to come after the Road, not before.
What is clear is the number of fences the Secesh had to cross and Lee did not see from his post. I thought there was another fence after the road, but maybe I'm wrong.
I do know that the current interpretation of the charge was that there were so many fences (two before the road and one each bordering the road, at least) that Lee could not see and that these slowed down the charge and made sitting ducks out of the CSA.

 

[pamc153PA]

Well, what you're looking at now is not what you would have been looking at a week or so ago. They switched the camera in the Codori barn turret from looking out across Pickett's Charge field to the opposite--looking at the southeast, the Union side of the field. So you don't see Emittsburg Pike at all in this shot; the cars you see are coming past the PA Monument and up toward the Angle on Hancock Avenue. So you see the Union right on Cemetery Ridge. The Hancock wounding marker is in the right center but is hard to see; LRT is behind the PA Monument, and you don't see the Copse of Trees or the Angle itself, at all (they're out of the shot to the left). By the time they got to this part of the field (and most of the Confederates would have been out of the shot to the left), they would've had to climb several post and rail fences, including the ones that bordered the pike, but this part of the field would have been relatively free of obstacles--well, except for the Union line, and the canister shot coming their way.

 

[jay gale]

oh very cool, I did enjoy the view of the Virginia monument but this is better.

 

[pamc153PA]

oh very cool, I did enjoy the view of the Virginia monument but this is better.

Actually, I'm finding that it's kind of hard to see this view as well as the other one, because for most of the day, you're looking in the direction of the sun . . . The sunset light on the PA monument has been really pretty, though.

And I'm not sure where I'll stand now, when I want to be in the shot.

 

[jay gale]

Actually, I'm finding that it's kind of hard to see this view as well as the other one, because for most of the day, you're looking in the direction of the sun . . . The sunset light on the PA monument has been really pretty, though.

And I'm not sure where I'll stand now, when I want to be in the shot.

yeah, hadn't thought about the sun angle. I'm sure it does make for some great images during sunsets though.

you'd better be sure to let us all know when you'll be there so we can tune in

 

[FarawayFriend]

Bah, my tablet does not show the view from the Battlefield Cam

I will check this out tomorrow on my laptop, but I think you are right, Pam, the light was probably better from the Codori Barn view.
Is there any reason for relocating the Webcam, do they plan to stream a planned reenactment or something like that?

 

[Nathanb1]

That was weird. I just checked to see how dark it is there--and when it loaded, the former view to the VA monument popped up for a moment. Then it went back to the current one.

 

[pamc153PA]

Bah, my tablet does not show the view from the Battlefield Cam

I will check this out tomorrow on my laptop, but I think you are right, Pam, the light was probably better from the Codori Barn view.
Is there any reason for relocating the Webcam, do they plan to stream a planned reenactment or something like that?

I don't know why they changed the view. They never have in the last couple years since I found the site. And there was no warning. One night after dinner when I went to look at the sunset, it wasn't the VA monument anymore!

 

[pamc153PA]

That was weird. I just checked to see how dark it is there--and when it loaded, the former view to the VA monument popped up for a moment. Then it went back to the current one.

Maybe it was ghost of Lee . . .

 

[Nathanb1]

Maybe it was ghost of Lee . . .

Or Traveller.

 

[Lnwlf]

Pretty country no matter what direction you are looking.

 

[godofredus]

Still unclear as to what I am looking at. Obviously there is a live earth cam (just loading it from Chicago where it is twilight); it is pitch black except for car headlights. But there are a bunch of other views with different dates....are these old views?

Most of the Gettysburg battle maps I have seen do not show the post & rail fences that slowed the Confeds down. Some historians theorize that these obstacles made them easy targets for Union artillery both from the front and enfilade from the side and thus weakened the charge considerably.

 

[ole]

Fences will not only slow the speed of the advance, but will also cause the advancing troops to bunch up, presenting an easy target for riflemen and a perfect slaughter field for double canister.

 

[pamc153PA]

Still unclear as to what I am looking at. Obviously there is a live earth cam (just loading it from Chicago where it is twilight); it is pitch black except for car headlights. But there are a bunch of other views with different dates....are these old views?

Most of the Gettysburg battle maps I have seen do not show the post & rail fences that slowed the Confeds down. Some historians theorize that these obstacles made them easy targets for Union artillery both from the front and enfilade from the side and thus weakened the charge considerably.

Yes, you are looking at the southern end of the Union side of the Pickett's Charge field, across the Emittsburg Pike from where the Confederates started. The Pennsylvania Monument is the big white monument in the middle of this shot(when it's daytime and you can see it), with the Round Tops behind it. The lights you see are from cars still on the field (I think the park closes at 10 p.m.), not on the Emittsburg Pike. The other views that you see are still from the old view across the Pickett's Charge field toward the west, and the Virginia Monument; there is an archive of shots folks have taken that go back a couple years at least.

I believe the park service has really worked the last few years to put in fences where they were historically, and also the correct kind of fence, as well as orchards. The orchard across the street from the Codori barn/farm in the old view toward the VA Monument is one of them. In the new view toward the opposite direction (east), the only major obstacle would be the stone wall at the Angle, after they crossed the Pike. And you can't see the Angle or much of the stone wall in the new view, just fields.

If this were about a hundred years ago, you'd be able to see the railroad tracks that went past the PA Monument to behind the Round Tops, as well as the electric trolley line. For a time, the trolley shared the railroad tracks with the trains right in that area between the camera and the PA Monument.

 

[Nathanb1]

Just struck me....this is a great view for those concerned about the heights of LRT, BRT, etc. and the effect on any Confederate advances. You know...the "heights" they had to scale......

We may have to make it a required stop before discussion.

 

[pamc153PA]

Expired Image Removed

If you find the Codori farm, about halfway down the Emmitsburg Road, the new view is looking roughly from about Hancock's Union line (Birney) to Gates (Gibbon) or Harlow. The old view was toward roughly where the name Longstreet is above Spangler's Woods, in the opposite direction.