Gettysburg

One of the things that I was most looking forward to when my parents came was the opportunity to visit one or more of the Civil War battlefields in the area. I must not have paid very close attention to this aspect of American History in high school – but when I arrived in DC I started reading some of the recommended books on the Civil War in order to develop a better understanding of how that particular era of American history unfolded and attach historic significance to the battlefields that I might have the opportunity to visit.

As it turns out, we only had time enough to visit one battlefield, so Gettysburg was the obvious choice. If you want a historic overview of this battle and its importance, there are far better places to read about it than some guy’s blog – so I’ll leave you to that while going into the details of my experience at historic Gettysburg.

The drive to the battlefield from D.C. took an hour and a half or so. Despite the significance of the battle, Gettysburg as a town is still little more than a dot on the map, albeit a very well-known dot. Still, it’s impossible to miss with all of the roadsigns directing one to it. Our first destination upon arrival was the visitor center that had a very in-depth and spectacular tour of the events of the battle, the Civil war in general, and other related events and happenings of the time. Exhibits within were rich with artifacts and equipment from the period. One could have easily spent the entire day there and not gotten out to see the battlefield at all.

Of particular significance was the Gettysburg Cyclorama, which is an absolutely colossal (115m x 13m) full panorama painting of Pickett’s Charge during the Battle of Gettysburg. They make a good show of presenting the cyclorama with immersive sound and lightwork, bringing to life the events depicted in the painting. After this short show, they bring up the lights, allowing one to appreciate all of the magnificent display, and allowing the visitors to proceed through the museums below.

I found myself having to rush along through the displays in order to ensure we had enough time to take the disc-playing guided car tour – we simply didn’t have the hours of daylight necessary to take our time with it. In any event after going through the visitor center we began our driving tour, which allowed us to listen to a narrator via audio disc while driving through the series of roads which wind through the battlefield. At every step in the way there were markers for events of signfigance, marking where particular units were, what they were doing, how many soldiers were there, how many were killed, wounded, etc. The amount of details they’ve been able to preserve through this is astounding and really lends to an immersive experience.

As we drove from site to site, the audio disc provided us with the historical background and the events of significance that had occurred along the way. At many points of interest, there were places to park, get out, observe various unit positions, get a feel for their place in the battle, and observe the area they fought in. Informational placards provided additional information about the units serving in the battle. The self-guided tour started out where the Union’s forward calvary encountered Confederate forces, and attempted to hold their ground until the Union army could get into position.

Proceeding along, we explored the Confederate lines on the 2nd and 3rd days of the battle, first visiting the Northern hook, then heading South along the Confederate lines. At several stops along the way were tall watchtowers, which one could ascend in order to get an even better view of the countryside that featured this historic battle, how each of the positions related to each other, and what strategic value they provided. As we neared the South end of the Confederate lines, a sizable pair of hills to the East clearly became a prominent feature of the landscape, offering what would be a dominating view of much of the battlefield as well as a keen view of the flanks. These hills were Big Round Top and Little Round Top, and their strategic importance was quite clear when viewed from the Confederate lines.

We drove up Little Round Top and were granted a pretty spectacular view from the provided vantage points. Despite the obvious value in the position, it was not well defended by the Union when the Confederates started putting pressure on it. The situation was quickly corrected once the mistake was realized, but the position came under intense pressure from advancing Confederate troops just down the hill in a rocky outcropping called “Devil’s Den” and the surrounding orchards.

From this point it was clear what kind of desperate fighting might have taken place there as each army attempted to turn the flank and hold strategically important ground. The Union held though, and it was stunning to see where many of the defenders here must have stood their ground. We made our way around Devil’s Den and the orchard area, which the Union had lost to the advance, and then finally we headed North, parallel to the Union’s main defensive line along Cemetary Ridge.

Numerous memorials and commemorative statues and plaques lined this road, commemorating many of the units in the central lines that were the target of Pickett’s charge on the 3rd day, which all but sealed the outcome of the battle. As dusk was upon us, we didn’t get to see the North end of the Union lines, nor did we get to walk through the cemetery, but nonetheless I was awed by the effort, care, and dedication shown in preserving this piece of American history. My own experience here has greatly fueled my desire to see some of the other historical Civil War battlefields when the opportunity arises. However, exploring the events of the past and their culmination into this defining battle was something I’d highly recommend for others and is well worth the visit.