Gettysburg

We went to Gettysburg today!  It was so amazing, I want to make sure I write everything down so I don't forget what we did.  We woke up early and drove from Baltimore to Gettysburg and got there at around 8:30.  The first thing we did was schedule a tour, and they had someone available at 8:45. Perfect.  Our tour guide came and found us and we got in our car and he showed us around the battlefield.  It was awesome.  The battlefield has such a special spirit it was overwhelming to think of all the people that died on that field for our freedoms.

We followed the course of the battle, so we started by the Lutheran Seminary.

The Confederacy had gotten to Pennsylvania before the Union, and they actually went past Gettysburg.  They didn't think the Union was as close as they were, and when they found out that's when it started getting tense.  The battle was unplanned.  On the first day of the battle, the Union took an early lead with the "Iron Brigade" led by Reynolds who died in the battle.  However, the Confederacy quickly reinforced their troops and they advanced on the Union and took command of the field on the first day.  There were other skirmishes throughout the day, but overall the Confederacy took day 1.

The Union spent the night reinforcing their armies and getting information.  They took the high ground on the Battlefield and formed a fish-hook shape.  They were on Culp's Hill, Little Round Top, Big Round Top, and the surrounding areas.  

The Confederacy took the offensive and attacked the Union.  The battles of Little Round Top, and Big Round Top were similar in the sense the Confederacy attacked, but the Union held their lines and ultimately sustained their army, but that's not to say there weren't heavy losses on both sides.  Not too far from Little Round Top is the infamous wheat field where possession of the field changed multiple times in the few-hour battle.  There were 4,000 casualties in the wheat field alone.  There were also battles in Devils Den next to Little Big Top, and the Peach Orchard next to the Wheat Field. Later in the day, the Confederacy attacked Culp's Hill, and the fighting went until late in the night with the Union still defending the hill.  Day 2 was the bloodiest day of the battle and there was no decisive winner.

Robert E. Lee ordered his soldiers on all sides to attack first thing in the morning, but the only army that got the message was the army at Culp's Hill.  The fighting started at 4:00 in the morning and went 7 hours with the Confederacy ultimately retreating.  Not too far from Little Round Top, the rest of the Confederacy lined up with their 150 artillery and started shelling at the Union non-stop for 2 hours.  There weren't very many casualties during this part of the battle, but there was non-stop cannon fire.  Lee then ordered his armies led by Pickett to march across the field and attack the Union. 12,000 men lined up stretching over a mile and started crossing the field.  The Union attacked and held their ground, and the Confederacy took a beating.  Nearly half of the 12,000 men fighting were either killed, wounded, or captured.

In the end, approximately 160,000 people participated in the battle with 46,000 casualties.  It was the bloodiest battle in the Civil War and the Union ultimately won after Pickett's charge.

It was so much fun to tour the battlefield with our guide who seriously knew EVERYTHING.  The battlefield is 24 sq. miles so trying to navigate the field by ourselves might have been disastrous.  We spent two hours with the guide and he took us into the town as well.  There are homes that were around during the Civil War that still have bullet holes in them.  It was such a cool little city.

After the tour, we spent some time on the battlefield by ourselves. It was so surreal to be walking on the battlefield.

They have an Abraham Lincoln statue that was really neat with the Gettysburg Address next to it.  I love the Gettysburg Address.  The first time I went to DC when I was 9, my Dad took me to the Lincoln Memorial and made me read the Gettysburg Address.  I didn't appreciate it at the time, but I have such admiration of the Gettysburg Address now that I'm older, and being at Gettysburg made it so much more powerful.  I loved reading it next to the Battlefield.

We were starting to get hungry so we went into town and found this adorable little pub.  The food was delish.  It was pretty rainy this morning so I was dying for some warm food. Their soup of the day was Cream of Crab soup and it was AWESOME.  I love the East Coast because the seafood is always great.

After lunch, we wandered around town and saw some cool buildings.  My favorite was the David Wills House, which is where Abraham Lincoln came to stay when he delivered the Gettysburg Address (which I read again there - I just can't get enough).

The building right next to the Wills home still has a cannonball lodged into the brick. CRAZY!  The town was adorable so we spent some time wandering around and bought our traditional travel Christmas Tree ornament. After a while, we headed back to the Visitor's Center.

We watched a movie about the Civil War and the Battle of Gettysburg - it was really good.  Then we went to see the Cyclorama, which is a painting of the battle that is circular and huge that was painted in the late 1800s.  So awesome.  The painting is of Pickett's Charge and it was narrated to explain the battle.  Then, we went to the museum.  I could spend all day in museums - I love learning, but Eric reminds me that I'm slow when I'm in museums so we tend to compromise a lot.  There were really interesting artifacts and more details and quotes about the battle.  The quotes were my favorite because it really gives you a glimpse of what it was like for the people fighting on the field.  So great.

By the time we got out of the Museum, the sun was shining and the leaves were GORGEOUS, so we went back to the battlefield.

We walked around Little Round Top and saw some of the monuments before calling it a day.  Ultimately, we had a great day.  I loved everything about Gettysburg - the spirit, the artifacts, and everything that it represents.  It made me reflect a lot on what it must have been like to be there and the cause they were willing to die for.  In the end, I guess I'm just grateful to be an American.  God Bless the USA.