Thursday, June 4.
Today we focused our attention on exploring the Battlefield.
According to the Gettysburg Foundation, the Park comprises nearly 6,000 acres and includes some 1,300 monuments, most of which were originally laid out by the veterans themselves. More soldiers were killed during the battle than in any other battle on American soil before or since. All this makes Gettysburg one of the most unique battlefields in the world. . .
After a mediocre breakfast at the hotel we set off for the park visitor center where we picked up a map for the park's suggested auto tour. Consisting of 15 stops along a 24-mile plan the driving tour covers the battle from July 1-3, 1863 chronologically while also providing ample opportunities for stopping and exploring specific aspects of the battle in greater detail.
I won't bore you with the details of each and every stop; as with the Flight 93 memorial I'll let the photos speak for themselves and hopefully give the folks who have never been to Gettysburg an idea of how special this place is. And for you who have been to this incredible slice of our country's history think about going back sooner than later. Life is short.
Anyway, if you want an extensive list of each Gettysburg monument, its respective photo and details you can find more information right here. You can also download a large version of the tour map as well as a short guide to the park on the NPS website right here.
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| entrance to the visitor center - opened in 2008 |
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| two of my favorite people |
The first stop on the driving tour was Reynolds Woods where Union General John Reynolds was shot and killed in the open hours of the battle on July 1.
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| the view along Reynolds Avenue |
The next stop was at the
Eternal Light Peace Memorial. Established in 1938 it commemorates the 75th reunion of the Gettysburg veterans and to "a nation united."
From the Peace Memorial it was a short drive to the Oak Ridge observation tower.
We then made our way to Barlow Knoll. Named after
Union General Francis Barlow this site is located on the grounds of what was then the Gettysburg alms house complex. All that remains today is the Old Alms House cemetery, which is not part of the Park.
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| Francis Barlow statue |
The auto tour soon lead us along the confederate lines west of town where the number of monuments is fewer than on the Union side. However some of the individual state monuments are wonderful works of art - Mississippi, North Carolina and the massive Virginia memorial to name just a few.
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| Susan's favorite statue |
The auto tour took us past the striking monument dedicated to
William Wells and the 1st Vermont Cavalry.
From the 1st Vermont Cavalry monument it was a short drive to another of the most important stops on the tour: Little Round Top. The views of the battlefield from here, especially of Devils Den, the Wheatfield and Peach Orchard beyond, are grand indeed.
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| the rocky outcropping is Devils Den |
We left Little Round top and drove down past the Wheatfield where the 5th Michigan Infantry was heavily engaged, and skirted the Peach Orchard.
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| the 5th Michigan monument in the Wheatfield |
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| monument to the 88th New York, part of the Irish Brigade |
We eventually left the central portion of the battlefield and drove along the tour to Spangler's Spring and the observation tower on Culp's Hill skirting Evergreen Cemetery making our way back to the final phase of the battle: Pickett's Charge and the Copse of Trees. Also known as the High Tide of the Confederacy the war took it's final turn against the South right here. This sacred space has always been protected by an iron fence, which harks back to a much earlier time.
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| Copse of Trees |
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| the 69th Pennsylvania |
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| the Copse of trees seen from the Confederate viewpoint |
After the tour we drove into downtown Gettysburg and found a handy enclosed parking garage (out of the sun was a bonus). After strolling for a short while we stopped at Lulu's for an ice cream (not the finest thank you very much). We had to pop into a nearby store called the Chocolate Market. They did indeed market lots of different chocolates and for those of you keen on such things, it's connected directly to the year-round Christmas shop right next door.
It was time for a a little down time so we made our way back to the car and back to the hotel.
After relaxing for a couple of hours we returned to the center of town and the parking garage (we think this is the only one in town), which is located behind the Hotel Gettysburg. Just outside the entrance to the garage Susan spied a couple of historical markers. It turns out the garage is on the location of the home of John Getty, yep the founder of Gettysburg. Next to the marker was a boulder memorializing the very spot where the first company of local troops were enlisted in 1775 to join Washington's fledgling army.
From the garage we walked through the Hotel Gettysburg back to the center of town and stopped briefly in a couple of shops. It was then on to find a place to eat. Unimpressed by a number of places we looked at -- the menus all seemed to favor the same sort of food it seemed to us -- we opted to return to the Sign of the Buck but this time chose the tavern side of the hotel. (The restaurant and tavern are connected to the Union Hotel.)
So we bellied up to the bar and spent a couple of wonderful hours chatting with other patrons and swapping mixology stories with the bartender. (If you go, ask for Angela.)
Our cocktails were refreshing and tasty and the food delicious -- small plates consisting of deviled eggs, house-cut fries with three different dipping sauces, followed by bowls of Tuscan bean soup.
It was a grand way to end a lovely day -- wish you had been there!
Tomorrow we head off for the family portion of our trip back East: first stop Dick and Dorothy's in Douglas, MA for three nights before heading to Maine to see Susan's sister Joyce and her husband Avery.
Stay tuned!
