Kim Ream

every little thing

Gettysburg National Military Park

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“The muffled drum’s sad roll has beat the soldier’s last tattoo; No more on Life’s parade shall meet that brave and fallen few. On fame’s eternal camping ground their silent tents to spread, And glory guards, with solemn round the bivouac of the dead.” – Taken from “Bivouac Of The Dead” By Theodore O’Hara

As I walked this path along Cemetery Ridge on Sunday morning I couldn’t help but imagine what I would be thinking if I were a soldier here during the Civil War. A quiet, peaceful morning that would soon erupt into roaring destruction. Would I make it through the day?

Warning: Long post ahead!

This past weekend was probably the best weekend of the trip so far. I’m not a history buff, nor have I read any Civil War books, but I have watched a few documentaries and movies! Seriously though, touring the many acres that was involved in the war was sobering. There are almost 1400 memorials located in fields, woods, and along the roads that are a bit overwhelming when I realized that marker is the location of a skirmish within the overall battle. Each marker represents a unit of people who fought at that spot.

The Battle at Gettysburg took place July 1-3, 1863 and resulted in more than 50,000 casualties. Imagine wave upon wave of men pressing forward and falling, never to rise again. The National Park Service (NPS) has done an excellent job of restoring the area to look like it did in 1863. Over the years the NPS has slowly removed modern buildings, renovated old buildings and created an atmosphere to remember, and to learn.

I think I was most surprised by the size of the battlefield. On one hand it was a huge area that involved, almost 6,000 acres, yet it was right next to a thriving town. The battle took place in people’s fields and farms. Homes were abandoned just days prior to the start of the battle. One 16-year-old girl was kneading bread to feed soldiers when a bullet went through the front door and into her heart. She, her mother and her sister thought they were in a safe location.

A National Park Ranger takes us back in time to the three days of the battle. This home was used by Union Gen. Meade as his HQ.

We arrived in Gettysburg around 9:30am on Saturday and went straight to the visitor’s center to get information, and to join our first tour at 10am. Jackson, our future son-in-law, drove down from Harrisburg, PA where he is working temporarily, to join us for the tour. The tour took us from the visitor center to Cemetery Ridge where fighting raged on July 2 & 3, 1863. The guide gave us an overview of the battle, particularly Pickett’s Charge. We then explored some of the nearby memorials.

After lunch at the visitor center cafe, Jackson headed back to Harrisburg and we headed to Culp’s Hill for another guided tour.

Culp’s Hill was the site of the Union’s right flank. It was occupied by Union troops all three days of the battle. The night of July 2, union soldiers held off 4,700 Confederates. Before sunrise on July 3, fighting resumed with 22,000 Union and Confederate soldiers battling for the hill. One Union solider said, “The whole hillside seemed enveloped in a blaze.” The Southerners attacked three times, but after six hours of fighting, the Union line held firm.

Dale follows the path along the top of Culp’s Hill. The mound running along Dale’s left was built by the Union as a defense line. We were able to see, under the grass, the rocks the soldiers had piled up to protect them from bullets.

The family who owned Culp’s Hill had a son, Wesley Culp, who was fighting for the South at Gettysburg. He had to sneak into town to visit his family the evening of July 1 because he was considered an enemy by the townspeople. How weird it must have been for him to be fighting a battle on the same land he once roamed, and also to now be considered the enemy. He would not survive the battle.

By the time the tour was over it was time to check into our hotel so that we could make it to the Gettysburg National Cemetery for our last tour of the day which began at 5:30pm.

A National Park tour guide tells us about the history of the cemetery. At the conclusion of the tour a man played Taps. It was so good.

The Gettysburg National Cemetery is located next to the battlefield and right across the street from our hotel, which is aptly named “Cemetery Hill Inn”. I’ve always enjoyed walking through old cemeteries and having a tour guide made it all the better. Dale and I were surprised that the cemetery wasn’t bigger considering the amount of people it held.

The cemetery was created four months after the battle for all of the union soldiers that were buried in shallow graves throughout Gettysburg’s farmlands. A few weeks after the reburial process started, a dedication ceremony was held and Massachusetts statesman and orator Edward Everett was invited to deliver the main speech. However, it was Pres. Abraham Lincoln’s short address that had such impact, and that it is still remembered and recited to this day, the “Gettysburg Address.” No Confederate soldiers are buried here. They were left in shallow graves until they could be retrieved at a later time.

The tour concluded with the playing of Taps. We lingered in the cemetery for a while longer then headed to the hotel. I recorded Taps, you can listen to it here.

Sunset on Cemetery Ridge where much of the battle was fought.

Sunday morning we resumed our sightseeing. We had downloaded an app that would talk us through a 14-stop auto tour. As I mentioned previously, the battlefield is so large that you need a car or a bike to see it all. We really enjoyed listening to the app describe each stop in the tour. We took our time, getting our of the car to explore each area a little more.

The battlefield is several thousand acres so there is an auto tour with 14 stops that makes sure you see the major areas. Dale and I downloaded an app as well that told us about each stop. Stephen Lang, who played Stonewall Jackson in “Gods and Generals” did the audio for the tour.

At one of the stops on the auto tour, near the North Carolina Monument, we had the pleasure of watching a group of Civil War Reenactors from North Carolina give a demonstration and explain a Civil War soldier’s life. This group comes to Gettysburg every year to do this. Their encampment was set up authentically and was very interesting.

We were fortunate to see reenactors from North Carolina. North Carolina served as one of the largest suppliers of manpower sending 130,000 North Carolinians to serve in all branches of the Confederate Army. There were also about 8,000 who volunteered for the Union.

Another stop on the auto tour was the Peach Orchard. On July 2, US General Dan Sickles advanced his troops beyond the Federal line on Cemetery Ridge and occupied the Peach Orchard. A Confederate assault pushed Sickles’ 3rd Corps into a retreat around 6:30 that evening.

Don’t tell anyone but I ate a peach. It was delicious. Dale took a bite too … a bit like Adam and Eve. Yikes!

The “Peach Orchard” was one of several major battle grounds.

The “High Water Mark” is very significant to the battle. In the wide open fields there was a “Copse of Trees” near the Union battle line that the Confederates were determined to reach. The attack began with two hours of cannon fire, then “Pickett’s Charge” began. Thousands of Confederates died trying to cross that field and they made it to the trees where they were ultimately stopped by the Union. This event is the climatic moment of the battle. If the Southerners had not been stopped, the entire War may have turned out differently.

This monument marks the location of the “High Water Mark”. If the Confederates had made it past this point the overall war may have gone a different direction.

Dale and I enjoyed every aspect of this trip. I could say so much more about it. Take a look at some of the additional photos we took. Our next tour will be the Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville Battlefields. Stay tuned!

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