The last couple of days we’ve spent a lot of time in the car. We took a drive to Gettysburg, PA to tour the famous battlefield and cemetery. For even the casual observer to take a tour would require a full day. The thing that I like about touring these places is that you get a sense of the size of the endeavors. Reading about it in a book, you can’t really appreciate the difficulties, on all levels, that the combatants withstood. Another, more personal reason for visiting this particular battlefield, lies with my past. Way back in time, when I was a student in Command and General Staff College for the Army, we extensively studied this battle. We read the book “Killer Angels” by Michael Shaara and had to write a paper on Leadership using one of the commanders at Gettysburg as our subject. (I chose Gen. James Longstreet, Gen. Lee’s second in command if you’re interested and got an “A” on the paper.) Now was an opportunity to walk the ground that I had only seen from maps and classroom discussions. If you are so inclined, read the Shaara novel or rent the movie “Gettysburg” (which was based on the novel and historical facts) to gain a more in-depth knowledge of the subject.
Looking into old town Gettysburg. Throughout the three day battle, scouts from both sides used this tower to observe and plan their strategies.
From this tree line, the infamous “Pickett’s Charge” began. Pickett and his men crossed this open space headed towards the barn about a mile distant on the horizon. With no cover and a couple of these fences to cross, Pickett’s men did not fare too well.
A statue marking Gen. Longstreet’s field headquarters.
Looking across what was known as the Devil’s Den towards the hill called Little Round Top. This was beyond the far left edge of the Union line at the beginning of Day 2. Union leadership saw the weak spot and sent Col. Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine to “hold the position at all costs”. This he did and the story is one of legend. After repeated Confederate charges, the 20th was down to only a couple rounds of ammunition per man. Col. Chamberlain ordered a bayonet charge and so skillfully executed the attack that he won the day and held the hill. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
The view up Little Round Top from the Confederate’s viewpoint. The stone wall escarpment was built by the Union troopers overnight between Days 1 and 2 and still stands today.
Here is a marker that commemorates the deeds of the 20th Maine and marks the spot where they made their stand.
This is the Union view of the field where Pickett made his charge. Soldiers of his unit made it as far as the low stone wall in the center of the photo and into the grove of Oak trees at the left. Just to the right, out of the frame of this photo, is where Confederate Gen. Armistead was mortally wounded. This is the farthest the Confederates made it into the Union line. From here, they were repelled and ultimately defeated.
The stone wall that stopped the Confederate attack. Not much to look at, but imagine masses of artillery guns just to the left along with hundreds of Union infantrymen firing into the assault.
An artists rendition of Pickett’s Charge from the Union perspective. The stone wall is not visible, but runs along the middle of the scene. The small grove of Oak trees is visible on the far left center.
And the final stop, the National Cemetery. It was not far from this site that Abraham Lincoln delivered the immortal words of the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863 (some four and a half months after the battle). Following a 2+ hour speech by Edward Everett (a famous orator of the day), Lincoln took the stage and read the address in a little over 2 minutes! Take time to read it sometime, it still holds truths for today.
The casualties were originally buried in a semicircle around the center monument. There are 3,629 graves of Civil War dead in the 20 acre site. The deceased are organized by States and there are three sections for “Unknown”.
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