Adventures in Gettysburg

Over the past few days, we have been exploring the Gettysburg battlefield. Did you know that Gettysburg goes down in history as the deciding battle between the North and the South??? And that the battle on Little Round Top in Gettysburg was the most important few hours of fighting - probably of the Civil War??? We purchased a self-guided audio tour that we listened to while we drove around the battlefield. The Civil War historian was so knowledgeable, and we learned so much while listening to him, driving around the battlefield. We spent about 2 hours one day, and 2 hours the next day driving around, listening to the audio, and getting out of the car to check out the monuments and important sites. There are several hundred cannons - most all of them are real, but there are a few replicas. All over the battlefield are monuments and plaques that told of the losses of each brigade, regiment, or of where men died. There are over 1,200 plaques and monuments displayed in the middle of farms, in front of houses, and in the fields. We watched the movie "Gettysburg", and it helped us understand the battle in more detail. We saw all of the different parts of the battlefield where brave men from both sides fought for what they believed in.

We also were able to take a horseback riding trip, and ride onto the battlefield. It was really fun!!! We had another audio historian lead us through the battlefield while we rode around on horseback. It was so much easier to understand how the battles were fought each day, looking at the battlefield from the actual battlefield instead of the car.... It made it easier for us to understand why some of the ideas that General Robert E. Lee had were going to fail. Our favorite spot was visiting Little Round Top. This is where the South nearly took the North, but the brave men of the Union Army's Twentieth Maine held the ground. The were tired, and just about out of ammunition, so Lt. Colonel J. Chamberlain led the famous bayonet charge against the South and held the ground. The South retreated. This, according to the historians, was probably the most important battle fought in Gettysburg, and maybe the entire Civil War.

See you soon! Allie:)