The Women's Monument at Gettysburg Nat'l Cemetery.
Dean Bolton (ret.), aka Joshua Chamberlain, and Bonnie, aka Confederate Colonel Oates (Alabama), at the site of their character's battle at Little Round Top.
Tour group member reenacting posed photograph after Devil's Den skirmish.
Union Gen. G. Warren, scouting Confederate positions from Little Round Top
Eisenhower Farm viewed from observation tower at Gettysburg battlefield.
Price of gas at Eisenhower Farm!
View of Eisenhower House Porch (for preservation purposes, shades are drawn).
Practicing how to dress our lines and do double quick time 2 days before planned reenactment of Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble charge.
Abe and me, outside Gettysburg Visitor Center (just opened a year ago--(MUST SEE!).
Fred Kiger discussing the events leading to Stonewall Jackson's death at Guinea Station, VA, where he died 2 months before Gettysburg, thus changing course of history.
Bonnie outside our bus.
My friend Bonnie and I recently went on a 3-night, 4-day trip from Chapel Hill to Gettysburg with the UNC General Alumni Association. While I have been to Gettysburg several times in the past, this was the first time with a well-read and enthusiastic tour guide, and my first group tour since sometime in the 1980s.
The trip was fantastic! I met interesting people, and our tour leaders were fabulous--from our driver, Jim, to our host Roger (and his able assistant, his son Joshua), and our lecturer--Fred Kiger. I taught school (Chapel Hill High) with Freddie many years ago and remember how enthusiastic his students were about his classes. Now I know why. He led us on a carefully designed itinerary to capture the chronological highlights of the battle as well as put the battle in context of the larger war, the individuals involved, and the war's aftermath.
I learned a lot, even though I thought I knew a lot about the war and the battle. Here are a few of the things that were new knowledge to me (in no particular order):
1. How the Union turned an originally poor field position to one of advantage through an apparent "loss" the first day of battle.
2. In this battle, for one of the first times, the Union generals and other senior officers generally performed well--smart, able, and brave. The Confederate leaders, on the other hand, made unaccustomed mistakes in judgment, communicated poorly with each other and their men, and were simply out-maneuvered by folks they had previously defeated quite decisively.
3. While to many this was the turning point of the war, it was probably only one of the turning points. After all the war went on for almost 2 more years.
4. The event known as "Pickett's charge" is more accurately called the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble charge, and by any name was crazy to engage in. Some of our group were brave enough to make the charge across rain-soaked fields. The rest of us watched....
I won't bore you with all the details of our visit, but if you ever go to Gettysburg, in addition to the battlefield I strongly urge you to go to the Eisenhower Farm* (where Ike and Mamie retired after his presidency) and the David Wills house++ (where Abraham Lincoln stayed before the Gettysburg address). There are also excellent historic inns and restaurants in which to stay and/or dine. These include Hickory Bridge Farm and the Fairfield Inn--both a short drive from town. We stayed at the 1863 Gettysburg Inn, right downtown, and where I've stayed before since they are very dog-friendly!
*To get to the Farm, you take a bus from the Gettysburg Battlefield Visitor Center. It is very interesting and has fantastic views.
++David Wills was a leader in pre- and post-war Gettysburg and was a major figure in getting the cemetery established, among other accomplishments.
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