We mentioned to the cute couple at the B&B that we were planning a day trip to Gettysburg,  but didn’t know what else to do that day.  They assured us that a trip to Gettysburg would take an entire day.  Really??  They were so right.

There is so much to see and do at Gettysburg National Military Park and Museum.  By the time we toured the museum, experienced the cyclorama, and explored the battlefield, I felt like we had been enrolled in a Gettysburg 101 class.

The Battle of Gettysburg has been called the turning point of the Civil War.  It was also the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, and it inspired Abraham Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address.  (http://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm)

The number of artifacts in the museum’s collection exceeds 1 million items.  There are exhibits that span from colonial slavery through the era of Reconstruction.  The Battle of Gettysburg is extensively detailed. (There is almost an hour by hour account of troop movements and fighting at Gettysburg.)  An interesting display was of the Civil War Reunion that took place in 1938.  The average age of the veterans at this reunion was 94.  The organizers worried there would be bitterness among the men, but that was not the case.  There is so much to see and read in this museum that it would take a month of Sundays to do everything.

It was interesting the various flags in the collection.

A campsite was recreated.

Many uniforms and weapons were displayed.

I had never heard of a cyclorama.  The huge painting of the Battle of Gettysburg surrounded us, and there were special effects and a narration that guided us through the battle.

The artist extensively researched the battle, and attempted to illustrate it as accurately as possible.  It was amazing!

We then got on a bus for a guided tour of the battlefield.  In 1864 a group of citizens from Gettysburg banded together to save portions of the battlefield as a memorial to the Union soldiers.  The park is now under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.  Our guide was unbelievable – his high school history teacher in the town of Gettysburg had shaken hands with one of the generals of the battle as a child.  Our guide appeared to know everything about the battle.

The battlefield does not seem to be very large for there to have been over 57,000 casualties.

Bruce Catton wrote, “The town of Gettysburg looked as if some universal moving day had been interrupted by catastrophe.”[62] But there was only one documented civilian death during the battle: Ginnie Wade (also widely known as Jennie), 20 years old, was hit by a stray bullet that passed through her kitchen in town while she was making bread.[63] Nearly 8,000 had been killed outright; these bodies, lying in the hot summer sun, needed to be buried quickly. Over 3,000 horse carcasses[64] were burned in a series of piles south of town; townsfolk became violently ill from the stench.[65] (Wikipedia)

Just imagining the great loss of lives in this battle is gut wrenching.

Monuments surround the battlefield (There are over 1,400).  In the beginning, the markers were erected to show troop placements for training exercises.   The round markers indicated Union positions, and the square markers were for the Confederate positions. (I hope I got that correct.)  Our guide said that Gettysburg is the most documented battle and preserved battlefield in existence.  Soldiers continue to come to Gettysburg for training purposes.

Later states began erecting monuments to honor their veterans.  At first it was only Union states that had memorials, but later men from all states who engaged in this battle were honored.

One of the most touching memorials is the Eternal Flame.  Our guide said that Mrs. Kennedy remembered this memorial after President Kennedy’s death, and it was her inspiration for the Kennedy Eternal Flame over his grave in Arlington Cemetery.

The words of President Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address continue to inspire.

“Pleased to meet you Mr. President.”

Blessings to you and yours,