The One-eyed Traveler |
Gettysburg |
Who hasn't heard of the Battle of Gettysburg? It is one of the truly sacred spots in American history, and it rates up there with Normandy and Waterloo in the pantheon of world battle sites. Following his great victory at Chancellorsville, Robert E. Lee marched his army northward into Pennsylvania in June 1863 and was pursued by the Union Army, which fell under the command of George Meade just a few days before the conflict. When Lee - despite the irritating absence of his eyes and ears, cavalry stalwart Jeb Stuart - learned of the Yankee approach, he ordered his invaders to concentrate near the cross-roads town of Gettysburg. |
On July 1, the battle opened when Buford's U.S. cavalry units came up against part of A. P. Hill's corps of the Army of Northern Virginia. What simply began as a Confederate attempt to brush off a bunch of horsemen rapidly escalated into the greatest battle ever fought in the Western hemisphere. Led by John Reynold's 1st Corps, federal infantry rushed to the scene in support as gray troops poured in from the north and west. The Yankees were pushed back from McPherson's Ridge and Oak Ridge, across Seminary Ridge, and back to Cemetery Hill south of the town. As the Northern forces arrived they formed into a fish hook-shaped battle line leading from Culp's Hill in the north, across Cemetery Hill and Cemetery Ridge, and ending around Little Round Top to the south. The Confederates had won the day but failed to gain the all-important high ground. Lee resolved, nevertheless, to drive them off, and after his army's recent accomplishments at Chancellorsville, the Rebel commander was supremely confident in the results. The main attack on July 2 ranged from the area of Big Round Top (just south of Little Round Top) to Cemetery Ridge, but more hard fighting took place in the evening at Culp's Hill and East Cemetery Hill. At Little Round Top, Devil's Den, the Peach Orchard, the Wheatfield, Plum Run, and other famous places on the field, the two sides engaged in a few hours of savage fighting. The Confederates drove back Daniel Sickel's 3rd Corps, advanced to the Emmitsburg Road against Meade's instructions. The results were in doubt on a few occasions. The Rebels came close to breakthroughs on Little Round Top, Cemetery Ridge, and later that evening at Cemetery Hill. If you have ever seen the 1993 movie "Gettysburg," you will particularly remember Little Round Top, a low but steep hill covered with boulders, where Joshua Chamberlain's 20th Maine regiment made a valiant charge to preserve the Union flank. In fact, the Union forces only occupied Little Round Top at the last minute, when Gouvernor K. Warren, Meade's engineer, realized the danger created by Sickel's advance and had troops rushed atop its stony heights. Warren rightly deserves his place, along with comrades such as Chamberlain and Winfield Hancock as one of the many officer heroes to emerge on the Union side that day. Northern reinforcements eventually held the ground. Day three is famous for the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy," General George Pickett's legendary charge. Lee had planned to assault the Union left again, but changed his mind on July 3 and aimed for the center on Cemetery Ridge. Following more than an hour of concentrated fire from well over 100 cannons, between 12,000 and 15,000 Rebel soldiers marched across over a half mile of open ground from Seminary Ridge to Cemetery Ridge toward their battered but ready foes. Actually Pickett only commanded the right wing; James Pettigrew, a remarkably intelligent graduate of the University of North Carolina, commanded the lead elements on the left, followed by additional brigades under Isaac Trimble. A very small percentage ever reached the low rock wall sheltering the Yankees, and the casualties were devastating. Most of Pickett's generals and colonels were either killed or wounded before his men came limping and crawling back. Afterward, Lee met the returning attackers, telling them that the massacre was all his fault, a moment generally called one of his finest. The South would have more victories, but the defeat at Gettysburg was indeed a turning point in the East and marked the last time Lee would mount a major offensive. The setback came simultaneously with the perhaps more significant fall of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River. |
Gettysburg - The Battle |
Gettysburg - The Visit |
Gettysburg is the king of battlefields. For photographers or history buffs, its large park dotted with hundreds of cannons and monuments atop a gorgeous landscape of period farms, ridges, and wooded hills, is a treasure trove of opportunities. I first toured Gettysburg after nearly a week of Civil War battlefields, but that was a good thing. After Gettysburg, it would have been hard for most battlefields to compare. The following account is from that first visit. Gettysburg, is highly commercialized. There is an abundance of hotels, shops, and touristy attractions. Still, the hotels are needed, since this place gets a lot, and I mean a lot, of visitors. There were more people in the visitor center at Gettysburg than I saw at all the other battlefields I visited combined. And that was on a weekday. When we left three days later, on a weekend, the crowds had exploded. If I had one thing negative to say about a visit to Gettysburg, it would be the crowds. |
A good thing about the battlefield is that it is open before light and after dark. Most tourists don't sightsee before 9:00 and after 7:00. That is a hint. One of my best experiences was an early morning photo shoot around the Peach Orchard and Cemetery Ridge. Another was a dusk-time walk along the site of Lee's apology following Pickett's Charge. I plan to go up Little Round Top for sunrise on my next visit. The commercialization of the town isn't so bad because the battlefield itself is very well preserved, and the town retains a degree of charm. Even in the first days after the battle, Gettysburg was quite the tourist attraction. The hotels and private houses overflowed with visitors who came to see the site of the already famous battle, buy up artifacts, and see about wounded loved ones. The weather was dreary the day we arrived, and we certainly were thankful to have more than a day in town. Luckily it was supposed to clear after the morning, so we planned other activities in the meantime. Our first stop was the visitor center. Several hours are required to really appreciate the visitor center at Gettysburg, particularly for history buffs. We paid to watch the half-hour map presentation, which has been around for decades. The lighted topographical map sits on the floor surrounded by stands of seats. I would guess it accommodates about 200 people at once. One half of the seating was taken up by a huge group of school kids. We didn't know how Claire would do sitting still for that long, so we sat at the top (aisle level) in case we had to take her out. An older gentleman nearby said "sit near us; we have grandchildren." For parents that is a rare and much appreciated attitude these days. Claire was very quiet and didn't create a disturbance, but near the end I was afraid she was going to kick the head of the woman in front of us. Thaaaaaaaat wouldn't be good. The map presentation was very effective at presenting an overview of the campaign, with the lights dimming to indicate the passage of night, while lights on the board glowed to give the impression of campfires. If you already know a lot about the battle, you could easily forgo the map presentation, but I highly recommend it to others. It took close to two hours to see the many exhibits at the center. The collection is truly massive, one of the best anywhere. Unlike the others we saw on our trip through Maryland and Virginia, the Gettysburg exhibits dealt with the whole war and not just the battle. The showcases were loaded with uniforms and weaponry. My favorite part of the exhibit was the section showing artifacts from Gettysburg's citizens. Some farmers amassed huge collections of shells, bullets, and other items from their properties. The bookstore is very large and offers about any book on the war you could want. We chose a driving tour from the large selection (not just one here) and headed out for lunch. After eating, we drove to The Land of Little Horses (LOLH), to let Claire play around while the clouds cleared. LOLH is about a 10 to 15 minute drive south of the battlefield. The specialty is, of course, little horses. Normally, there are shows and rides. However, with the time of week and time of year, neither was running. It was quite a nice experience though. There was only one other family at the whole place, and we received a discounted admission price. After we got past the vicious little family dog that wanted my leg for lunch, Claire was able to pet a goat and pig, see the horses, and visit a fairly sizable collection of birds and other animals. It was kind of like walking around on our own personal farm, except we didn't have to do any work. We pulled Claire around in one of the little wagons offered to visitors. |
The weather was beautiful by the time we left, so we started our battlefield tour over at McPherson's Ridge and the site of the first day's battle. The one-way roadways through the park have a drive through lane on the left and a parking lane on the right. Because of the large amount of traffic, this is a great benefit to a photographer. You can just stop anytime you want without being in the way. The light by now was nice and warm for photos, but it was getting a little low for the 100-speed film I was using. For scenics, you generally want quite a bit of depth of field, which can be hard to achieve in these conditions without a tripod. I didn't want to bother pulling that out, since the daylight hours were fleeting. We saw the site of General Reynold's death (the victim of a sharpshooter very early in the battle), Buford's position on McPherson Ridge, the railroad cut in which many Confederates were either killed or taken prisoner, the McPherson farm, and artillery positions near the present Eternal Peace Memorial. There is a viewing tower just down the hill from the memorial, near a school, which provides decent views of some of the northern part of the battlefield, but it is too far downhill for others. |
By now it was fairly late, so we checked in at our hotel, the Quality Inn out on Baltimore Street. Our room was pretty nice. We were lucky to have called ahead from Shepherdstown to reserve a room because there wasn't much left by the time we reached Gettysburg. We went out for an easy dinner at General Pickett's buffet, located on Steinwehr Avenue. The restaurant had a large selection, and the food was quite good. I was kind of concerned that there were so few people at the place when we arrived, but that turned out to be a bonus. It made our meal with Claire, who was not always at her best behavior, more relaxing. It has to be one of the best values in town. Afterwards, we stopped by Greystone's American History Store. This is a terrific shop with two floors of history books and a large selection of toy soldiers. |
We headed out early the next day to continue our tour. We started with Culp's Hill, the site of the northernmost part of the Union position. The drive up through this largely wooded elevation was quite pleasant. There are several attractive Union monuments at the top. This was a heavily contested spot, where the Southerners, under Second Corps leader Richard Ewell, actually came fairly close to success on the night of July 2, but it is all but ignored by visitors and history buffs compared to the rest of the battlefield. I carried Claire up the very tall observation tower. The tower wasn't quite tall enough for great photography, since the treetops really got in the way, but it did provide decent views of Cemetery Hill and the round tops and gave a good indication of the layout of the battlefield. |
We then drove down Seminary Ridge, where the majority of the Confederate forces were positioned throughout the battle. Seminary Ridge is a wooded drive, offering a seemingly endless row of Confederate cannons, aimed across the fields on the left-hand side, and a number of state sponsored Confederate monuments. Artillery played a particularly important role at Gettysburg. Most of the Confederate monuments were added later than the Union ones, and they are mostly very dramatic and artistic. The North Carolina monument is one of the more striking. As I was taking photos of it, a group of people asked me what part of North Carolina I was from. I was a little taken aback at first. Yes, I was from North Carolina, but that didn't have much to do with why I was taking photos of the monument, since I gave fairly equal attention to several other worthy sculptures. It turned out they were from my home state. |
The Virginia Memorial is the largest monument on the ridge. It features a group of soldiers below a high podium, on which sits General Lee astride Traveler, his beloved horse. There is a short walking trail to the right of the monument leading to the spot where Lee met his troops after their repulse on July 3. It is a terrific spot from which to take in the battlefield's layout. To the right, you can see the Codori Barn, where General Pickett viewed the charge, and Cemetery Ridge is just visible over half a mile straight ahead. Farther down the ridge is a farm and marker indicating the spot from which the Mississippian William Barksdale launched his violent attack against Union forces around the Peach Orchard and Cemetery Ridge. It was about the closest the Rebels came to success on this part of the field on July 2, but Barksdale never knew the final result because he fell dead during the assault. By the time we reached the end of Seminary Ridge, it was nearly lunchtime, so we took a couple of hours break to eat and do a little shopping. I checked out a couple of military collectible stores on York Street but didn't feel like plopping down a few hundred dollars for anything today. It is a lot of fun to look in these places. Later I stopped at The Horse Soldier shop (you must see it to believe it). Its collection was not far behind the visitor center's in quantity and quality. |
Back on the tour, we headed up Little Round Top. If you have ever read Killer Angels or seen the movie Gettysburg, you will remember this as the location where Joshua Chamberlain's 20th Maine protected the Union flank with a valiant charge when it ran low on ammunition. Though the movie and book over-dramatized the event, the real thing had more than enough drama to go around, and it was one of many heroic acts along the little rocky hill that day. Whether because of the movie, the great views from the top, the time of day, or something else, Little Round Top was packed with people. Before we reached the large two-story New York Monument, we parked and backtracked a little up a foot trail to visit the site of the 20th Maine's stand. There is a fairly simple monument naming the regiment's Gettysburg dead. I am a great admirer of Joshua Chamberlain, and I was moved to see the spot where his most famous exploit happened. |
In its current condition, with the boulders, low rock wall, and wooded surroundings, it was not hard to visualize the position of the Union flank and the Confederate assault that hot July day in 1863. Luckily, we were alone part of the time at the monument. The crowds were on the open face of Little Round Top. We climbed the New York Monument and walked along the edge of the hill for marvelous views of the battlefield, particularly the Devil's Den area. In fact, in the distance we could even see much of Seminary Ridge and the hills beyond. Photographers should enjoy the scenic monuments as well. The Zouave Monument and the monument to General Warren are two favorites. |
The next stop was Plum Run, the low, marshy ground between Devil's Den and Little Round Top. Plum Run was choked with dead bodies during the second day, and its pools turned red with blood. There is a nice infantry monument out in the grassy area to which you can walk, but watch out for the wet ground. Just up the road a bit, we stopped at Devil's Den, a group of massive boulders that marked the end of General Sickles's forward line on July 2. The Confederates captured it and a few guns that sat above the rocks before continuing toward Little Round Top. Plum Run and Devils Den provided the best views of Little Round Top. It was not hard to visualize what a tough assignment it was to attack across such steep and boulder-strewn terrain. |
The Wheatfield was next in line on the tour. We drove through woods, passing the Irish Brigade Monument, and came upon the large open field that saw some of the costliest fighting at Gettysburg. A park sign showed in graphic detail some of the carnage that took place in this location, and a couple of cannons sat on the highest point. We moved on to the Peach Orchard, now much smaller than in 1863 and the Trostle Farm, where General Sickles was wounded. I found lots of cannons and farmland to photograph at these sites. The orchard was a prominent artillery position for both sides during the contest. |
The drive continued across Cemetery Ridge to the huge and beautiful Pennsylvania Memorial, a massive marble edifice. I took a few photos of the front, trying hard to cut out all the traffic and people, and then walked into the monument to shoot the battlefield framed by the arches. The last stop on our tour was "The Angle," a jutted out portion of the Cemetery Ridge position against which Longstreet's attack (Pickett's Charge) was thrown on the final day at Gettysburg. Here I found lots of photo subjects in the highly restored cannons and caissons, along with the low stone wall and monuments. A couple of Confederate monuments showed where General Armistead died within Union lines (see the movie Gettysburg) and where North Carolina troops came within feet of reaching the wall. I found it difficult to do photographic justice to this part of Cemetery Ridge because the Copse of Trees and many of the monuments were surrounded with yellow tape. Most shots had to be closeups to aviod the tape and all the people. I returned again one early morning and had the place all to myself, still with the tape though. |
We had planned to dine at Farnsworth House Inn that evening, which advertised authentic Civil War era food. There were so many people at the restaurant that they were completely turning away anyone without reservations, so we were at a loss for what to do. We settled on Gettysbrew Pub and Brewery, which was out in the country a little ways from our hotel. This is a great place to go if you have kids. The restaurant/brewery is located in a large barn that served as a hospital following the battle. The interior was large and rustic. The dining area was divided into two sections by a fireplace. One side had a corner play area for kids. We brought a few toys to the table for Claire but eventually just let her go off on her own after she finished eating. I had a platter of three different types of sausage and really enjoyed it. A mug of root beer made a nice accompaniment. What a time we had when we returned to the hotel that evening. A tour group of senior citizens had moved out, and a massive group of middle school kids had moved in. They occupied almost every room in the two-story building. Oh my... They did nothing but stand in the halls and talk, when they weren't running up and down them. It was getting late, and we had to put Claire to bed, so we called the desk several times to complain about the noise. I even went out in the hall and spoke to a couple of seemingly helpless and unconcerned chaperones. Eventually, and I do mean eventually, the hotel sent a security guard up. Every room had its phone placed out in the hall to prevent calls, and the doors were all taped shut. The guard walked up and down the hall, constantly knocking on doors at the least little sound, to tell the kids in no uncertain terms to stop making noise. We slept well. The next morning, for the second consecutive day, we had no hot water. The hotel ended up charging us for only one of three nights because of the water and kids, so we saved close to $200. After that, we actually felt the kids and cold water were positives. The lesson Gettysburg is popular with school groups, and you don't want to stay near them if you can help it. On day three in Gettysburg, we did a little shopping and visited the National Cemetery and East Cemetery Hill in the morning. East Cemetery Hill contains a few monuments and several artillery emplacements. The National Cemetery was established very soon after the battle and dedicated on that renowned day in the fall of 1863 when Honest Abe himself spoke those ageless words beginning "Fourscore and seven years, ago today" We saw a bagpipe band in the visitor center parking lot and several guys in British army uniforms. When my wife asked an employee what group it was, he responded with "I don't know; we get all kinds here; all I know is there are a hundred people running around in kilts." He wasn't exaggerating by much. I also took a drive by Lee's headquarters, located in a brick building at 401 Buford Ave. just to see it. I will take in its exhibits next time. |
The rest of the day was all for Claire. We drove up to HersheyPark amusement park just on the other side of Harrisburg (less than 1 ½ hours drive). The park was open for a special Halloween event. It was a lot cheaper than usual because entry was free. We only had to pay for the rides. Before the park opened, we went to the Hershey's Chocolate visitor center next door and took the tour. A little boat-like contraption whisked us through a series of exhibits showing the manufacturing process. Claire really, really liked the ride. Somehow, to our amazement, she left the gift shops and led us back to it for a second trip (she was only 1 1/2). We just followed along. There was a hot-air balloon launch afterwards, and then we spent the next five hours riding in the park. HersheyPark has some good adult rides, but what we really enjoyed was the unusual number of rides for younger children like Claire. She was able to ride most by herself. I will never forget her circling on the helicopters, going "wee! wee!" Claire spent the evening dressed as a little ladybug for Halloween. HersheyPark is a great diversion from all the history if you have kids. Since then, nearby Harrisburg has opened the National Civil War Museum, so you might want to make it a full day to see both. |
The rest of the day was all for Claire. We drove up to HersheyPark amusement park just on the other side of Harrisburg (less than 1 ½ hours drive). The park was open for a special Halloween event. It was a lot cheaper than usual because entry was free. We only had to pay for the rides. Before the park opened, we went to the Hershey's Chocolate visitor center next door and took the tour. A little boat-like contraption whisked us through a series of exhibits showing the manufacturing process. Claire really, really liked the ride. Somehow, to our amazement, she left the gift shops and led us back to it for a second trip (she was only 1 1/2). We just followed along. There was a hot-air balloon launch afterwards, and then we spent the next five hours riding in the park. HersheyPark has some good adult rides, but what we really enjoyed was the unusual number of rides for younger children like Claire. She was able to ride most by herself. I will never forget her circling on the helicopters, going "wee! wee!" Claire spent the evening dressed as a little ladybug for Halloween. HersheyPark is a great diversion from all the history if you have kids. Since then, nearby Harrisburg has opened the National Civil War Museum, so you might want to make it a full day to see both. |
This page was last updated on: April 1, 2005
