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| Memorial for Lincoln's Address/ Sutton 2021 |
The Gettysburg National Military Park is located in south central Pennsylvania close to the Maryland border. The Civil War battles fought there in July 1 through 3 of 1863 were critical in determining the future of the union.
On July 4th, heavy rains came and General Lee led the Confederate army away to the south after losing more than one-third of his men. The human toll was horrendous. As the tide of battle raged back and forth, casualties mounted to some 23,000 Union and 28,000 Confederates men.
Entrance to the Battlefield is free but there are fees for tours, a film, Cyclorama, and a museum. We decided to purchase a package onsite because of a fairly strict refund policy. We entered the visitor center when it opened at 9:00 am. We secured an 11:00 bus tour and got into the first film show.
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| Waiting for the Visitor Center to Open |
The informative film, A New Birth of Freedom, is narrated by Morgan Freeman and provides an overview of the three-day battle. Following the film, we entered the 360 Cyclorama painting of Pickett's Charge, which was also narrated. The painting is incredible and offers a sense of the battlefield as you walk around the room. Beneath the painting are battlefield artefacts adding depth to the experience.
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| A Cyclorama Scene |
We got the bus at 11:00 for a two-hour tour. The guide was a local history teacher who provided an excellent summary of the three-day battle as we stopped at various spots. He added personal stories to give you a behind-the-scenes feel for the 1863 battle.
One of the first stops was the memorial flame atop a hill giving a nice overview of the area leading to the July 1 battle.
We drove past various state monuments making our way to Little Round Top where the Union had the high ground advantage as can be seen in the photo below. In the distance to the right of center are the boulders of Devil's Den. We are learning about the second day of battle.
Our tour ends with a summing up of the events on Day 3. Although both sides lost so many men and the Union appeared to have the upper hand, General Meade did not pursue General Lee's troops. The war would continue another two years.
We left for a late lunch at a nearby restaurant then returned to see the museum. There was so much to see so it took us till closing time at 5 pm to wend our way through the story beginning in the prewar years. The museum contains what we would expect nowadays--uniforms, weapons, writings, enlarged photos, and historic films.
Unfortunately, like many museums I have reviewed on this blog, the old style lighting makes it difficult to read some text and masks some artefacts in shadows. The audio from poorly situated videos blends with ambient sounds of people having little interest in the experience and the seating leaves you twisting your neck to watch the screens.
Despite the shortcomings, I recommend the package unless you have considerable knowledge of the battle and the battlefield.
Before leaving the area, we stopped at the cemetery. As we entered, we saw the memorial honoring Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Nearby a guide waited to offer a free walking tour of the cemetery. This was most informative.
We learned about the symbolism on some of the memorials, poignant stories of a few soldiers, and the likely scene where Lincoln delivered his famous speech, which was likely not at the site of the attractive memorial below.
The Gettysburg Address
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Abraham Lincoln
November 19, 1863
In the photo below, a licensed guide tells about two lads from Rhode Island.
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Below is a video taken from Little Round Top showing the advantage of the Union troops looking toward the Confederate line. The group of boulders is Devil's Den. A few people in the video give some perspective on the size.
Some notes
There are two websites to check for information.
1. The National Park Service site: https://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm
2. The Gettysburg Foundation where you purchase access to the tours and other experiences:
There is a large gift store in the Visitor Center.
Restrooms are in the Visitor Center and elsewhere on the battlefield--see the official map for details.
There is a bag check upon entering the Visitor Center. When we visited in June 21, the sign said no backpacks but women carried in bags larger than my daypack and at least one man went in with a backpack.
You can take backpacks on the Bus Tour.
There are other tour options available.
The History Channel has a helpful overview of the Battle at Gettysburg
Link to information about Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
Suggestion: Watch Ken Burns' Civil War Documentary
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