Wednesday, Dn. Andrew and I drove down to visit Gettysburg. He being from North Carolina, we had much fun with our North/South rivalry. It was a bright spring day, and the park was full of dogwoods.

First we stopped at the Visitor’s Center and walked around the big graveyard on Cemetary Hill. There was a cemetary here even before the war, but now it is mostly devoted to fallen soldiers.

“Unknown: 425 Bodies”:

Japanese maples:

Here is where Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg address:

Pretty quickly, I caught the Honorable Deacon from North Carolina admiring that great President and champion for Union, Mr. Abraham Lincoln.

Perhaps he isn’t such a southern boy after all.

A soldier and a poet:

Tourists breaking for lunch:

Some buildings:

Across the Baltimore Pike, East Cemetary Hill had monuments for several generals:

Along the edge of the cemetary we found three or four bluebirds sporting in the trees. We weren’t able to get close enough for a photograph, but they were true bluebirds.

Back across the road, we found a place for lunch and, on leaving, spotted a surprising sign next door (photo credit: Fr. Dn. Damick):

About this time we decided to take the auto tour. Gettysburg is immense: a tiny town surrounded by battlefields. We spent about five hours visiting all the sites, and that was rushing the last part. The battle lasted three days. The armies met by chance on June 31, with Lee commanding the South and Meade the North. Fighting began north of town on July 1. By late afternoon, the Union line was shattered, and the troops fled south through town. They prepared to defend on Cemetary Hill and Culp’s Hill.

On July 2, Rebel troops attacked from East and West. The Union line stretched south along Cemetary Ridge. Parallel to the East, the Confederates took positions along Seminary Ridge. (Pretty confusing names, huh?)

Federal General Sickles, without approval from his superiors, stretched his troops farther south along the ridge, almost to Little Round Top. This gave him better ground to defend the Union flank, but his troops were stretched thin. Opposing him was Longstreet. After a bloody day of back-and-forth action, Confederates overran the Peach Orchard and the Wheatfield. They also threatened to outflank the Federal troops by crossing Little Round Top. General Warren saw the danger and sent an officer to find help. He met Colonel Strong Vincent, marching south to aid Sickles. Vincent rushed up Little Round Top and arrived minutes before the Rebels. His defending Union troops broke one charge after another, until all their ammo was depleted. Before the Rebels could attack again, Vincent ordered them to set bayonets and charge down the hill. This finished the Rebel assault. By the end of the day, the Confederates were forced to withdraw back to Seminary Ridge, unable to hold most of the land they had gained.

July 3 was the last day of fighting. Lee ordered a fatal charge across the fields between either ridge. One of the southern generals was Pickett, and a reporter following his ranks dubbed the assault “Pickett’s Charge.” Lee’s casualties were crippling. Although the southern troops eventually penetrated further than ever into the Union lines, their strength was shattered, and by day’s end they were driven back. On July 4 Lee withdrew to Virginia.

Andrew and I started our tour on McPherson Ridge, the site of the July 1 fighting. This long, shallow ridge is topped with a grassy field. The road runs along the ridge line. Looking north, you can see the woods from which the Confederates emerged:

Looking south, you can just see the Lutheran seminary on the edge of town:

The road is lined with monuments to the many regiments that fought all along the ridgeline.

Fighting that day began around 8 a.m. just west of the McPherson barn:

It continued until about 4 in the afternoon.

Here you can see the town from the near end of the ridge:

The view was even better up the observation tower:

The road—and the fighting—continued east all along the north edge of town.

Then the road cut southwest through town to Seminary Ridge. Here are some pictures of the local architecture:

Here we are driving along Seminary Ridge:

Behind us were some cows:

Here is the North Carolina memorial:

A little farther south was the Virginia memorial:

Lee.

In his own words, “Nothing is so like God as a general on the battlefield.”

This monument marked the beginning of Pickett’s charge. Here is the field they had to cross.

The Confederates had to hop fences like these:

In this next picture, the central copse of trees is roughly the “High Water Mark,” the farthest ground the Rebels gained before they were turned back:

Hiding in the woods we found Longstreet:

A peculiar monument:

Another observation tower:

The trees:

Little Round Top:

Big Round Top:

Here are Big and Little Round Top, side by side:

The Rose Farm:

To the left was the Peach Orchard, though it seems gone now.

A monument to the last surviving Civil War veteran:

Flowers on Little Round Top:

I can’t imagine charging down this hill with bayonets:

At the peak, a castle has since been built:

I wouldn’t want to be attacking this hill:

Here you can see, across the road, “Devil’s Den,” where the Confederates took up positions during the attack.

The castle roof:

Another dogwood:

Rocky ground:

Here is Devil’s Den from the ground:

The Wheatfield:

Looking up at Little Round Top:

More dogwoods:

Along the drive around the Wheatfield, we found a gorgeous Celtic cross:

The lovliest dogwood yet:

Heading north along Cemetary Ridge:

Pennsylvania gets the biggest monument:

A monument to engineers:

You can see all my photos on my Gettysburg page.