Cemetery visit Gettysburg

[wolc123]

We stopped by to put 3 shiney Lincolns on the stone for my friends great, great great grandfathers 3 brothers who got killed in the big battle.

[wolc123]

21 hours ago, blackbeltbill said:

    The Regiment from my County-- Orange - was called the Orange Blossoms.  I had a few Friends who took part in Battles during the Summer Months and traveled around.

Have you visited Gettysburg ? Lots of it is closed now due to covid.  We saw the monument to general Reynolds today.  He was the corps commander for the 3 Cramer boys and was also killed on July 1 1863.

 

[sodfather]

I have been there but was to young of an age to appreciate history. I would love to go again someday.

[Lawdwaz]

We took our kids probably 10 years ago......we all enjoyed it.

[wolc123]

The Eisenhower farm is always my favorite part on our yearly trip here.  It is still closed due to covid but we did a drive by today.  The crowds are way down which is kind of nice but has to be hurting the businesses.

[Daveboone]

The view from Little Round Top puts the whole battle field into perspective.

[wolc123]

1 hour ago, Daveboone said:

The view from Little Round Top puts the whole battle field into perspective.

That is where the tide turned during the civil war on July 2 1863.

Prior to that day at that place the rebs were winning and after they were losing. 

[Daveboone]

incredible book on the aftemath of the battle "A strange and Blighted Laond"....I forget the authors name...written by one of the guidesat Gberg, about the field of battle and the local repercussions. The scene he painted in your mind describing the field after Picketts charge was sheer horror.

[wolc123]

 

4 hours ago, Daveboone said:

The scene he painted in your mind describing the field after Picketts charge was sheer horror.

We viewed the cyclorama today which depicts that scene on a 380 ft long x 48 ft high oil painting 360 degrees around.  It was pretty impressive and worth the 15 dollar admission cost.  It was cool how they blended in the real artifacts in the foreground.  The girls liked the introduction movie narrated by Morgan Freeman the best.

 

[Chef]

I went to Gettysburg as a kid. We did a self driving tour with a cassette tape it was really cool.
I loved that tape and would actually listen to it at night when I was 10 and 11. Very cool place I can’t wait to take my son when he’s old enough to appreciate it.


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[G-Man]

The battle of little roundtop was nearly lost. The ny boys next to the 20th maine were taking fire from their rear as well as their front , they thought the 20th was lost not folded back against themselves.   The monument to Cole Oates ( Confederate) his furthest point of advance know as Oates boulder.  Really puts into perspective  how close they were to losing that flank, if not for the severe hot weather more than likely leading to exhaustion of confederates going up the hill several times they probably would have.  Stand firm yea boys from Maine  ( 20th maine reg.) Is a very good detailed read of how close it actually was,  years after the marking of the boulder was contested by the union men as to not be embarrassed how close it was. , the road thru the park had to be rerouted to. Accurately show the advance limits. 

[wolc123]

39 minutes ago, Chef said:

I went to Gettysburg as a kid. We did a self driving tour with a cassette tape it was really cool.
I loved that tape and would actually listen to it at night when I was 10 and 11. Very cool place I can’t wait to take my son when he’s old enough to appreciate it.


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We did the auto tour with the cd's with our girls last year.  They liked it. This year we returned to their favorite spots, one of which was the big PA monument.   Last year they were able to ascend the tower by a small, somewhat hidden stairway, during a heavy rain storm.   They were a bit disappointed this year to find the gate to that stairway locked.  They really enjoyed the Jenny Wade house tour a couple years ago, but that was also closed this year.      

38 minutes ago, G-Man said:

The battle of little roundtop was nearly lost. The ny boys next to the 20th maine were taking fire from their rear as well as their front , they thought the 20th was lost not folded back against themselves.   The monument to Cole Oates ( Confederate) his furthest point of advance know as Oates boulder.  Really puts into perspective  how close they were to losing that flank, if not for the severe hot weather more than likely leading to exhaustion of confederates going up the hill several times they probably would have.  Stand firm yea boys from Maine  ( 20th maine reg.) Is a very good detailed read of how close it actually was,  years after the marking of the boulder was contested by the union men as to not be embarrassed how close it was. , the road thru the park had to be rerouted to. Accurately show the advance limits. 

The film that Ted Turner made does a pretty good job of portraying the scene of the 20th Maine, with their ammunition nearly exhausted, fixing their bayonets and charging downhill on the rebs.  That film plays continuously in the gift shop at the visitor's center.   Not being much of a "shopper" myself, I watched it while the wife and kids were browsing around for what seemed like hours.      

[G-Man]

1 minute ago, wolc123 said:

We did the auto tour with the cd's with our girls last year.  They liked it. This year we returned to their favorite spots, one of which was the big PA monument.   Last year they were able to ascend the tower by a small, somewhat hidden stairway, during a heavy rain storm.   They were a bit disappointed this year to find the gate to that stairway locked.  They really enjoyed the Jenny Wade house tour a couple years ago, but that was also closed this year.      

The film that Ted Turner made does a pretty good job of portraying the scene of the 20th Maine, with their ammunition nearly exhausted, fixing their bayonets and charging downhill on the rebs.  That film plays continuously in the gift shop at the visitor's center.   Not being much of a "shopper" myself, I watched it while the wife and kids were browsing around for what seemed like hours.      

In. Reality the right angle Chamberlain formed was pressed back. To. Nearly 180* if not for his lost company on big round top joining during his bayonet  charge , things may have gone very differently.  Dont forget the wagon supply behind little roundtop was captured and destroyed during this battle.   The book. Really goes into detail of the. Actual battle. Using reports and diaries as well as archeology from the site.  There are sketches of the arrangement of lines made by soliders as well. It really was a last ditch effort that succeeded.  

[ANTLERS]

Back in the 90’s I was a cw reenactor and took part in the movie “Gettysburg”. Here’s my big scene with Tom Berenger and Martin Sheen. Marching off to die in the wheat field.

Edited July 12, 2020 by ANTLERS

[wolc123]

1 hour ago, G-Man said:

In. Reality the right angle Chamberlain formed was pressed back. To. Nearly 180* if not for his lost company on big round top joining during his bayonet  charge , things may have gone very differently.  Dont forget the wagon supply behind little roundtop was captured and destroyed during this battle.   The book. Really goes into detail of the. Actual battle. Using reports and diaries as well as archeology from the site.  There are sketches of the arrangement of lines made by soliders as well. It really was a last ditch effort that succeeded.  

The rebs had to be pretty well spent by that time, having been repulsed on so many prior attempts up that hill.   The biggest mistake Lee made was on day 1, when he had a big numerical advantage and did not secure the high ground.  By day 2, the Union had moved in enough reinforcements onto those commanding heights, to virtually assure that they would be held.   To this day, many try and blame that mistake on his subordinates.  Turner's film does a proper job of assigning the loss almost entirely on Lee (portrayed by Martin Sheen on the right horse on "antlers" photo) himself, as it should be. Longstreet's (on left horse) advice against the last day's doomed, back-breaking, day-3 "Pickets charge" attack went unheeded.   

Edited July 12, 2020 by wolc123

[DirtTime]

44 minutes ago, ANTLERS said:

Back in the 90’s I was a cw reenactor and took part in the movie “Gettysburg”. Here’s my big scene with Tom Berenger and Martin Sheen. Marching off to die in the wheat field.

I had no idea you were a horse.

 

 

I would like to get down there one day. Everyone I know who's been tells me it's a great place too see. Maybe I can talk the wife into the trip next year.

[G-Man]

8 minutes ago, DirtTime said:

 

I would like to get down there one day. Everyone I know who's been tells me it's a great place too see. Maybe I can talk the wife into the trip next year.

You can make a good combo trip as there are many caverns nearby including the luray and endless caverns, and many other battlefields  and winery's.  

[wolc123]

Don't miss the Eisenhower farm if you go.  That is always my favorite and it is about the most reasonably priced of any of the attractions down there ($ 9 adult, $ 6 youth under 12), and you can stay as long as you want with busses departing every 1/2 hour from the visitor center. Unfortunately, it was closed due to covid-19 this year.   They are limiting the cyclorama (at the visitor's center) to 50 % capacity this year.  That takes about an hour and costs $ 15 for adults.   This was the first time we did that and it was ok, but I like the Eisenhower farm a lot better, and so does my wallet.   

[wolc123]

5 hours ago, ANTLERS said:

Back in the 90’s I was a cw reenactor and took part in the movie “Gettysburg”. Here’s my big scene with Tom Berenger and Martin Sheen. Marching off to die in the wheat field.

That was a great movie.  I think I have it on VHS and I will have to watch it again when I get home.  Is that you in the bottom of the photos ?

I just learned another interesting tidbit about it.  I have been reading Schmuckler's 1021 page "History of the Civil war" from 1865.   On p. 742, he talks about a "Captain Patten" from 20th Massachusetts.   I thought maybe that was the famed WWII generals ancestor, but for the different spelling.  Upon looking it up on-line, I found out that old blood & guts's ancestors were Virginia rebs, and one of them "Col Waller Patton" was killed at Gettysburg, during Pickett's charge.   Guess who Ted Turner played in his movie ?   

Edited July 12, 2020 by wolc123