Henry T Harrison Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 I will be leaving tomorrow morning at dawn for five great days in Gettysburg. I will be staying at historic Gettysburg college and attending the Civil War Institute. Five days of talks by some of the greatest Civil War historians and battlefield tours by folks like Scott Hartwig. I was there last year and what an experience. The best part is after it is all over I get to spend a night on the way home with my four month old twin grandsons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Have a great time, Pard. Those grand kids are the stars of the show. Gettysburg is a daunting place. I will always remember my visit and it was only for a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowtown Scout, SASS #53540 L Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Have a great time. We look forward to your report and photos upon your return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Brules Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 I hope you enjoy the trip and that the speakers provide good historical information. It sounds like a once in a lifetime experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del Rio Pete Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Gettysburg is on my bucket list now. Can't wait to hear your report on Gettysburg and twins. Enjoy the moments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okiepan Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Your lucky wish I could have seen it again , haven't been there since 1981 , when I partisipated in the 118th Abby reenactment , bet it has changed a bit, enjoy your time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyrus Cassidy #45437 Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 You know, I did an in-depth study of Gettysburg as a young Second Lieutenant who had never been in combat. I have an intense interest in both history and in military tactics, including 19th century tactics and "Napoleonic warfare." I did a "staff ride," or battlefield tour with other officers, all 2LTs, to the battlefield. That time, it was just an academic endeavor. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I had never been in combat so it was purely academic. I returned as a Major who had seen the elephant. This time it was on my own; I was stationed at the pentagon, which is just a few hours down the road, so I took a weekend trip up to Gettysburg. Having been in combat, the experience was much different that time. I could relate to the men on both sides, and could almost literally smell the smoke as I imagined what it must have been like to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with brothers and walk into a wall of lead. It may have been over 150 years ago, but I still feel a connection to each of those men -- blue and grey (and butternut!). Standing on the top of Little Round top and imagining being on either side gave me chills; it was a significant emotional event. Standing on the Confederate side of the Picket's Charge field made me think, "THEY CHARGED ACROSS *THAT*?!?!?!?" I've been on the receiving end of artillery ("Huh? Whaddya say!?"), and it was easy to imagine what it would have been like to march across that field with my friends' bodies being torn to pieces. For someone who has studied the effects / importance of terrain on military operations, Gettysburg (along with Antietam / Sharpsburg and Fredericksburg), reads like a textbook. Have fun, but don't forget those men and what they went through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 I do not understand how they did it. Picket's charge is something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Color me jealous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noz Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Gettysburg affects me like Dachau. Too many dead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Brules Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 I lived only a few miles from Dachau for some time. Each time during the maybe 8-10 times I visited there i cried and prayed for the helpless dead. My two visits to Gettysburg overwhelmed me with a profound sadness that is much different, as I felt I had lost family to some tragic misunderstanding. The dead there belong to all of us and teach us we are one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar_slinger Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 Looking forward to your report. I've never been to Gettysburg but it is on my list of places I want to see. I've read a lot about it and the Civil War in general. My biggest fear for our country is that the current generations have lost a sense for the past. History is barely taught in schools and what is taught is so tainted with the revisionism of political correctness the students have little idea what went on before the Kardashians. Those who do not learn from and understand the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them. I am envious of your trip to Gettysburg and would very much like to read your full report on the experience. GS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolling Stone Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 I lived only a few miles from Dachau for some time. Each time during the maybe 8-10 times I visited there i cried and prayed for the helpless dead. The cemetery at Andersonville prison did this sort of thing for me. Overwhelming sorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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