Gettysburg Battlefield

There are many ways to see the battlefield:

By horse

By wagon

By self-guided auto tour

By bus

By foot

By Segway

We opted for walking, the self-guided auto tour and a bus tour that was offered by the FROG rally.  The battlefield is so large and interesting we visited it 3 times.  The 24-mile auto tour includes 16 stops and traces the 3-day battle chronologically.  It takes a minimum of 3 hours to complete.  There are 1,320 monuments, 410 cannons, and 148 historic buildings.

The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the Civil War.  It's some of the most hallowed ground in the United States.

One of the first stops on the tour is the Eternal Light Peace Memorial.  Seventy-five years after the battle Civil War veterans helped dedicate this memorial to "Peace Eternal in a Nation United."

Close-up of flame

Here are some of the monuments in the battlefield:

The grandest of all monuments is the Pennsylvania monument:

We parked at the foot of Big Round Top and climbed the trail to the summit.  Big Round Top was heavily wooded and was not an important military objective during the battle.

On the edge of a cliff, higher than the treetops below!

Little Round Top was the scene of heavy fighting on the second day of battle.

Union General Meade's engineer alerted officers to the Confederate threat.

View from top of Little Round Top with Devil's Den in the background

Close-up of Devil's Den

These large rocks offered cover for Union soldiers

The Wheatfield was the site of some of the most strenuous fighting that left over 4,000 dead and wounded.  It is said that there were so many dead soldiers and horses that you could walk across the wheatfield and never touch the ground.

Some of the artillery along Seminary Ridge:

There are several observation towers at key points offering panoramic views of the battlefield.

It was windy at the top!

Pennsylvania memorial to the right

President Eisenhower's farm

Town of Gettysburg in the distance

The dedication of Soldiers' National Cemetery was the occasion of President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863.  It is the final resting place for Union soldiers killed in the battle.

Lincoln Monument

 Two of the larger monuments in the cemetery:

Union soldiers' grave markers

Sections were added later for veterans of later wars

The number of soldiers killed and wounded in the Battle of Gettysburg is almost unbelievable.  For 3 days 150,000 soldiers clashed in a series of Confederate assaults and Union defenses.  The battle took a horrible toll on both sides with 10,000 soldiers killed or mortally wounded, 30,000 injured, and 10,000 captured or missing.

I highly recommend a trip to Gettysburg even if you're not a history buff.

Now we're off to Watkins Glen, New York!

Gettysburg, PA

We chose Gettysburg, PA to visit because of its historical significance and to attend the FROG  (Forest River Owners Group) Rally.  We arrived at Gettysburg Campground, on June 16, a week before the rally began.  It's a very nice campground with large, mostly shady sites and plenty of activities--swimming, shuffleboard, horseshoes, low rider bikes for rent and more!

Office

Love the plants at the office!

We're across the street from the playground

Low riders available for rent

Nice shady site

We spent a couple of afternoons walking around Gettysburg.  The historic downtown district has many shops and restaurants.  Some buildings have plaques on them to show that they existed in Gettysburg at the time of the battle.

Historic Downtown:

Historic Houses:

Across from Gettysburg College is the house where President Eisenhower lived with his wife and baby son when he was a captain and commander of Camp Colt.

Eisenhower Home

Holes are from minie balls fired during the battle

Historic Homes on or Near Gettysburg Battlefield:

Gettysburg College is a small, private liberal arts college in town.  It's a beautiful campus with historic buildings used for administration and classrooms.  Tuition and room/board is $63,000/year!

Gettysburg College:

The current administration building (below) was used as a hospital during the battle of Gettysburg

The FROG rally was from June 23-25 and was well attended with about 40 rigs.  There was a bus tour of the battlefield, pot luck meals, and a catered dinner.  We met many friendly people.  A special shoutout to Darryl and Angela, Hank and Gayle, Trish and Tom, Roy and Glenda, Peggy and Jim, and Judy and Bill.  We enjoyed getting to know you and sharing travel stories.  Hope to run into you again sometime.

In my next post I'll have pictures from the Gettysburg Battlefield...