Day at Gettysburg

I woke up pretty early this past Saturday, and didn't feel up to the usual set of chores and functions. Keeping all this in mind, I decided to venture up to a place I had kept thinking of visiting, but had really made little effort to see---Gettysburg.

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I have always wanted to visit the battlefields of the Civil War, and deicded on making the trip yesterday at the very last minute. I'm glad I did, especially since they added a new visitor's center, which had its own set of engrossing displays and little vignettes on each aspect of the war, and the battle itself. The stormy weather added an appropriate level of seriousness to the visit.

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The story of the entire battle is one mesmerizing drama, but for me, the most compelling story took place on the 3rd and final day of battle--Pickett's Charge. That's when CSA General Robert E. Lee made the fateful decision to charge the center of the Union lines, after failing to break through the right and left flanks the prior two days.

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Here is what it looked like from the Michigan 7th Infantry Regiment perspective, facing the onrushing Confederate invaders from the Virginia and North Carolina brigades, along Cemetery Ridge, just south of the High Water Mark.

Here's what it looked like from the Confederate side, if you belonged to one of the North Carolinian regiments. As you can see, the distance between the two forces could be covered in a slow walk in less than 20 minutes.

I happened upon a family--ironically from Michigan, visiting the spot where the Michigan 7th Infantry held its ground. The father was wearing a Michigan Wolverines Swetshirt, and since he was visiting the Michigan 7th Infantry monument---I gathered he had to have some kind of tie from Michigan. And I was correct. He really knew the story of the 7th Infantry's role in repelling the attack, which was fascinating in and of itself.

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Needless to say, I really can't do enough justice to what happened on this last day of battle, and countless historians and books have opined their after-action assessments ad nauseum. Even a few speculate about how the progress of the war would have changed if things had turned out differently on just this one moment. The largest and bloodiest military engagement ever to take place in North America is one that will undoubtedly amaze, intrigue, and awe.

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I hadn't planned on staying at the park for more than a few hours, but I wound up spending the entire day. I hope to return again in the summer--with a better understanding of the key locales, and perhaps a new bike to ride around the park in. I also want to cover the skirmishes that took place the first day along the northeast part of the battlefield in more detail the next time around.