Civil War Battlefields

General Stonewall Jackson

It is our first full summer here and now we will have experienced all four seasons on the east coast. Although it is humid, it is a welcome relief to escape another scorching Arizona summer.

We got notification just last week that Tom's active duty tour will be extended and we will be here until end of January 2012. Time is of the essence now and I am determined to see as much of the area as possible and not to squander our precious time.

In my last blog, I had written about our fun vacation with my sister Mary Beth and brother-in-law Bob. They were excellent house guests, but they did have one flaw- the inability to keep an aerobed inflated for an entire night.  Inevitable, we would hear the motor powering up again to re-inflate the bed as the Thouvenels found themselves on the floor once again. I don't recall what night they were victorious in a good night's sleep- but it may have been the night before our trip to Gettysburg PA.

Brother Bob requested this trip and I am so glad he did. The 150 year commemoration of the beginning of the Civil War is this year and the battlefields have many special events to mark the event.
http://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm

Gettysburg is only about 90 miles from where we live and it was doable in a one day trip. The Pennsylvania countryside is so green and beautiful.  Now I know why my friends' Carol,  Linda and Sue love it there.

The town of Gettysburg has a small town flavor and it is chock full of small museums, restaurants and antique stores. It would be a fun place to spend a leisurely weekend. The east coast seems particularly interested in ghosts and I think it is because of the enormous numbers of  civil war casualties that may or may not have made it to an appropriate resting place due to the vast numbers.

We visited the Gettysburg National Military Park first, The building is fairly new and just beautiful. The exhibits are superb and a highlight was the cyclorama 360 degree visual and auditory reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg which took place July 1-3 1863. 
It must have been a special Boy Scout event day as the place was swarming with well-behaved (of course) Boy Scouts touring the museum. 

We had made reservations on line to take a guided bus tour of the battlefields and it was well worth it. Our tour guide was really good and  so knowledgeable.   www.gettysburgbattlefieldtours.com


 The bus made several stops and we disembarked and she described the events of each day of the battle. The battlefield is managed by the National Park Service and  it has been restored to it's natural state. You can actually see the vistas where the soldiers marched in and what tactical positions each side took and why-fascinating.


Apparently in the 50's subdivisions were built on the battleground property and the houses have since been cleared out with the exception of one lone hold out who refuses to budge.  I also didn't know that President Eisenhower and his wife Mamie had a getaway PA farm in Gettysburg. www.nps.gov/eise/

The names of Little Round Top , McPherson's Ridge and Cemetery Hill  ran through my mind on the trip home.  I would certainly recommend a trip to Gettysburg if you are ever in the area- a very memorable experience.





We spent one day of Memorial Day weekend at the Manassas National Battlefield  Park, site of the first and second battle of Manassas (aka Bull Run).  It is less than an hours drive from our place and it makes me feel so lucky to have history practically in my own backyard (if I had one).

In both Gettysburg and Bull Run there were one civilian fatality each. At Gettysburg, an unfortunate woman was killed in her own kitchen when a stray sniper bullet found her. See, I told you it was dangerous to spend too much time in the kitchen!  In Manassas, an elderly woman refused to be evacuated from her sick bed in her home even though the battle was actually raging on and around her farm. A cannonball destroyed her home and consequently she lost her life.  I think how scary it must have been for the citizens  of these communities to be right in the thick of things. 


The Henry Hill Visitor Center was our first stop- very nice and low key. A contrast to the more updated and slick Gettysburg visitor center. www.nps.gov/mana
The first battle took place in July 1861 and the second in August 1862.  I think how hard it must have been to be in battle in the first place and then to wear wool uniforms in the heat of summer. Especially sad when you see the pictures of so many young men whose lives were cut short.

  We also drove to The Brawner farm Interpretive Center and The Old Stone House.  It was a very hot day and the crowds were sparse. We took a 30 minute walking tour from an earnest volunteer rookie who did a good job. We all postured around the nearest shade tree and enjoyed the beautiful vistas.  The only distraction were two brother who I would guess were 3 and 5 years old. Who could blame them for fussing at something they couldn't possibly understand and to stand and walk in the heat! 

We concluded the day with a dinner at The Cracker Barrel restaurant.  It seemed we were in  the South and not a stone's throw from a busy urban area. I had Southern fried chicken and greens-delicious. 


There are more battlefields to see and we hope to get to Fredricksburg sometime soon. I am having my usual struggles with captioning my photos- but hope you enjoy them nonetheless.