GETTYSBURG

JUNE 24, 2008

This was not a trip TO Gettysburg, but to Lancaster. Carl and I just stopped

briefly by for a quick look around so I could take a few pictures. There are

not really all that many of them, therefore, as we had little time. Some day

I'll go back and do it up right!

This one I took off the side of the road as we headed down a mountain on Rt. 30. It's

very hazy, alas, but you can still get some sense of how far you can see. For non-hazy

views like this see HERE.

This was directly across the road behind me as I took the top picture. I liked the way the

mosses grew on the rocks.

We drove south out of the town of Gettysburg to the main section of the battlefield. Carl pulled

off on the shoulder of the Emmitsburg Pike, which runs through the battlefield so I could take this

shot of the area of Pickett's Charge. The charge started back there at the line of trees where you can

barely make out the monument. In July of '74 we walked the entire way from the monument (with me

gathering wildflowers to press) and crossed the Pike....

...continuing on up the slight slope to where the tree on the left is, which is where the Union lines

were behind a low rock wall. That's called The Angle. If you go back and forth between these

two pictures, you get a good idea of the distance the charge covered, or attempted to cover.

Cover is an interesting word as there simply was...none.

Looking back at the origin site of the charge...

The Angle

I walked across the Pike and took a view looking southeast toward the two

Roundtops...

Looking out toward the Union lines...

The Pennsylvania monument

We parked behind Little Roundtop and walked up the path through the shade...

...then you come out on top and the whole battlefield is there...

Looking from Little Roundtop off toward Devil's Den

I zoomed in to get a closer view of the Devil's Den area. We drove down there next and

followed the path on the right that curves up behind and around them.  The single dark tree

above and just to the right has its own close up a bit further down.

I simply could not believe the absolute perfection of this!! I was still atop Little Roundtop and

there, lo and behold, was this man seated on a rock in front of a cannon...his attire, his pose,

his walking stick...everything...was perfect!!! I was on beyond delighted! He looked the

incarnation of a Victorian traveler. It's my favorite shot of the whole trip.

On Little Roundtop, looking north toward the Pennsylvania monument.

The path back to the car from Little Roundtop was lined with split rail fencing and

the split rail fencing was loaded with poison ivy. It grew quite lushly everywhere and

I couldn't help but wonder what role it may have played in the battle.

From Devil's Den looking back up at Little Roundtop.

That single tree behind Devil's Den.

This fascinated me...a tale of a boulder and a tree. The boulder was there, the tree grew

and split the boulder rather cleanly, then later the tree died and will eventually be completely

gone, but the split boulder will remain.

The part of Devil's Den where the famous post-battle picture was taken of the

dead sharpshooter.

Carl, bless his heart, is very used to me suddenly hollering, "Stop! Stop the car!" and then

my leaping out to take a photograph. We were driving westward across the more southerly

portion of the battlefield when I saw this and, well, hollered!

Same area as above.

It was beginning to look like it was going to rain again and we still had a ways to go to

Lancaster...and the area of the battlefield I still wanted to see was the wrong way up a

long one-way road, which meant we would've had to go all the way back into town and

back out again...so we didn't. I took this one last shot looking eastward toward both

Roundtops.

BACK TO FLIGHT 93 SITE

ON TO AMISH COUNTRY

BACK TO JO'S OTHER PLACE