I had a 10 hour challenge: leave home, take in as much of Gettysburg as I could, and be home in time for dinner. Crazy goal but there you have it. The good news is that I succeeded and it was a great, albeit cold, day.
Heading up I stopped at the National Firefighters’ Memorial. Were it not for AAA I certainly wouldn’t have known it was there. Nowadays it’s in the middle of a compound which has been taken over by FEMA and all markers for the memorial have been removed. Security was tight but the effort was worthwhile. Turns out there was also a recently completed memorial in honor of the firefighters of 9/11. Too bad so few will ever see it.
Continuing up James Monroe Highway I soon arrived in Gettysburg. My first impression as I approached was from the fields littered with monuments and statues, 1,328 in total. I finally arrived at the National Battlefield Visitors Center only to realize that Martha (my navigation system) had taken me to the old facility which had long been closed but at least I had arrived.
When I got to the new Visitors Center and started to tour the facility I started to realize how significant those days of fighting were back in 1863 and how pivotal the battle was in the Civil War. The introductory movie was exceptional as was the 356 foot circular painting called the Cyclorama which depicted the battle’s scenes. The museum went on and on but touring it was painless because it was so interesting, so well done, and I was learning so much. Eventually I had to push on so I left and started driving around town.
Much of what can be seen is visible during a tw0-hour driving tour on a 31- miles of marked roads. Battlefields, homes, cemeteries, memorials and more are laid out to tell the story of those two and a half days. There were three platforms at key junctures to provide arial views of where the fighting took place. It’s remarkable how much can still be seen almost 150 years later.
For all that happened in Gettysburg, the one important event I knew about was Lincoln’s speech. Not the primary speaker of the ceremonies commemorating the National Cemetary, the 256 words took less than two minutes to deliver but became known as one of the most important speeches ever delivered. For the impact it had I was shocked to see it so brief and powerfully moved to learn of its meaning. Go here to learn a whole lot more.
Here’s a recording by a man who at age nine heard Lincoln give his speech.
Goose bumps!
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