Well, the morning's tour and lectures have zipped by, and it's time for some lunch! Our intrepid schedule-keeper, Luther, has gotten our KFC boxed lunch, and we stop along Warfield Ridge for a quick picnic. This was right on time, as many were getting a little hungry. Luther lets us know what time to be back on the bus, and everyone finds a spot under the trees to eat.
With everyone replenished, we are back on the bus, and headed for Little Round Top. This takes us to the southernmost portion of the battlefield. Harry describes the actions being taken in this section as we round our way through the woods. When we arrive at Little Round Top, Harry takes us down into the woods to show us where some Alabama troops were, and what they did that second day. This is the part of the battle where Joshua Chamberlain's Maine regiments held off the continuing charges of the Rebels on the southwestern side of LRT. This is featured somewhat in the movie, with Jeff Daniels portraying Chamberlain. Harry then takes us to where the Maine regiments memorial is, and gave a quick lecture on what chamberlain's men did here. They eventually ended up fixing bayonets, and fighting hand to hand, after depleting their ammunition. We then proceed to the shelf of rocks on the northern face of LRT, where the Federal troops had managed (somehow!) to get some cannon in place, facing north. This is incredibly rocky terrain, and it must have been very difficult to do. In the end, it turned out that this really was not an important strategic position. From this view, you can see the huge field of battle rolling up to the north to Cemetery Hill. Looking to the northwestern base of this hill, we see Devil's Den; a large rock formation along some marshy woodland. We loaded the bus, and headed down.
We wind down the hill, through the Wheatfield, and on to Devil's Den. As we disembark, Harry fills us in on what took place here. This was an area of some heated fighting. It ended up being an ideal place for sharpshooters aiming up at LRT. There is a few famous Matthew Brady photos from here. Click on this link to view his photos of the war. One, of a dead Rebel sharpshooter, is seen in many books about the war. The rocks are still like they were then, and Harry gives us a photo-op in that spot. Dad talks me into standing in that spot for a picture. We then board the bus, circle back through LRT, and head for Culp's Hill.
On the third day of the trip, our driver, Jim, commented that he had been on 8 Gettysburg trips, and that he'd been to places and seen portions of the battlefield that he never saw with the other tours. One of these places was Culp's Hill, where Ewell's men fought to take the right flank of the Federal line. There is another observation tower there, and we got a good view from the east side of the battlefield.
From here, we went back to our hotel adjacent to the visitor's center, where we were let go for a few hours to tour the town of Gettysburg. There are many interesting gift shops, and bookstores, one of which was real good. Dad had a few books to look for on his list, so we headed a few blocks down to find it. We ran into Luther on the way, and he joined us. I think after we left that bookstore, my Dad's luggage weight increased by 30 pounds! Luther left us after recommending a great ice cream shop, and we head out a few minutes later. Walking back up the sidewalk, we have a laugh as we get to this said ice cream shop, and we see Luther inside! We go in and Dad has to try it. I refrain. I'm looking for a cool hat, so we hit a couple of more shops until I find just the right one. We get ready for dinner, and head to a buffet up the street. After dinner, we are to meet at the National Cemetery for a lecture, at 7pm. I'll post pictures, then write about the cemetery.
