Choate Family: The Battle at Gettysburg

After several weeks of having our plans thwarted for one reason or another, we finally made it to Gettysburg. It was such a beautiful day – we couldn’t have asked for better weather. It was about a 2 hour drive so by the time we got ourselves and the kids ready in the morning then made the drive it was just about lunch time when we arrived. We decided that it would be best to go ahead and grab some lunch before seeing the sights. Tyler apparently didn’t like this idea and in an instant became that kid that single people look at and wonder if they will ever want kids.

I’m not going to lie about it, it was pretty rough. Forget about the fact that we just paid $25 for a hamburger, chili dog, and two chicken fingers, we were now two hours away from home and quickly coming to the conclusion that we were probably going to have to just turn around and drive right back.

Finally after a good half hour of flopping around on the floor and crying his eyes out, Tyler finally relented and started to act normal. Much like the Union Army at Gettysburg, just when we thought all was lost, we found a way to hold the line, keep the high ground, and win the battle. At least for us the cost was just $8 for some stupid chicken fingers that he never ate.

The museum was really impressive. It starts with a 45 minute video narrated by Morgan Freeman about the events leading up to the battle and the lasting impact of the events of those three days in July of 1863. It was Tyler’s first time in a movie theater and we weren’t sure how he would handle it (especially after the tantrum during lunch), but he was actually really good through the entire show.

After the movie, you’re taken to a 22 foot tall, 279 foot long, 360° mural of the battlefield known as the cyclorama. It is incredibly impressive in and of itself, but then they add some lighting effects and some storyline and it’s just amazing. The slideshow below has some pictures of the cyclorama, although I don’t think they really do it justice. I was able to see a similar painting when I visited the museum in Waterloo, but it’s a lot different when its the history of your country instead of others. Plus, Americans know that some cool lighting effects and booming cannons going off over a loud speaker can really bring out the true emotion of the painting whereas Europeans would probably just say that it detracts from the art. Whatever Frenchy.

After the cyclorama viewing, we walked through the museum itself. It’s always kind of tough to really get everything out of a museum when you’re chasing a 2 year-old, but we were able to glean bits and pieces as we walked through hallways of civil war memorabilia. As we exited the museum, Thesha looked at me and said, “Well, if you don’t feel pretty patriotic after something like that then you’ve got problems.” It really was a moving experience.

Lastly, we went to the cemetery where the Gettysburg Address was given by Abraham Lincoln for the dedication of the national cemetery. There’s a hill just next to the cemetery (Cemetery Hill) that was a significant location during the battle and it has now become a place for monuments of the various military commanders and regiments that were involved in the battle. The area has basically been left alone, so it wasn’t that hard to imagine what it would have been like to be camped there prior to the onslaught of Confederate forces. I think only those who have actually been engaged in such warfare could actually imagine what it would have been like during the fighting itself. The slide show below has some pictures overlooking the battlefield.

While we were able to see some really cool things, we quickly realized that there is a lot of stuff in the town that we wouldn’t be able to get to on this trip. There is obviously a lot of history there, but also some fun and interesting shops, restaurants, etc. We’re definitely looking forward to returning there again some day.

Here’s the slideshow of our sightseeing activities. If anyone wants the full-size (5mb/picture) versions just let me know and we’ll figure out a way to get them to you.