Gettysburg National Military Park

Gettysburg Blog - Part 2
Gettysburg was a very worthwhile trip. What surprised us was how emotional the experience was. In three days’ time there were 51,000 casualties, all Americans. As you hike through the many battlefields there are over 1000 monuments to those who gave their lives for what they believed in. You can read the stories of each battalion as you traverse the fields.

There are stories of companies who came with hundreds and only two or three returned home. There is a story of a dog named Sally, a Union mascot. She traveled with her soldiers from the North all the way to Gettysburg. Along the way she had puppies and her men made sure they all had good homes. This did not stop her, she kept traveling with them. She followed them into battle everyday and would not leave their side. Unfortunately, she was wounded and killed on the battlefield. Her men would not leave her and stayed on the battlefield to bury her where she lay. Only two of her company survived. They made sure she was included in the monument to their company. When these two soldiers came back for the dedication of the monument, they stood on either side of the monument so people could see Sally in the pictures.

Just as there are a thousand monuments to those who fought and died there, there are a thousand stories of incredible bravery of the soldiers of the Union and the Confederacy.

Besides the numerous roads and trails winding through the battlefields, there is an impressive visitor center that has a bookstore, museum, a film and a Cyclorama painting. The film is narrated by Morgan Freeman and the Cyclorama painting depicts Pickett’s Charge.

Below are two pictures of our faithful travel companion Rachel. Rachel passed away shortly after our trip to Gettysburg. She had been on numerous trips with us for the past ten years. She had flown with us, driven with us , hiked with us and swam in the Atlantic with us. She was ten years old and had battled a brain tumor for the past six years. In one picture Rob is holding her from a camping trip to Tomocca State Park in Ormond Beach, Fl. The second picture is Joan carrying her in a baby sling at Gettysburg National Military Park.
We will miss her.

Gettysburg National Military Park Information
1195 Baltimore Pike
Gettysburg, PA 17325

Phone: 717-334-1124
Web: https://www.nps.gov 

That wraps up our two part Gettysburg blog. As always, your comments & likes are appreciated. Thanks for joining us on our travels. Hope to see you again next week! Cheers! RC & JP