~~~~~(I've) Come to Look For America ~~~~~
In May of 2025 we took a wonderful vacation to Massachusetts and saw so many histoeical sites. It got me thinking about our previous history vacations, including Colonial Williamsburg back in 2016 and our three vacations to Gettysburg - our first real history vacations back in 2005, 2006, and 2008. But when I searched in this Passion for the Past blog to check out and reminisce about our Gettysburg vacations, well, that was very early in my blog writing and I really didn't know at the time how to make it all come alive, so I was a bit disappointed in my original post, especially in the lack of pictures.
Well, guess what?
Luckily, I still have all of my original Gettysburg vacation photos. Plus, back then, I used to keep a somewhat detailed journal, which I also still have.
Luckily, I still have all of my original Gettysburg vacation photos. Plus, back then, I used to keep a somewhat detailed journal, which I also still have.
And that's why I'm re-doing the post.
Updating, rather.
Doing now what I couldn't do back then.
We are at the 250th - the Semiquincentennial of the United State becoming an independent nation - and I thought it a fitting time to do an update of our Getttysburg trip by adding more photos, enlarging others, and filling out the text with more history as well as adding more remembrances. And please note that all four of our kids were still kids, not yet adults, so all went with us.
By the way, we also went to Harper's Ferry and Antietam while we were there in 2006. A posting for that will be coming up soon, probably shortly after the turn of the new year.
~0O0~
As noted, we've been to Gettysburg three times - 2005, 2006, and 2008 - and each was just as wonderful a visit and lesson as the other. However, it seems that most visitors concentrate on the actual battles out in the farmer's fields and pays little mind to what happened in town. You can't have one without the other - - and in those two visits we tried to do it all - - and the photos herein are a combination of both visits.
So---with the melody of "Lorena" in my head - - -
"The Battle of Gettysburg was fought on July 1, 2, and 3, in 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War. The battle involved the largest number of casualties of the entire war and is often described as the war's turning point.
Being a major Union victory, Gettysburg ended Confederate General, Robert E. Lee's, ambitious second quest to invade the North and bring the Civil War to a swift end. The loss there dashed the hopes of the Confederate States of America to become an independent nation."
We as a family were steeped deep into Civil War reenacting at this time, and, per usual for us, Patty & I and our kids all wore our Civil War clothing for much of the time we were there. Yes, we toured the battlefields, but also the homefront - the town itself - because much excitement occurred there as well.
One of the things I was most excited about during our 2008 visit was that we were going to stay in the Tillie Pierce House!
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| The Tillie Piece House - just before checking in. |
What's so special about staying at the Tillie Pierce House?
Well, just look at the history here:
Well, just look at the history here:
Matilda J. “Tillie” Pierce was born in 1848 in Gettysburg. She was 15 years old when the Battle of Gettysburg was fought in July of 1863. She watched the Union army march through town, and at the urging of her family, Tillie and some friends left the town and went to what they thought would be a safe farmhouse. Jacob Weikert’s farmhouse was located at the base of Little Round Top.
During the battle, Tillie provided water and food to the soldiers and assisted the surgeons and nurses caring for the wounded. On July 7, 1863, she went back to her home. In the aftermath of the battle, the Tillie Pierce House became a crucial refuge for the wounded soldiers. Tillie, along with her family, opened their home to care for the injured, transforming it into a makeshift hospital. Later, she recalled: "The whole landscape had been changed and I felt as though we were in a strange and blighted land."
This historical home, built in 1829, had seen its share of wounded men during the 1863 battle, and in 2008 had just opened up as a bed & breakfast - we were one of the first guests to stay there.
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One of the visits Robbie's friend Jonathan came along, while for the other visit Tommy's friend Ashley joined us.
As per our usual, we were on the road by 4 a.m. and all went very well on the ride out. That is, until we got to East 30, which takes us into town. It is an extremely steep (ascending and descending) mountain pass that makes the engine smoke going up and the brakes smoke going down. It’s so bad in fact that they have gravel run offs for the truckers (and cars, I suppose) who lose their brakes. I was really worried about my 1997 Ford Econoline - can't afford to have anything happen to it.
We finally made it into Gettysburg by mid-afternoon and checked into the Quality Inn and, as soon as we got our suitcases in the room, we were off walking down Steinwehr Street, going in the shops. We ate a late lunch at the Dobbin House Tavern (built in 1776), a great atmosphere in which to dine,
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| The Dobbin House, built in 1776! |
After eating at the Dobbin House, we were off visiting the town and shopping once again. Late in the afternoon, Patty and I went off to the Corner Clothiers store - a period clothing store - so I could pick up my new sack coat made from an 1861 pattern that I had ordered a couple of months earlier.
By nightfall we were back at the hotel where everyone but me went swimming in the indoor pool (I chose not to swim but watched Patty and our kids do so).
It was a warm and sunny day.
We woke up early and put on our period clothing. We remained in our period clothing for the next three days. After our free breakfast (courtesy of the Quality Inn), we checked out of the motel, and then took a ride up Taneytown Road. At the time I was writing a sort of Time Travel story based around Gettysburg. It was a story of us - my family and I - and how we somehow awakened in January of 1863 about five miles out of town in a house on Taneytown Road.
It was a warm and sunny day.
We woke up early and put on our period clothing. We remained in our period clothing for the next three days. After our free breakfast (courtesy of the Quality Inn), we checked out of the motel, and then took a ride up Taneytown Road. At the time I was writing a sort of Time Travel story based around Gettysburg. It was a story of us - my family and I - and how we somehow awakened in January of 1863 about five miles out of town in a house on Taneytown Road.
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| My imagination must've been a little psychy, for it seems that what I wrote about from my own imagination came to life. Even the house I had written about, the one in which we awakened in in the past, was there, though one must imagine how it would have looked back in 1863 rather than its current state. |
To write this story I did my research to make it very real-to-life; I studied maps and citizen history who lived in and outside of the burrough, which helped to give me a lay out. I even saw a map of the road and researched the lay of the land and of the structures there. So, while on vacation, we drove nearly 5 miles to the exact location where my time-travel story takes place. As it all turned out, the lay of the land was very close to the description in my story…not bad for never having been to that particular location before! I was even able to see and photograph Mt. Joy Lutheran Church, which played a prominent role in my story.
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| I was aware of this church through my research, so I knew it was there. This Mt. Joy church is not the original, unfortunately, The original church burned in a fire in 1890. But, still, it was cool to see the land that, before this visit, was only in my mind. |
After our Taneytown Road excursion we parked in the back of the Tillie Pierce House in the middle of town at the corner of Baltimore and Breckinridge streets. New owners had purchased the old house, restored it to its original features, and turned it into a bed & breakfast.
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The Tillie Pierce House~ This photograph was taken by Lisa De Cusati |
However, being the busy bunch we were, before we checked in, we went on a guided Civilian Tour to hear the stories of what the citizens of Gettysburg experienced during the great battle. We had the same company and guide as we did on our first trip, back in ’05. We really enjoyed it tremendously. It really put the whole battle into perspective. Many people do not realize just what went on in that town during the summer of 1863, and this tour will give you that understanding of what took place on the streets. It could be a movie in itself.
And so it was, by mid-afternoon we checked into the Tillie Pierce House Bed & Breakfast.
Initially we had some concerns: the weather was pretty warm for April and a bit stuffy, and the room we had, although fairly large, was too small to accommodate all of us, and Rosalia had a fear of staying there (she told Ashley she could feel someone staring at her…someone who couldn’t be seen). Another concern was trying to keep everyone busy with no TV to watch. But the owners, Keith and Leslie, were extremely nice and, since there would be no other guests staying there that night, gave us – at a reduced rate – another room for the overflow. In fact, it was the actual bedroom of Tillie Pierce herself! They also gave us a couple of roll-away beds to use. Now, if that isn’t courtesy, I don’t know what is. Keith also promised to have the air-conditioning on for us when we returned from our day out (which he did). So, it was off to shop and walk around town once again and, upon returning, everything was set up for us perfectly and comfortably.
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| The 2nd floor landing had a photograph of the home's namesake. |
The landing on the 2nd floor has a small shrine to the namesake of the home. It's really kind of cool, in an eerie sort of way (see the pictures above and below).
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| To the left is the original painting that hangs on the landing. On the right is the same painting, only I colorized it. Just having some fun is all. |
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| Behind me, from where I am standing to take this picture, is the Tillie Pierce portrait we see in the photos above this one. That's my daughter following my wife down the stairs. |
The rooms for let, just so you know, were filled with antiques, including the beds we slept on. It was great – can you just imagine? Here we were...dressed in period clothing and staying in an actual Civil War house in Gettysburg! Just wow!
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| Tillie's room. |
Sadly, the couple of pictures I took of the suite/master bedroom turned out pretty crappy. But...
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| Here is a shot of one of the front bed chamber room. Each sleeping room was somewhat similar in looks and in decor'. |
As we hung around the house I got a phone call from JEB from the 21st Michigan (JEB, Bruce, and Ray also went to Gettysburg two of the same times we also went – driving separately from us, of course) inviting us to Little Round Top to watch the sunset. We accepted and drove out there in the early evening. That really set a great mood – how beautiful!! Patty said that was one of her favorite parts of the trip. I took some good pictures – most of which turned out really good.
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| Watching the sunset from atop Little Round Top |
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| My wife watching our son watching the sunset. |
When we left Little Round Top to go back to the Tillie Pierce House, we stopped in town and ate at a pizza place called “Tommy’s.” It was so-so quality – pretty greasy - but we were hungry.
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| Here it is!! Just down the street from Dobbin House! |
Starving good.
Back to the Tillie Pierce House we went where everyone was good and tired and went straight to bed, for night time had come. Some of us stayed in what they called the suite while others slept in the Tillie Pierce room.
I couldn't sleep for I was too wound up, so I decided to stay up for a bit. While in my period clothing, I went to the un-used darkened front bedrooms (all bedrooms were on the second floor) to look out to see Gettysburg at night. Below us and also across the street I could see there were ghost tours going on. Gettysburg is considered the most haunted town in America, in case you didn't know. So I decided to see if I could scare anyone by just standing there in my period clothing, maybe looking like a spirit from the past, but no one looked up at the window I was in. I even moved the curtains to try to get their attention but, unfortunately, no one noticed, so I went back to our room. I found out the next day that Tommy did the same thing and got the same response that I got - nada. He would have been even cooler, being dressed as a Civil War soldier. That would have been a riot if we could have given a bit of a fright to a few folks on a ghost tour.
Later that night, while lying in bed, I heard a few creaks, a couple of raps, and light footsteps up in the garret (attic) above us. Tommy said he heard the same thing. Could it be? Hmmm... Probably the oddest thing I heard was the ticking of the wind up clock (that was already in the room when we got there), which became very loud for about a minute – yes, LOUD – then quieted back down. Was it something supernatural? If it was a spirit of some sort, I think it liked us. Maybe because we were in period clothing - who knows? Whatever the reason, I felt very comfortable and slept great, dreaming about our day's activities. Rosalia fell asleep very quickly, considering how afraid she was initially. They say kids can see and feel unworldly things better than adults. By the way, Keith told me that he heard groans the previous morning – I didn’t tell anyone else in the family.
Still...we had another day of beautiful weather.
Later that night, while lying in bed, I heard a few creaks, a couple of raps, and light footsteps up in the garret (attic) above us. Tommy said he heard the same thing. Could it be? Hmmm... Probably the oddest thing I heard was the ticking of the wind up clock (that was already in the room when we got there), which became very loud for about a minute – yes, LOUD – then quieted back down. Was it something supernatural? If it was a spirit of some sort, I think it liked us. Maybe because we were in period clothing - who knows? Whatever the reason, I felt very comfortable and slept great, dreaming about our day's activities. Rosalia fell asleep very quickly, considering how afraid she was initially. They say kids can see and feel unworldly things better than adults. By the way, Keith told me that he heard groans the previous morning – I didn’t tell anyone else in the family.
Still...we had another day of beautiful weather.
The next morning we had a wonderful omelet breakfast - cooked by Leslie - that we ate in that beautiful period dining room. A fine meal, that was!
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| From the front parlor looking to the dining room. |
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Bed-n-Breakfast~ We got the bed and then awoke to a wonderful breakfast. Dressed for the day. |
What was neat was that we had the dining room to ourselves, for there were no other guests staying there yet - kind of like it was ours'.
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| In the dining room. |
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| Notice the hearth on the left - simply beautiful. |
Unfortunately, because they were going to have a full house for the next couple of nights, we could not stay another night there (there was no way we could all fit into one room – even the large Elizabeth Thorn suite that Patty and I slept in), so, by mid-afternoon, it was back to the Quality Inn.
I took many photos of our stay at the Tillie Pierce House, in case you hadn't noticed (lol), for it's not often one can stay and sleep in an actual historic house, a house that was a part of the Battle of Gettysburg. So naturally I snapped quite a few images - many many more than shown here.
I want to state again that staying in that historical house was the toppermost of the poppermost (for you Beatles' fans). What an honor.
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| Before we left, we got one final group picture on the Pierce porch. |
Each visit we toured the battlefields, and between those and the home tours we took we received a very well-rounded history lesson.
We went to all of the hot spots, such as Spangler's Spring, Culp’s Hill, and the west end of Reynold’s Woods, at Willoughby Run. We also went to the Sachs covered bridge (off the beaten path – built in the 1850’s). JEB said that General Longstreet hung three deserters there and supposedly their spirits remain.
It was a beautiful bridge.
All this is coming up.
But first:
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| The First Shot for the Battle of Gettysburg Marker is on Chambersburg Pike (US 30) at Knoxlyn Road, three miles west of Gettysburg. |
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| McPherson's Woods - Willoughby Run |
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| McPherson Barn |
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| The woods of Gettysburg farmer John Herbst are west of the Lutheran Seminary on the south side of Chambersburg Pike. |
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| General John Reynolds's last words at the Battle of Gettysburg were, "Forward, men, forward! For God's sake, and drive those fellows out of the woods!" |
Up next:
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| Spangler’s Spring at Gettysburg is a natural spring on the south base of Culp’s Hill. |
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It was occupied by each side during the battle, and for a time was in between the lines. Legends developed that local truces were called during the night of July 2nd where both sides allowed the other to pass safely to the spring to fill their canteens. But there are also documented instances of fighting around the spring during this time.
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In 1895 the War Department constructed a permanent stone and concrete cover over the spring because of damage from heavy usage by park visitors. Visitors could drink from the spring using a metal dipper and small trap door. After the National Park Service took over administration of the battlefield it was decided to stop this due to concerns with groundwater contamination.
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| And there we were... |
I got reservations to have us all eat lunch at the Cashtown Inn, which was built in 1797. It is a bit out of the way to get there, but truly a historical and beautiful place.
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| General Robert E. Lee and his staff passed the Cashtown Inn on the morning of July 1, 1863, while listening to the sounds of battle near Gettysburg. |
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| Earlier, on June 29th and 30th, A.P. Hill's Corps had assembled and marched past the inn on its way toward Gettysburg, with Confederate troops occupying the area around the inn for headquarters and strategic purposes. |
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The sign and the placard:
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The "Confederate troops marched east from Cashtown, moving toward the Union lines outside Gettysburg. Some were wounded in battle and carried back to the inn, where the basement became a field hospital. Surgeons worked without anesthesia, sawing off arms and legs in a desperate attempt to save lives. It was said that the discarded limbs stacked against the wall blocked the light from entering the cellar. The smell of blood and death filled the air."
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| The original fireplace is still there. |
"For years guests and staff have reported hearing heavy boots pacing the hallways. Doors rattle and knobs turn as if someone is trying to get in, yet no one is there."
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| I am very glad we got to enjoy a lunch in such a historical place. Just think...breakfast that morning at the Tillie Pierce House, then lunch at the Cashtown Inn! |
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| My bride and I on the front porch swing justa' swingin'~~~ It wasn't swinging empty on this day! |
On July 3rd the battle begins at Culp's Hill in which over 22,000 Americans fought for seven hours of sustained close combat as the fate of the country hung in the balance. It is safe to say that over one-fifth of all the lead fired during the battle, well over a million rounds, was fired on Culp's Hill on July 3rd. As one Union soldier remembered, "The whole hillside seemed enveloped in a blaze. Minnie balls pattered upon the breastworks like hailstones on a housetop. Solid shot went crashing through the woods, adding the danger from falling limbs of trees to that from erratic fragments of exploding shells. The whole hill was covered with the smoke and smell of powder. No enemy could be seen. To expose oneself above the breastworks was certain death." When the battle ended a little before noon the Confederates were forced to give up ground that they had controlled for the first time in the battle.
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| Culp's Hill. |
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| My two oldest sons walking down Culp's Hill. Of course, in 2008, it was a much safer place to be, even in Yankee blue uniforms. |
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| We are peering at the General George Sears Green Monument, a bronze statue of the Union general placed in 1906 on the position he defended with his troops. |
During each Gettysburg visit, we walked the length of Pickett's Charge.
Pickett's Charge was a failed Confederate infantry assault on July 3, 1863, where around 12,500 Confederate soldiers marched across a nearly mile-long open field under heavy Union artillery and rifle fire to attack the center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge. The attack, intended to break the Union position and achieve a decisive victory, resulted in catastrophic Confederate casualties—approaching 60%—and marked the climax of Lee's failed invasion of the North.
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| The 'Round Tops' can be seen in the distance as we crossed~ The charge of Major General George Edward Pickett (more commonly known as Pickett's Charge) was ultimately a futile all-out assault on an extremely fortified Union position. Many historians consider Pickett's Charge to symbolize the turning tide of the war for the Union Army, although Lee's army fought on for nearly two more years. |
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| The Copse of Trees at Gettysburg was the focal point of Pickett's Charge on July 3rd, 1863, the last day of the battle. |
Confederate Brigadier General Lewis Armistead was mortally wounded while leading his brigade, waving his hat from the tip of his sword and reaching the Union stone wall known as "The Angle". His advance represents the farthest Confederate penetration, a moment often called the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy".
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| Armistead died two days later in a Union hospital from his wounds. |
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Pickett's brigades, excluding artillery losses were 2,376 casualties: 442 killed, 572 wounded, 750 wounded and captured, and 613 captured out of 5,238 for an average of 45% casualties. My son, seriously contemplating exactly what occurred there. It's so hard to imagine. |
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| Friend Jonathan (on the left) came along with us for one of our visits. |
Our next stop was at Cemetery Hill, which was a crucial position during the second day of the Battle, with a significant Confederate attack on East Cemetery Hill failing to dislodge Union forces. The battle for East Cemetery Hill on July 2, 1863, was a bloody struggle where Confederate forces briefly breached the Union line but were ultimately pushed back by Union reinforcements, securing a critical Union victory and cementing Cemetery Hill as part of the Union defensive line.
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| Compare this etching to the photo below. |
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| "In November 1853, the call for the creation of a new cemetery began, and by the following year, Evergreen Cemetery was organized." |
"There is so much about Gettysburg that is historic, pivotal, and sacred.
One place that shares all three perspectives is Evergreen Cemetery, located on Cemetery Hill. The eponymous name was given because of the civilian cemetery that was created there, established in 1854."
(from The Gettysburg Experience)
We went inside the gates to check out the headstones to see the notables who were buried there.
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| This is not Elizabeth Thorm's tombstone. This is a monument dedicated to her and her actions during the battle. |
This platform is the spot where President Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous speech on November 19, 1863, during the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery.
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| However, I've recently learned that further research disputes this location. Either way, it's a fine memorial. |
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| The cemetery is directly behind me. In 1863, the cemetery on Cemetery Hill was the civilian Evergreen Cemetery, which was later site of the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery on November 19, 1863. |
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Since my sons and friend Jonathan were dressed in their Union Blues, we took every opportunity to snap pictures of them in strategic locations.
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| The scenery is actually beautiful, until you hear that so many men died here. |
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| Over-looking the Burrough of Gettysburg from Cemetery Hill. |
From here we will jump into another part of Gettysburg's Civil War history that will actually bring us right back to the Evergreen Cemetery:
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| The Farnsworth House, built in 1810. |
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It is said that from this garret window, a Confederate sharpshooter accidently shot and killed Ginny Wade. |
During the battle, 20-year-old Ginnie Wade, her mother, and her sister, Georgia, sheltered in Georgia's house, which though they thought would be safe was actually caught in the crossfire.
Ginnie's sister, Georgia (Georgeanna) Wade McClellan, had given birth to a son named Lewis Kenneth McClellan on June 26, 1863, just days before the Battle of Gettysburg began. Ginnie, along with her mother, moved to Georgia's home to help care for the newborn baby and the family during the impending battle with the hope they'd be safer at that location.
Throughout this ordeal, she repeatedly offered comfort in the way of foodstuffs and water to the Union soldiers who were combating the Confederates outside the home.
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The house Ginny Wade was in when struck by a Confederate Sharpshooter's bullet. She was making bread to hand out to the Union soldiers. |
On the morning of July 3, 1863, Georgia's nervousness was heightened by the situation, particularly concerning her newborn son. Some accounts say Ginnie was reading from the Bible when her sister became uncomfortable. It's said that Ginnie then offered her life in place of her sister's and her nephew's by stating, "If there is anyone in this house that is to be killed today, I hope it is me, as George [Georgia] has that little baby".
At about 8:30 A.M., while Ginnie stood in the kitchen kneading bread dough, a Confederate musket ball smashed through a door on the north side of the house, pierced another into the kitchen, and struck Gin in the back beneath her left shoulder blade embedding itself in her corset, killing her instantly.
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| Here is the dough trough that Ginny was at when the bullet came through the door behind her. |
The cries of her sister and mother attracted Federal soldiers who carried her body to the cellar. Later she was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in a coffin some Confederate soldiers had fashioned for an officer. In the early afternoon of July 4, Jennie's mother baked 15 loaves of bread from the dough which Ginnie had kneaded.
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| The bullet hole. |
Ginnie Wade was the only civilian casualty of the battle of Gettysburg.
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A statue in Ginny Wade's honor. You might've noticed I call her Ginny and not Jennie. That's because she was known to her contemporaries and family as Ginny...or sometimes just as Gin. A newspaper story wrote her name as Jennie and that name stuck. But I'll stick with what she was known as in her day. |
And then we find ourselves back at Evergreen Cemetery:
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Inscription Aged 20 years 2 months KILLED WHILE MAKING BREAD FOR THE UNION SOLDIERS |
Birth
May 21, 1843
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Death
July 3, 1863 (aged 20)
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania,
Burial
Evergreen Cemetery
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Georgia lived to 1927, and her week old baby, Lewis Kenneth McClellan, died in 1941.
Now we'll head over to Devil's Den:
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| We walked to the most well-known area of Devil's Den |
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| “Home of a Rebel Sharpshooter” - Alexander Gardner, July 6, 1863 "Later analysis revealed that Alexander Gardner had staged the image to intensify its emotional effect. Though this practice was not uncommon at the time, its discovery made the photograph the subject of controversy. Gardner moved the soldier’s corpse and propped up his head so that it faced the camera. He then placed his own rifle next to the body, emphasizing the soldier’s horizontality and the cause of his death." (taken directly from the Museum of Modern Art page)
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| Without us blocking the view. |
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| Looking at the Round Tops from Devil's Den~ |
And this leads us to our next location:
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| Little Round Top (from Devil's Den) |
During the Battle of Gettysburg, Little Round Top was the scene of intense fighting on July 2, 1863, where Union forces successfully defended the high ground against Confederate attacks. The strategic importance of Little Round Top was initially overlooked, but Union General Warren recognized its value and ensured it was fortified. The defense, particularly by Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain's 20th Maine Regiment, became a pivotal moment in the battle.
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| Looking at Devil's Den from Little Round Top~ Devil's Den is in the circle - this whole area is known as "The Valley of Death" because of the amount of casualties that took place here. |
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| A bit to the right of the previous picture... |
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| I'm so glad we were able to bring all four of our kids to such a historical place! |
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| There we see a statue of General Meade |
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| As the monument says... |
Let me take you where the action is - - - - or...was...
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| Taken from the Gettysburg movie, we see Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, as played by Jeff Daniels, leading his men. |
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Very close to that same spot~ For more than an hour, the fighting on the slopes of Little Round Top continued, eventually drawing to a close when Colonel Joshua Chamberlain's 20th Maine, exhausted and out of ammunition, fixed bayonets and forced the bewildered Confederates from the ridge. That occurred at this very spot. |
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| Here would have been the men of the 20th Maine as seen by the 15th Alabama |
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| My son 'took a hit' on Little Round Top. This was not done during a reenactment, but while we were just sitting and staring...imagining... You should have seen and heard the cameras clicking from tourists when he did this! The age before cell phones took over everything and actual cameras were used. |
Remember earlier in this post about how Tillie Pierce and some friends left the town of Gettysburg proper and went to what they thought would be a safe farmhouse? Well, Jacob Weikert’s farmhouse was located at the base of Little Round Top - little did anyone know this was where some of the most fierce fighting would take place!.
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| The George Weikert Farm: It is through Tillie's memoir “At Gettysburg, or What a Girl Saw and Heard of the Battle” that we know much of what occurred at the Weikert farm. |
When they returned, they were in for a gruesome sight. The house, being used as a temporary field hospital, was filled with the wounded from both armies. Six men died in the parlor alone. The remains of hasty operations, bones, amputated arms and legs were piled high in front of a window.
From Google:
"Sachs Covered Bridge in Gettysburg is known for its Civil War history and alleged hauntings. It was used by both Union and Confederate troops during the Battle of Gettysburg, and legend says that three Confederate soldiers were executed on the bridge for desertion. Visitors and paranormal investigators have reported various ghostly encounters, including disembodied voices, shadowy figures, and the feeling of being strangled."
AI Google
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| Built by David Stoner in 1852, the historic Sachs Covered Bridge was used by both Union and Confederate Troops during the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg |
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| "In the daylight, the bridge is truly a picturesque scene, with stunning streams of water and elegant wooden construction. Once under the cover of night, however, the atmosphere quickly changes to a rather frightening setting. (From Civil War Ghosts) |
The Rose Farm was at the center of some of the fiercest fighting of the war on the second day of the battle. The farm included the Stony Hill and the Rose Woods. It also included a twenty acre field where over 20,000 men engaged in brutal and often hand-to-hand combat. Over six thousand men were killed or wounded there. Ever since it has been known simply as The Wheatfield.
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| The area was called the Wheatfield because it was a 26-acre wheat farm owned by the Rose family at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg. |
The thick stone walls of the farmhouse and barn provided shelter to the Confederates of Semmes’ and Kershaw’s Brigades, and the farm buildings were used as a Confederate field hospital. It is estimated that between 500 and 1,000 Confederate soldiers were buried on the property
A few civilians from the 21st Michigan reenacting unit also came out and joined us in Gettysburg in, I believe, 2006. We took a Gettysburg homefront tour together.
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| Ahhh...---the year we had a gang of us civilians (and a few military) come along. I lead us on a home tour, using the information from a few of the books I have on the subject, especially my favorite: Firestorm at Gettysburg. However, Abraham Lincoln behind us there is actually a statue! |
(Authors) "Slade and Alexander, both journalists, uncovered a stash of papers in the archives at Gettysburg in 1977, and have used them to produce a compelling collection of personal stories from one of the most famous battles ever fought on American soil. Lavishly illustrated with period photographs and drawings, some of which have never before been published, this book recreates the six-month period from June 1863 through Lincoln's famous address at the dedication of the national cemetery in November in the words of the citizens of Gettysburg, many of whom were women and children. This is a new perspective on an otherwise thoroughly examined topic."
And this is the main book in which I used for the tour.
Nearly the entirety of Gettysburg is historical, as you shall see.
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~I snapped this image at the corner of Washington and High Streets~ TILLIE PIERCE: “June 30 - A crowd of us girls were standing on the corner of Washington and High Streets as the soldiers passed by. Desiring to encourage them who, as we were told, would before long be in battle, my sister started to sing the old war song ‘Our Union Forever.’ As some of us did not know the whole of the piece we kept repeating the chorus.” |
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| The Broadhead Home: "As we past up the street we saw wounded men coming in from the field. Though our enemies, I pitied them. For a time we forgot our fears and our danger. All was bustle and confusion." |
"The Broadhead House in Gettysburg was the residence of Sarah and Joseph Broadhead, a comfortable brick home located at 217 Chambersburg Street. Sarah, a teacher and member of the Society of Friends, documented the civilian experience of the Battle of Gettysburg in her detailed diary, which provides a firsthand account of the town's ordeal, including taking shelter in the basement during the fighting and caring for wounded soldiers afterward."
From the placard:
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| Ginnie Wade Birth Home |
"In this modest weatherboard house, constructed ca. 1820, Mary Virginia “Jennie” Wade was born on May 21, 1843. Wade, the second of six children of James and Mary Filby Wade, spent her childhood here, attending local schools and helping with her father’s tailor shop. In 1854, the family moved to a new house on Breckenridge Street.
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| In 1863 this building was the home of the John and Martha Scott family, and Martha's sister, Mary McAllister. |
From the placard:
In 1863 this building was the home of the John and Martha Scott family, and Martha's sister, Mary McAllister.
On the morning of July 1st, Mary McAllister went across the street to the Christ Lutheran Church to volunteer as a nurse.
During the Union retreat through town that afternoon, Mary braved the combatants and bullets in the street and returned home to find her front step "...covered with blood," and cautiously entered, "...expecting to find [her family] all dead."
Her fears were unfounded. The Scotts were unharmed and busy attending a crowd of wounded and unwounded Union soldiers seeking aid and shelter inside the building. Confederates arrived and captured the soldiers without incident; the severely wounded were permitted to remain in the family's care. The house served as a hospital to these wounded until after the Confederate retreat.
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From 1856-1871 is was the home to the Gettysburg Female Institute. Look at the second floor. Count three windows from the right. The little black spot to the left of that third window is an artillery shell sticking in the wall. |
The Gettysburg Female Institute was in operation for fifteen years, at first with David Eyster as Principal and Rebecca Eyster as Vice-Principal.
The students of Rebecca Eyster’s Young Ladies Seminary were studying in this “old Academy Building” on June 26, 1863. One of those students, Tillie Pierce, described the arrival of the Confederate troops from Seminary Ridge in her book: “Rushing to the door, and standing on the front portico, we beheld in the direction of the Theological Seminary, a dark, dense mass, moving towards town.”
According to Tillie Pierce, Mrs. Eyster told her students, “Children, run home as quickly as you can. It did not require repeating. I am satisfied some of the girls did not reach their homes before the Rebels were in the streets.”
We went to the Gibson Photography Studio to have our tintypes taken. It was one of our best experiences! Ron Gibson uses an actual 1867 camera and posed us authentically. The tintype turned out excellent.
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| Tin-Typist, Rob Gibson, is a well-known modern "period" photographer who has done covers for Civil War Historian magazine as well as taken tintypes of the actors from movies Gods & Generals and Cold Mountain. And now us! |
I seem to remember taking pictures inside the studio but, sadly, I can't find them.
But...think about it---we were in Gettysburg in our 1860s period clothing...and we walked to his studio and had our tintype raken---just as would have been done in the 1860s!
This was a great souvenir!
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The Gettysburg Train Station was built in 1858 and opened in 1859. On July 1, 1863, the purpose for Gettysburg’s railroad station changed when it became the first army field hospital even before the Battle of Gettysburg began. On November 18, 1863, enthusiastic crowds gathered outside this depot depot in hopes of catching a glimpse of President Abraham Lincoln as he arrived in Gettysburg for the dedication of the national cemetery (the Gettysburg Address). |
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| A depiction of this same depot from pretty much the same angle in early July, 1863 |
Facing "the Diamond," we have the David Wills House. In this picture you can make out a few from our group:
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| Abraham Lincoln stayed at the David Wills House in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the home of attorney David Wills. Lincoln stayed there in November 1863, the night before he delivered the Gettysburg Address, and he used the bedroom to make the final edits to his famous speech. |
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| The bunting shows Lincon's bed room when he stayed here in November of 1863. |
I really enjoyed the town's green - the "Diamond" - and snapped a few shots:
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| Looking up Baltimore Street from "The Diamond" |
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| Looking in the same direction as the previous photo---in 1869. |
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| The same 1869 photo as above, only I cropped it to see the far distance a little better - - by golly! That's a horse and cart there! |
However - - - -
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| A painting of "The Diamond" as depicted as it may have looked in 1863. The gray building near the center is the David Wills House. |
By the way, with very few exceptions, pretty much all photos were taken by me - and if I'm in the pictures, then it was taken with my camera.
Part of the reason for this update is a sort of American History Vacation series. I've been to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, Boston, Lexington & Concord, and Plymouth---all in Massachusetts. So I've seen some wonderful American history. And, God willing, I plan to visit more: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island in my own state of Michigan. I have little interest in going to other countries; England would be cool for a Beatles' tour. But that's about it. There's too many places here in the USA I want to see.
By the way, coming up probably after the first of the year will be postings on our trips to Antietam (in Maryland) and Harper's Ferry, (in West Virginia).
Visiting Gettysburg is a fantastic experience! I always learn something new. And, what really helps the experience is wearing period clothing, even when we went out to eat at fast-food joints. We were stopped so many times by other vacationing visitors so they could take our picture, and the residents certainly appreciated it as well.
I can’t say what my favorite part of Gettysburg is, but I really enjoyed staying in the Tillie Pierce house. I also really liked watching the sun set from Little Round Top. The tours we took were excellent. I suppose I should say that I just liked it all, just being immersed in all that history.
I can’t say what my favorite part of Gettysburg is, but I really enjoyed staying in the Tillie Pierce house. I also really liked watching the sun set from Little Round Top. The tours we took were excellent. I suppose I should say that I just liked it all, just being immersed in all that history.
Until next time, see you in time.
For first-hand accounts of witnessing Abraham Lincoln in Gettysburg, click HERE
Would you like to check out my other (I've) Come to Look For America posts, all filled with American History and loaded with photos?
Yeah?
Well, click HERE for links to my six posts centering on our trip to Colonial Williamsburg
Yeah?
Well, click HERE for links to my six posts centering on our trip to Colonial Williamsburg
Click HERE for our Boston/Freedom Trail trip
Click HERE for our Lexington & Concord trip
Click HERE to come along as we visited the Concord Museum
Click HERE to visit The Henry Ford Museum, filled with Americana
vacation
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