Now when I first found out about "Ghosts of Gettysburg," I thought it was just a hoax to attract visitors from all over. Though I was certainly wrong. Even though I do not believe in ghosts, I find the stories about them interesting. Not the…Read More

Now when I first found out about "Ghosts of Gettysburg," I thought it was just a hoax to attract visitors from all over. Though I was certainly wrong. Even though I do not believe in ghosts, I find the stories about them interesting. Not the stories of the happening of ghosts, but the history behind those ghosts.

When I first watched the movie on Ghosts of Gettysburg, I didn't know that I was up for a real treat. People reported having seeing ghosts appear right in front of their eyes. Not just regular ghosts, but Ghosts from the battle of Gettysburg. For instance, there was a reporting of this man who was driving around the roads viewing the battle scenes seeing men reenact the battle. The men were dressed in their full outfit, and were marching at the command of their officer. But when the guy observing the marching men looked away to his fellow friends, and looked back, there were no men in sight. The guy soon went to the question center and asked if there was a war reenactment, but the officer said no. The man then concluded he had just seen the sighting of ghosts marching away.

Again, there have been many ghosts seeings, and that was an example of one of them. Though I don't believe in Ghosts, that doesn't mean that this is interesting, because it is! For ghost believers, this is a once and a lifetime chance to find out if Ghosts of Gettysburg really truly exist...

Having read a book called "Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill" by Harry Pfanz a short time before my trip, I took it upon myself to storm Culp's Hill just like the Confederates attempted during the Battle of Gettysburg. Culp's Hill is adjacent to Spangler's…Read More

Having read a book called "Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill" by Harry Pfanz a short time before my trip, I took it upon myself to storm Culp's Hill just like the Confederates attempted during the Battle of Gettysburg. Culp's Hill is adjacent to Spangler's Spring on the battlefield. It was a rather unimposing mound at first glance, until I actually got out of my car and walked the perimeter. Armed with maps I photocopied from the book, I noted where each regiment was and remembered what they did from the book. It is easy to navigate the field with at least an idea of who did what where outlook. I came to the point where I thought one of the Southern regiments attempted to storm the hill - writing this some time later, I'd have to go back and retrace my steps to know EXACTLY which regiment, but let's not split hairs.

I began by trudging through the undergrowth of deep grass and weeds. The slope of the hill was deceiving; it did not look that steep from the base, and it was not a gradual ascent as trees, logs, and rocks offered up resistance to the easiest path. I quickened my pace and tried to imagine being 18 years old, loaded with gear, with bullets, shrapnel, and hell around me, "running" at quick-step up this hill through the woods on a stifling hot summer's day. I tried to run, but the small trees and rocks made it more difficult than I thought it would be. I reached the summit, slightly winded and a little humbled. The terrain was certainly more treacherous than I thought, but also the slope of the hill was greater, and I had to take an indirect route up the hill. Mind you, this is no Everest, and certainly not the largest or steepest hill I have climbed, but to consider the conditions a young man from Kentucky or Tennessee had to endure to receive the orders to charge up this land mass while others were trying to kill him, it might as well have been Everest.

One caveat, I'm not too sure if one is actually ALLOWED to ascend Culp's Hill in this fashion - there is a road one can take, but I felt that it necessary to immerse myself in the subject.

Every time we went on vacation as a family when I was a kid, my dad always fit something of historical relevance into the trip. Whether it be a fort, battlefield, baseball field or anything that would be of importance to the history of…Read More

Every time we went on vacation as a family when I was a kid, my dad always fit something of historical relevance into the trip. Whether it be a fort, battlefield, baseball field or anything that would be of importance to the history of our country he would make a point of visiting it. I'm not talking about the World's Biggest Ball of String here--actual relevant places. We all enjoyed these side trips, and the sites were often the reason for the trip. My father passed his love of history onto me. I get a big thrill out of discovering new things I had never seen or found before. I always promised myself that once I got a safe, reliable car I would make my way back to all the places we went to to see them for myself, as an adult and see if my mind could understand the importance of these places more. Unfortunately it took until I was about 27 before I got a car I could trust to get me where I wanted to go.

My Great-Great Grandfather fought in the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry during the Civil War. The 6th PA was a unique, distinguished regiment. They were known as Rush's Lancers. They were the only Union Cavalry unit in the Civil War to be outfitted with lances. The reasons for this are many but the main reasons were:

A)People had a romantic view of these massive cavalry charges as seen during the Napoleanic Wars
B)The lance was an intimidating and dangerous weapon in properly trained hands. The lances were soon abandoned as impractical. There would be no great clashes of cavalry, as there would be no great clashes of battleships in WWII. The great weapon of the early 19th Century faltered in the muddy, haphazard woods and swamps and fields of the Southern states during the Penisular Campaign. The 6th cut their teeth as couriers and message carriers for the Union generals during the early part of the war, they acted with well trained professionalism in all their campaigns and distinquished themselves in the Battle of Brandy Station in May of 1863.

Having read the annals of my great-great grandfather's regiment, the history of the Union Cavalry, the cavalry conflicts of Gettysburg, the actions on Culp's and Cemetery Hill, and the one-sided view of a soldier with Sheridan in the Shenandoah, I decided to find the relevant monuments of my ancestor in Gettysburg. These are the minor tales of my travels. I intend on going back and taking more pictures which will fit with in the parameters of the designated files size of this site. Most of my pix are over 200kb. Sorry.

The Gettysburg National Battlefield is a pilgrimage that I believe that every American should make during their lifetime. We were staying in Massanutten, VA (only about a 3-hour car ride) and decided to head up there to pay our respects and learn more about…Read More

The Gettysburg National Battlefield is a pilgrimage that I believe that every American should make during their lifetime. We were staying in Massanutten, VA (only about a 3-hour car ride) and decided to head up there to pay our respects and learn more about the battle that changed the outcome of the Civil War. We have a two-year-old and a three-month-old, so we didn’t get to do everything that we had intended on doing; however, we still had a great trip. I recommend seeing the Electric Map at the Visitor’s Center. It’s a 30-minute show that goes through the battle, day by day. It is very educational and gives you good background information before you start touring the battlefield. I recommend doing a guided tour if possible (at the very least, buying the audio tour and listening to it) - it only cost $40, and they will get in the vehicle with you and give you a very detailed account of the battle.

We spent most of the first day driving around and seeing different monuments. Our favorite location on the battlefield was Devil’s Den. Devil’s Den is a rock area that the Confederate snipers used to kill Union officers on Little Round Top. My daughter and I enjoyed climbing around the rocks, and she enjoyed getting on top of the cannons that were on display in the Den. We actually went back to Devil’s Den several times during our trip in order to play on the rocks. I definitely recommend getting on the ground and looking at what those brave soldiers saw during the battle. It was definitely the learning experience that I had hoped for when we decided to make the trip. You can read as much as you like about the battle, but until you step foot on Little Round Top and look at the Valley of Death, you cannot image how brave the soldiers were who both were trying to take the ground and trying to hold the ground. When we were at the high-water mark and looked back towards Seminary Ridge, I tried to image what Pickett’s charge must have looked like, and the fear that both sets of soldiers were overcoming during cannonade that had occurred moments before the charge began.

This is definitely a pilgrimage that I recommend, and that our family will make again when my children are older and can enjoy more.

On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln dedicated the Gettysburg National Cemetery. His speech lasted only two minutes and contained 266 words, but went into history as the immortal Gettysburg Address. Lincoln arrived by train at Gettysburg on November 18, and reportedly…Read More

On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln dedicated the Gettysburg National Cemetery. His speech lasted only two minutes and contained 266 words, but went into history as the immortal Gettysburg Address. Lincoln arrived by train at Gettysburg on November 18, and reportedly had written most of his speech on the train. He spent the night at the Wills House in the Square where he put on the finishing touches to his tribute to those who died to preserve freedom

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that ward. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate-we cannot consecrate-we cannot hallow-this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but is can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work, which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from these honored dead we take increase devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth".

Interestingly enough, President Lincoln was not the main speaker that day and gave his speech after a two-hour oration by Edward Everett, a famous speaker of that time. Everett’s remarks received front-page coverage in newspapers; Lincoln’s were on an obscure inside page. But it was Lincoln’s words that resonate even today.

I am a huge ghost believer, and Gettysburg was the place where I knew I'd find ghosts. After doing much research, I discovered that most of the tours in Gettysburg do not take you to the Triangular Field. This field has the most ghost activity.…Read More

I am a huge ghost believer, and Gettysburg was the place where I knew I'd find ghosts. After doing much research, I discovered that most of the tours in Gettysburg do not take you to the Triangular Field. This field has the most ghost activity. Paranormal investigators have visited this field and have had many experiences.

I highly recommend visiting the Triangular Field after dark. It is located behind Devils Den. You can stay in the battlefields until 10 at night. Take advantage of it!

Our first trip out of state was to historic Gettysburg. It is definitely a trip I will take again and again. My son is 11 years old and my stepson is 8 years old. They seemed to enjoy all the old artifacts and learning about…Read More

Our first trip out of state was to historic Gettysburg. It is definitely a trip I will take again and again. My son is 11 years old and my stepson is 8 years old. They seemed to enjoy all the old artifacts and learning about life in the civil war. My 5-year-old stepdaughters lost interest around the third battle site. My husband and I definitely did not have enough time to view everything we wanted to.

We had some strange experiences on the battlefields and at The Drummer Boy Campground, where we stayed. It was a very nice campground by the way, highly recommended. I will submit some pics at a later time. We got some pics and video of strange things. It was really neat.

Our second stop was Hershey Park. Of course the kids loved this place. It was very expensive, but aren’t all amusement parks? It’s too bad we did not have this travel package before we went!! AHG!!! The place has a lot to do and a lot of fun water rides. The chocolate factory is cool but also very expensive. We bought a lot of chocolate.

Our third stop was in northeastern Pennsylvania for my husband’s uncle’s annual pig roast, where our band played. We ate lots of great food and walked the grape vineyards.

Overall, our trip was great. I wish we would have done the coast-to-coast thing then. We can now and I can’t wait to take advantage of the benefits and TRAVEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was important for me to find the memorial for the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Even though my Great-Great Grandfather's name is on the Pennsylvania Monument-along with anyone else from Pennsylvania who fought in the Civil War--I felt a need to make a more direct…Read More

It was important for me to find the memorial for the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Even though my Great-Great Grandfather's name is on the Pennsylvania Monument-along with anyone else from Pennsylvania who fought in the Civil War--I felt a need to make a more direct connection. I needed to stand where he stood. Luckily for me the gift shop had a map/poster of all the locations of all the monuments on the battlefield. The monument I was looking for is on the South Cavalry Battlefield which is down the road from the main battlefield-where Pickett's Charge occurred. I got in my car and drove down the road a ways to try to locate the monument. After driving until I was almost in Maryland, I made the educated decision to turn around. I kept my eyes peeled, but since the road I was on was really busy, it was hard to look and not get run off the road. I had seen pictures of the monument in the books I had read on the history of the regiment, but I still could not find it. After several more U-turns and K-turns I started to get a little frustrated. Then suddenly out of the corner of my eye I spotted it. There, off the side of the road, almost in the woods, stood a obelisk surrounded by lances. I almost got rear-ended as I pulled off the road onto the grass. There was no parking spot and no shoulder, the side of the road was muddy and grassy and I once again patted myself on the back for buying an all-wheel drive vehicle. My anticipation grew as I walked up to the monument. It was much larger than I thought it would be. I felt a certain pride and excitement--what I call "getting my geek on". My ancestor was here, and he did something important. He would be proud I came here to admire his accomplishments. I snapped some pictures and also discovered what would become my next tattoo, the intertwined "6, P, and C" on the top of the monument. I hopped back into my trusty Honda and went back down the road. I had to storm Culp's Hill.Close