Gettysburg

Yesterday, for the second time this year, I had the chance to visit the Gettysburg National Military Park. The first time was in September, as part of the Theories of War and Strategy course at the Army War College. Every seminar went on a detailed staff ride, guided by a military historian, that hit most of the major locations on the battlefield. I learned a lot and had a lot of fun; this informed my visit yesterday, when I took my daughters to the Copse of Trees and to Little Round Top. In between, we visited Civil War Tails, a small museum on the edge of the battlefield that is dedicated to recreating important Civil War moments with tiny clay cats. Here’s Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine defending Little Round Top against the 15th Alabama (Chamberlain is near the center of the picture, standing just behind the Union line, holding a sword):

And here’s Pickett’s Charge:
The dioramas (which also include Andersonville, Fort Sumter, and the Battle of Hampton Roads) are the product of many years of work from the sisters who operate the museum. They are deeply knowledgeable of the battles they depict, and did a better job of explaining the situation to my daughters than I could have done.

Highly recommended. And if you haven’t made it to Gettysburg before, the entire park is quite remarkable, with dozens of statues, markers, and memorials from the units and states that participated in the battle. The battlefield is quite large, and so rewards repeat visits.