Gettysburg 150th Anniversary- July 1, 2013

     What a crowd there is in Gettysburg!  After breakfast in the hotel, we made our way to the National Park Visitor Center.   To park, we were directed past the regular lot, past the first three overflow lots, past the old parking lots for the torn-down Cyclorama building and the now-gone Visitors Center because they were all full.  We finally were directed to park in a field that was basically on Steinwehr Avenue on the far side of the "Fishhook."  It was quite a long walk back to the Visitor Center, and it was still before 10:00 in the morning.

     Scott wanted to have us sign the guest book at the Visitors Center, because we had signed it on the first day that the new building was open (April 14, 2008- http://www.tiggerly.blogspot.com/2008/04/monday-april-14-opening-new-visitors.html ), Scott thought it would be cool to have our names in it on the 150th Anniversary day too.  The rangers told us there wasn't a guest book and it must have just been something that they had done for the grand opening.  It was approaching 11, and there wasn't a crowd at the snack bar, so we ate an early lunch.

     Since we had worked so hard to get to the Visitors Center, we decided it was as good a way as any to start the morning.   We paid admission for the big attractions there: the movie, the Cyclorama, and the museum.   The movie is called "A New Birth of Freedom.". It was the first time we had seen it since its second ever showing on opening day.  It's ok, but works too hard to give the big picture of the war instead of details about Gettysburg.  It has been quite a few years since we've seen the Cyclorama, the 360 degree painting showing the repulse of Pickett's Charge.  It was not yet on display for the grand opening of the center.  It was a little crowded to take in the whole effect, but it was interesting.  We had seen the museum before, and it certainly has some remarkable pieces.  Scott's eye was caught by a cartridge box that was labelled as from "A German in the 11th Corps."  It and a belt turned out to be owned by a "Joachim Frank", of he 41st NY!  He was Jewish, so he's as likely to be related to Anne Frank as he is to us.

     After the Visitors Center, we made our trek back to the car, by way of the High Water Mark area.  Here, we got to show Anna and Emma the same area that they had seen pictured in the Cyclorama painting.  (Scott also got to see the area where he had camped 25 years ago, though it has changed a lot since then.)

     After refreshments from McDonalds, we drove to the north end of the battlefield where the fighting on July 1st took place.  The traffic was terrific, and the streets were packed with cars and visitors.  Around every other corner, there seemed to be a TV crew or a "Flagger Force" crew, the company that has been hired to keep traffic moving.  We drove our way around the monuments and crowds.  Julie commented that if this was her first experience at Gettysburg, she wouldn't want to come back.  We did get to the 9th NY Cavalry monument, which says that a trooper from their unit fired the first shot of the battle 150 years ago today (in spite of what the 8th Illinois Cavalry and the National Park's Visitors Center say).

     About 2:30, we made our way to Coster Avenue for the highlight of the day.  150 years ago today, the 154th New York tried to make a stand here with the rest of their brigade.  The overwhelming numbers of Confederates meant that their effort here would be a losing one.  It is here that the 154th erected its monument.  Scott wanted to be here at about 3:45, when the fighting took place. 

     There were a few people gathered here already.  Scott saw one woman taking a picture of a young boy in front of the 154th monument.  Scott immediately recognized the picture of the one-armed soldier that the boy was holding.  He asked the woman, "Francis Strickland?"   She spun around and looked surprised, and said "Yes!"  They were descendants, of course and knew Mark Dunkleman.  In fact they asked us to take him a bit of the "hallowed ground" that they had collected. 

      As we talked, other people arrived and identified themselves.  One was the former town historian who had MCed the ceremony 20 years ago when the monument to Amos Humiston was dedicated a few blocks away.  (Scott was there that day too.). There was a poet from Scotland, wearing a Confederate uniform.   There were several others who arrived, though somewhat surprisingly, no one from the coming re-enactment.  We did get a picture of all of the descendants in front of the monument, with Scott in his uniform and the 154th flag that Bill made.

     When the "hour approached," the first woman led a solemn and appropriate prayer.   The historian remembered the recent loss of Mike Winey, Mark's co-author.  And the Scotsman read a poem titled simply, "They Died."  It was a very touching and impromptu moment among people who had never met each other before.  (Sadly, Emma and Anna were in the car the whole time, enjoying the air conditioning.)

      After the ceremony, Scott walked up Stratton Street with the flag, the way that the 154th retreated.  Another picture was taken at the Amos Humiston monument.  He was the unknown soldier who became famous because of the picture of his children that he died holding.  He was a 154th soldier from Portville.

     We got an early dinner at the Wendy's east of town, where some Georgian re-enactors spent a long time telling Julie about the bad time that they had at last weekend's event.  Then, since we didn't know what the rest of our time will look like, we drove over some of the southern parts of the battlefield. We saw the 64th New York's monument, and Scott noted that it's the 25th anniversary of the infamous Fraboni Death March that the Excelsior Mess was taken on.   Today, we ended up at Cemetery Hill, where the remnants of the 154th ended up that night of July 1st.  It's also the spot where the Buffalo Germans in Wiedrich's Battery fought on July 2nd.  After that, we drove to our hotel in Carlisle.  The historian that we met at the monument had invited us to his house, near Barlow's Knoll, but we decided to call him and decline his invitation so we can rest and take care of things.