Gettsburg

We chose to do the auto tour for the Gettysburg battlefield. We bought the CD's at the museum store and set off on the 24 mile drive around and through the 3400 acre battlefield. The landscape is pretty much like it was in 1863 when the Confederates and Union soldiers fought for three days in July. Lining most all of the 24 miles are monuments that have been erected in honor of a certain brigade or a certain regiment from a particular state. I found myself several times looking out across the battlefield and seeing in the distance rows of these monuments. Couldn't get a picture to capture it though. As the narrator tells the story of the battle you can envision soldiers coming out of the tree line. Each day the battle moved across the valley. It wasn't until the third day that the Union gained the upper hand. There are 400 and some cannons on the battlefield many of them in the position that they would have been during the actual fighting. What I can't envision or comprehend are the thousands that died there; in some places completely covering the ground. The tour ends at the National Cemetery with the rows and rows of markers and in one area just square markers with numbers of those unknown. There is a monument to all the soldiers in the spot where Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address.

Today we went to the Hall of Presidents. There are wax models of each president and they give a brief history of what happened during their time in office. Another part of this museum is 1/3 size models of the first ladies and inagural gowns. What I learned that there were quite a number of presidents who had daughters or other relatives serve as First Lady. Some had ill wives or their wives died while they were in office.
The last tour we took was to Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower's home which is next to the battlefield. It is a working farm and you can walk the grounds and the rooms of the house. It was the only home they ever owned. His military career took them all over and they lived in 37 different houses during their marriage!
Tonight we are in Manassas and will tour that battleground tomorrow.