All roads lead to Gettysburg?

This one sure does.

You've heard that Gettysburg was all about shoes? On the way in, Mr. Raine made sure that we wouldn't mistake this for the shoe factory.

Mr. Raines calls the first halt. He had the authority to. See part IV of General Orders:

IV. The Chief Engineer will direct the army, as he may think proper, to proceed to Gettysburg, and occupy that ground until 6:00 p.m.

This wasn't an official father and daughter trip, but here's a father and daughter... (Believe me, the dads always make it fun. :)

Mr. Raine puts a non-existent bird into a non-existent nest in a non-existent tree; but, it wasn't a fictional bird, a fictional nest, or a fictional tree. There really was such a bird and such a nest and such a tree at the battle of Gettysburg.

Grace

See this guy in the sunglasses? Well, remember him. He's going to be popping up a lot this post.

The train must have just gone.

How do I know? It's tracks are still here of course.

(That one was passed down from Pappy to Mom and then to me.)

Mr. Raine uses me as a prop to illustrate firing from the second rank.

Searching for the definition of "enfilade fire" in the eleven pages of information we were given.

Emma takes a well-earned rest from photography.

With his back to the plaque
(He knows what is on it),
All the info it lacks,
He'll supply every bit.

Kara's latest method of rolling her eyes over the gory details of... sorry to let you hanging -- just too gory for the blog. ;-)

Every once in a while, we'd get close to one of the "real" tours (no offense to you, Mr. Raine).

A "real tour" gets close to us -- a bit too close for Mr. Phero's liking.

I told you he'd be popping up; in this case, popping up to pop a sticker on his unsuspecting sister-in-law's back.

We break out the provisions.

V. Each of the troops must be supplied by the chiefs of household to one meal of rations and an adequate supply of water.

Mr. Clayton, not too sure about eating his lunch at the spot where thousands of dead horses were buried.

How 'bout that for a lunch?

HannahGrace prefers more delicate portions.

The reenactor who offered us cornbread, and in return wanted to know all about Amish.

Kara fills up on cornbread, while I fill him in on Amish.

Nope, we're not Amish. :-)

The guy who haunts this post brushes off lunch crumbs, and we're ready to march again.

Our Tour Guide

"The man who knows 99% of all things"...

...consults his notes.

And if he got disoriented, Mr. Botsford condescended to let him take a peek at his map.

You don't think I really know that much? Just make me a hundred question quiz then and see how many I get right!

(Which his children did one time. He got ten right. But you know what he said? Those 90 questions that he didn't get right just happened to be part of that 1% that he doesn't know.)

One of the highlights of the days for me was that the Einwechter girls let me use their camera (an SR I think?). It feels so much more professional to squint through a viewfinder.

My sentiments about going back to the little point-and-shoot are obvious.

If they would have had these back in 1863, Lee may not have lost track of Stuart and his cavalry.

The only thing I saw all day that reminded me of cavalry.

Persecution of the Paparazzi *sigh*

Pickett's Charge

We are issued our marching orders.

We march in order.

The barn where Pickett stopped (him, not his men - officer's privileges you know).

Same barn through same fence. I couldn't decide if I liked mine (first one) or Emma's (this one) better.

Storm clouds gather overhead...

...and we charge back in time.

Suddenly, out of the blue, this guy joined the charge.

A sword-less Armistead; at least he had the hat.

GloriaElizabeth's and Emma's art combined.

"The Denim Brigade"

...otherwise called "The Girls in Blue" which title I hesitate to use since it does not necessarily portray our sympathies accurately.

The Big Three
(Whoops, I think I got the wrong war.)

Untypical Tourists

Monuments...

...really are not very tempting to photograph or post.

Here's one.

And another one. ;-)

This one is a memorial to Emma's photography.

We must "never forget what they did here."

(By the way, now none of you who went can say you didn't make it on the post. I always knew there was a good reason for group shots.)

What's a historical tour without a bookstore!

Mr. Botsford tries to fit in with the gift shop portraits.

*** *** ***
IV. The Chief Engineer, with the rest of the army, will that evening proceed thence toward York, obtaining provisions for the evening rations from the Quartermaster at a post according to his designation.

We experience Hoss's famous Hoss-pitaltily.

And after that?
VII. The army will withdraw from York to proceed further to the IFRC headquarters and dismount at 9:00 p.m.

And thus the soldiers who were "exhorted to exert the utmost vigilance, steadiness, and integrity during the whole march," ended their journey, weary, footsore, but very much more informed. You see, it was not an expedition for guns or food or even shoes; it was a quest for knowledge. A large part of learning from the past is learning from the mistakes of the past. Even if you fail to remember what general led such and such a regiment at such and such a place at such and such a time, remember this: you must "never forget what they did here."

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In the Lord's Army,
Carmen