Having visited the Flight 93 Memorial, the next objective I had arranged for my Australian guests would be a guided tour of the Gettysburg Civil War battlefield. After a full day's drive we arrived at Gettysburg, having spent the day maneuvering a full-sized Yukon SUV, laden with passengers, luggage, and playfully dubbed "The Cow," through the Appalachian switchbacks and small towns.
After a restful night's sleep, we arrived early in the morning at the Visitors Center to meet our official battlefield guide.
One of the best things the Gettysburg Battlefield Park does is offer the chance for visitors to hire a licensed, professional tour guide. To become such a guide is not a position that is granted frivolously. I was informed that it takes, on average, four years for an individual to be accepted into the program. Even then, an appointment is not guaranteed - many are washed out. For an applicant, the ultimate test comes when he or she takes a group of licensed professionals on an actual tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield. Although the battle lasted but three days, there is an almost unlimited amount of facts and particulars that a guide must have at the ready and be able to present in an understandable fashion. During this final test, the veterans do their best to stump the inductee.
Even then, a position guiding tours is not surefire - licensed battlefield guides have to regularly renew their contracts and pay a fee in order to lead visitors on a tour of the Gettysburg Civil War Battlefield.
We met our guide, a middle-aged, instantly likeable retired U.S. Army colonel who, by his own admission, conducts tours for the fun of it. "I couldn't ask for a better retirement job," he smiled. Although it was early in the morning, other visitors had arrived to meet with their respective guides.
I marveled at the assortment of people gathered to attend and conduct tours of the Battlefield. Over there, a World War II veteran was leading a group. I was informed that another guide often brings his motorcycle, so that he can properly lead groups of bikers on tours. Coach buses were arriving, with leaders assigned to each. Visitors could also sign up for a guided tour on horseback or Segway. Whatever one's preference happened to be, there was an outlet, and professional guide, to meet the need.
I handed the keys to the colonel as we piled into The Cow. It was easier for him to drive while conducting the excursion, saving him the trouble of having to tell me where to turn.
The most important thing one needs to know about Gettysburg, Penn. is that it was originated in 1761 when a settler by the name of Samuel Gettys built himself a tavern. By 1786, lots and a central square had been laid out on the land adjacent to the tavern, thereby forming the town of Gettysburg.
By the time of the Civil War, Gettysburg had been named as the county seat, boasting a population of some 2,400 inhabitants. Gettysburg represented more than a simple junction - a total of 10 roads led into the town, giving rise to a number of industries and businesses. It was precisely these roads, businesses, and industries that drew two great armies into Gettysburg in late June of 1863.
Take a moment to imagine a small, peaceful, but thriving town surrounded by rolling hills of woodlands and tracts of productive farms. It was inconceivable to imagine two massive armies converging into this area, but they did - the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, led by General Robert E. Lee, and the Union Army of the Potomac, led by Major General George G. Meade.
Meade had the advantage, with more than 93,000 men at his command, compared to Lee's 71,000. The resulting clash at Gettysburg would not be the largest engagement of the Civil War, but it would be the costliest. More than 40,000 soldiers were left dead or wounded following the three-day Battle at Gettysburg (civilwar.org).
Our official tour began at the battle lines of Day One. As the colonel drove us through town, he pointed out pockmarks in certain buildings; permanent scars leftover from the battle. One of the brick houses featured a statue of a young lady, holding loaves of bread. The Colonel explained:
The statue is of Jennie Wade. The Gettysburg battle began on July 1 and ended July 3, 1863. During this time, the sturdy brick walls protected Jennie and her family from the skirmishes constantly erupting between a Union picket line and Confederate outposts immediately surrounding the house. In addition to providing care for her sister who had just given birth, Jennie busied herself by baking bread for the Union soldiers and filling their canteens with water.
On July 3, with bullets smashing windows and ricocheting off the exterior walls, Jennie stood in the kitchen kneading dough. That morning, a Confederate bullet pierced through two doors and slammed into Jennie's back, killing her instantly. Jennie Wade, 20 years old at the time, was the only civilian casualty of the Gettysburg battle.
The very next day, July 4, Jennie's mother went into the kitchen and baked loaves of bread from the dough Jennie had kneaded.
- Dan Wegmueller of Monroe writes a column for the Times each Tuesday. He can be reached at dwegs@tds.net.
After a restful night's sleep, we arrived early in the morning at the Visitors Center to meet our official battlefield guide.
One of the best things the Gettysburg Battlefield Park does is offer the chance for visitors to hire a licensed, professional tour guide. To become such a guide is not a position that is granted frivolously. I was informed that it takes, on average, four years for an individual to be accepted into the program. Even then, an appointment is not guaranteed - many are washed out. For an applicant, the ultimate test comes when he or she takes a group of licensed professionals on an actual tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield. Although the battle lasted but three days, there is an almost unlimited amount of facts and particulars that a guide must have at the ready and be able to present in an understandable fashion. During this final test, the veterans do their best to stump the inductee.
Even then, a position guiding tours is not surefire - licensed battlefield guides have to regularly renew their contracts and pay a fee in order to lead visitors on a tour of the Gettysburg Civil War Battlefield.
We met our guide, a middle-aged, instantly likeable retired U.S. Army colonel who, by his own admission, conducts tours for the fun of it. "I couldn't ask for a better retirement job," he smiled. Although it was early in the morning, other visitors had arrived to meet with their respective guides.
I marveled at the assortment of people gathered to attend and conduct tours of the Battlefield. Over there, a World War II veteran was leading a group. I was informed that another guide often brings his motorcycle, so that he can properly lead groups of bikers on tours. Coach buses were arriving, with leaders assigned to each. Visitors could also sign up for a guided tour on horseback or Segway. Whatever one's preference happened to be, there was an outlet, and professional guide, to meet the need.
I handed the keys to the colonel as we piled into The Cow. It was easier for him to drive while conducting the excursion, saving him the trouble of having to tell me where to turn.
The most important thing one needs to know about Gettysburg, Penn. is that it was originated in 1761 when a settler by the name of Samuel Gettys built himself a tavern. By 1786, lots and a central square had been laid out on the land adjacent to the tavern, thereby forming the town of Gettysburg.
By the time of the Civil War, Gettysburg had been named as the county seat, boasting a population of some 2,400 inhabitants. Gettysburg represented more than a simple junction - a total of 10 roads led into the town, giving rise to a number of industries and businesses. It was precisely these roads, businesses, and industries that drew two great armies into Gettysburg in late June of 1863.
Take a moment to imagine a small, peaceful, but thriving town surrounded by rolling hills of woodlands and tracts of productive farms. It was inconceivable to imagine two massive armies converging into this area, but they did - the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, led by General Robert E. Lee, and the Union Army of the Potomac, led by Major General George G. Meade.
Meade had the advantage, with more than 93,000 men at his command, compared to Lee's 71,000. The resulting clash at Gettysburg would not be the largest engagement of the Civil War, but it would be the costliest. More than 40,000 soldiers were left dead or wounded following the three-day Battle at Gettysburg (civilwar.org).
Our official tour began at the battle lines of Day One. As the colonel drove us through town, he pointed out pockmarks in certain buildings; permanent scars leftover from the battle. One of the brick houses featured a statue of a young lady, holding loaves of bread. The Colonel explained:
The statue is of Jennie Wade. The Gettysburg battle began on July 1 and ended July 3, 1863. During this time, the sturdy brick walls protected Jennie and her family from the skirmishes constantly erupting between a Union picket line and Confederate outposts immediately surrounding the house. In addition to providing care for her sister who had just given birth, Jennie busied herself by baking bread for the Union soldiers and filling their canteens with water.
On July 3, with bullets smashing windows and ricocheting off the exterior walls, Jennie stood in the kitchen kneading dough. That morning, a Confederate bullet pierced through two doors and slammed into Jennie's back, killing her instantly. Jennie Wade, 20 years old at the time, was the only civilian casualty of the Gettysburg battle.
The very next day, July 4, Jennie's mother went into the kitchen and baked loaves of bread from the dough Jennie had kneaded.
- Dan Wegmueller of Monroe writes a column for the Times each Tuesday. He can be reached at dwegs@tds.net.
