Harper's Ferry & Gettysburg

Yesterday, I got to see Harper's Ferry and Gettysburg. I confess Harper's Ferry didn't excite me as much as Gettysburg. There isn't a whole lot to see at Harper's Ferry. They do have the original fire station that John Brown managed to get himself and the others in his group trapped in before they were captured. The town also has some nice old buildings. Still, the old town of Harper's Ferry isn't that impressive. Interestingly, the entire old town is a national park. The people of Harper's Ferry moved out of it due to the severe flooding the location is subject to. The had a flood marker on one of the walls of an old building that showed how high the flooding got at times. I was shocked. That had one flood where the water rose over 15 feet from their banks. It was hard to believe considering how shallow the rivers were the day I visited.

From Harper's Ferry, we made our way to Gettysburg. Gettysburg is the site of one of the turning points of the American Civil War. I watched the movie Gods and Generals which tells of the battle. It is an incredible story of epic valor, incredible incompetence, brilliance on the part of a few and sheer luck. Globus used a local guide by the name of Gary Kross. He was extremely knowledgeable about the entire battlefield. He could tell you exactly where certain units fought and how many casualties they suffered. He told us of a Brigadier General Green who is largely forgotten but, who was critical in preventing Lee and his forces from taking Culp Hill. Culp Hill was one of 2 anchors of the Union troops lines. If it had fallen, it would've been disastrous. Green had his men build a long wooden barrier which helped protect them from fire from oncoming Confederate troops. The troops initially complained about building the barrier but, they were very grateful for it when the Confederate forces attacked. It was crucial in enabling them to hold off forces that outnumbered them 4 to 1!

I got to see the places where the forces of Pickett's charge emerged to attack. I could imagine the 12,000 men as they formed up. Their attack wasn't an actual charge. It was a march. If they had actually charged, they wouldn't have had the strength left for when they struck the Union forces. As it was, they had to march 1 mile through shot and shell. 120 Union cannon blasted at them the entire way. Also, they had to climb over 2 fences to get to waiting Union forces. It truly must have been an unbelievable sight. The courage those men showed was epic.

I could spent more time at the battlefield and museum but, we had a set dinner appointment to go to. Perhaps, I'll return to Gettysburg and learn more about it. It is an incredible story. Cheers all!