Day 74, April 8, Day 1 at Gettysburg

 

My dad, who loved to travel more than he could afford to, always wanted to visit Gettysburg.  Alas, he never made it, for which I am sad.  He’d have loved it.  Several prominent national parks are not run as well as they could be because, well, it’s the government….enough said.  So private entities frequently get involved and through charitable contributions form non-profits that then run the museums and visitors centers in conjunction with but far more superior to what the National Park Service could do without their money.  Gettysburg is one such place, and its masterfully handled.  Thankfully, Aaron and I spent the last couple of evenings preparing ourselves for the visit by watching the stellar movie Gettysburg based on the book I’ve enjoyed a few times entitled The Killer Angels.

The drive from Brunswick MD to Gettysburg PA was sunny and green with daffodils and pink-blossomed trees in abundance; a radiant beautiful day it was.  We camped in a quiet state forest about 30 minutes out from Gettysburg along bucolic meandering two-lane highways among scattered wee townships.  By the time we set up camp and made it into the national park, it was quite late in the afternoon.  But we chatted with volunteers and rangers then held a planning meeting to strategize the best use of our time here.  As well, we spent a couple of hours exploring the brilliant museum that the Gettysburg Foundation has established.  It’s simply superb; we began with a top-notch movie narrated by Morgan Freeman which detailed the build up to and details of the Civil War and what it was that each side believed, envisioned, and strove over.  I knew quite a bit about this period of history beforehand, but there was still much I learned today.  After the film, we were directed to what is termed The Cyclorama, a massive 360-degree exquisite painting of that final chaotic battle of July 3, 1863.  It was stunning.  It was simply amazing.  It was quite overwhelming.  The painting, done only a few years after the battle at Gettysburg, is stupendous in its accuracy and vivid representation of the horror of that day.  There is a short presentation which depicts the events of that day through music and lighting, and Aaron and I stayed for a couple of playings.  We then began to wend our way through the fabulous museum which details events preceding, during, and following Gettysburg in chronological order.  The staff had to finally kick us out after closing hours.  But we’ll be back tomorrow to pick up where we left off.  

Three amazing things:  1- The Cyclorama of the Gettysburg Museum.  I’ve never seen anything like it before, anything quite so moving in the form of battlefield art.  There were actual veteran survivors of the Battle of Gettysburg who visited the Cyclorama when it was first on display at a World Exhibition in Philadelphia; I cannot imagine the emotions they must have experienced as they viewed this masterful recreation entitled Pickett’s Charge.  2- Aaron can’t wrap his head around the sheer number of men who fell during the Civil War nor even at Gettysburg.  The numbers are unfathomable.  3- Even as I hear and read the rationale of those who upheld the institution of slavery, still I cannot get into their heads, I fail to understand or sympathize with their position.  I had hoped for some inkling of understanding of the Confederate position, but perhaps I am just too much a product of my own more enlightened time.  It confuses me that Confederate soldiers and commanders alike truly believed they had God and righteousness on their side and prayed fervently to Him for intervention.  4- Abraham Lincoln.  If ever there was an inspired man prepared by God to lead a nation through the worst of times, he was the one.