Gettysburg

Have you ever heard of The Battle of Gettysburg? If not, I would like to tell you! It was one of the most famous battles in history and of the Civil War. 

The day is July 1, 1863, and Robert E. Lee has a plan to invade the north and put an end to the war. The battle lasts a total of 3 days and the confederate casualty number is over 30,000, the union casualties only equate to roughly 23,000. Robert E. Lee’s plan is a massive failure as he is forced to retreat because the union army is waiting for them in Gettysburg.

After the Battle, President Abraham Lincoln gave his speech The Gettysburg Address, 

“Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives, that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

On our most recent road trip to Ohio, we took on the challenge of a 6 hour drive to Gettysburg. We went on a guided horseback tour of the battlefield, it was awesome getting to be on a horse once again! Although running, and loping weren’t allowed for insurance reasons, I still had a great time and learned lots about the battle. 

We drove near the battlefields and took in the sights. After that, we went into town and got some ice cream and explored. The town was very cool and old fashioned, the houses were so old that they were there for the Civil War

At the end of the day, we listened as a former US Army veteran bugle for the 100 nights of taps. He plays the taps in the Gettysburg National Cemetery at the Lincoln speech memorial. 100 nights of taps are where every night at 7:00 PM for 100 nights a different person bugles taps to honor the fallen soldiers after the taps are done, 1 soldier is picked to be highlighted and has there story read off and what how he was significant to the war. After taps, we headed off to Hershey, Pennsylvania.