Cavalry Charges

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and the Environs: The Battlefields, Hanover and Bear Country

Gettysburg,Pennsylvania was the site of one of the most famous battle of the Civil War.  The battle lasted for three day and the residual effects a lifetime.  This was the high water mark for the Confederate Army.  Back seat quaterbacking shows many mistakes by the Confederate Generals, which gave victory to the Union.  Spend at least three days visiting this historic site.  Re-enact the battle each day.  Be sure to take the ranger guided tours.  They are enlightening.

We drove the three miles to the National Park Visitor Center to find out schedules for ranger tours.  When we arrived, one was about to start in the National Cemetery across the street from the VC on Cemetery Hill.  This is the high ground, to which the Union forces retreated after being routed on July 1st.  Here are buried many of the Union dead from this three-day battle, and subsequent wars. Here also on November 19, 1863 Edward Everett gave a stirring two-hour speech dedicating the cemetery.  This was followed by a few remarks by President Lincoln, which lasted only a couple of minutes.

Today we started to take the auto tour of the battle.  We wanted to follow the three days.  We started at the North West of the town at McPherson Ridge.  Here Buford’s cavalry unit dismounted and held the CSA advance into town for two hours until Union infantry arrived on the scene.  Many Union troops were slain in a railroad cut, which was under construction at that time.  It was like a funnel, which became a trap.

At two o’clock, a ranger was giving a talk on Little Round Top, the scene of the major fighting on July 2nd.  This engagement was best known from Chamberlain’s saving of the left flank of the Union forces in the movie Gettsburg.  What is not known is that the CSA forces under Oates woke up at three A.M., and marched twenty-five miles before being engaged at 7:30. P.M. They had also climbed Big Roundtop, because they thought the flank was there.  This does not diminish the bravery of the 20th Maine, but puts things into perspective.

Before this was intense fighting at The Peach Orchard, the Wheatfield and Devil’s Den with 34,000 CSA against 33,000 USA.  As night fell both sides had suffered terrible casualties.  The ranger was excellent and stayed to answer many questions.

Back to the battlefield today.  We drove along the Confederate lines on Seminary Ridge.  We were impressed by they number of casualties suffered by some of the regiments, while others had much less.  Those had been kept in reserve.

After a hearty lunch, we met with a ranger near the high water mark on Cemetery ridge, the Union lines, for a talk.  He informed us that the CSA made it to the ridge on the second day of battle, but retreated across the field when it became dark.  The casualties on the second day of the battle July 2 were the greatest of the three days of fighting.  He also said that the Emmittsburg Road, which stretched in front of us, was a sunken road.  I do not understand why the CSA did not merely retreat to that road, hunker down under cover, tear down the fences, bring up reinforcement under the cover of night and then continue the attack the next morning.  Instead of marching across a3/4 mile field, all they had to do was to charge a couple of hundred yards.  The outcome might have been different.

Standing on the ridge and looking across the fields is an awesome sight.  The ranger said that Pickett’s Charge on the third day was typical of the battles.  None of the killing fields, which we have seen, were like this wide expanse.  Some were wide open with little undulation in the topography like Malvern Hill in the Seven Days Battles or Cheatham Hill at Kennesaw Mountain in Georgia.  Even Antietam, the bloodiest single day battle was fought on rolling terrain.  So were Manassas, first and second, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Spotssylvania, and Petersburg.  Day three of Gettysburg was wide open.  The only place to hide was in the sunken road.  The fences were still there and the soldiers had to climb over them on both sides to continue the attack.  Of the 12,000 men who started across the field, only 200 made it over the wall on Cemetery ridge.

The aftermath was that the CSA retreat across the Potomac, leaving their wounded in the field.  Many laid injured where they dropped for three and four days, before the Union got around to taking care of them.  During that time a storm came in and it rained for two days making the fields a sea of mud with thousands of wounded and dying men and hundreds of horses.  These things are not written in our history books.

Near Gettysburg is a stable called Hanover Shoe Horse Farm.  This is not a little town operation, but houses over 1,800 standardbred horses.  These are the trotters and pacers of the racing world.  Some of their sires command $12,000 per performance, without guarantee.  Their dance cards are full, 157 mares awaiting them.  That is $1,884,000 per year.  Hey dude, that is some studmuffin.

Hanover is the next town, named after Hanover, Germany from which many of its residents came.  Its claim to fame during the Civil War is that the cavalry units of  Kirkpatrick and Custer kept J.E.B. Stuart’s unit out of the battle occurring twenty-five miles away.

Our final stop was Boyd’s Bear Country, just south of our campground on Business 15.  Located in a huge barn, four floors of bears in all sizes and dress seek homes from children old and young.  If you feel so inclined you cam fill your own bear with colored beads representing different traits desirable in a loving companion.  Other areas have clothing, which any proper bear needs to wear for any occasion.  There is no charge for admission, but few are able to leave without taking home a new friend.

Ate a substantial breakfast at the Moose Lodge in downtown Gettysburg.  We then finally took the walking tour or the town itself.  We saw the train station Lincoln arrived at on Nov. 19, 1863 to participate in the dedication of the National Cemetery.  We visited the house in which he stayed overnight, which had been owned by Mr. Willis, who was responsible for establishing the cemetery. One of the houses really grabbed our attention.  In the attic was a small window, from which sharpshooters took shots at the soldiers, who were retreating.  They were also fired upon and the wall of the house still has over one hundred bullet holes in the brickwork.

Drove out to the East Battlefield, where J.E.B.Stuart was supposed to attack the rear of the Union army on Cemetery Ridge.  He spent all of July 3rd fending off attacks by Generals. Gregg and Custer.

About the Author

John Pelley is a Geriatric Gypsy.  He is retired from the rat race of working.  He is a  full-time RVer, who ran away from home.  He began our travels on the East Coast and, like the migrating birds, seek the warmth of the seasons  He has discovered volunteering with the National Park System.  He has a CD he has recorded of Native American flute music., A Day with Kokopelli. For pictures, links, and more information visit http://www.jmpelley.org.

Cavalry Charge at Burkel

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