A day at Gettysburg Battlefield

We headed out for a day of exploration at Gettysburg Battlefield.  The RV Park we stayed at had the CD tour of the park for rent ($5) so we went into town and the first stop was at the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center.  We got our map and headed off for stop 1 of the Auto Tour.  We took out time to listen to the CD and read all the information we picked up at the center ~ we also stopped and looked at all the monuments and read them... This was a HUGE battlefield and it took us about 4 hours to go through the whole park.

The "High Water Mark of the Rebellion".

The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War, the Union victory that ended General Robert E. Lee's second and most ambitious invasion of the North. Often referred to as the "High Water Mark of the Rebellion", Gettysburg was the wars bloodiest battle with 51,000 casualties. Every house and every building in this quiet little town was used as a hospital or a recovery place for the wounded union & confederate soldiers.  It was also the inspiration for President Abraham Lincoln's immortal "Gettysburg Address".

As we rode around the park and listened to the facts and accounts of the Civil Was Battle at Gettysburg we couldn't help but think how sad it all was and what a horrible time it must have been for the people in this town and the men fighting the battle.  I can only imagine how scared those poor young men had been and in my mind pictured the aftermath of such a violent battle.

Gettysburg National Cemetery Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Gettysburg National Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 3,500 Union soldiers killed in the Battle of Gettysburg, a Union victory often cited as a turning point in the Civil War. Numerous monuments stand in both the cemetery and battlefield to commemorate the Union and Confederate troops who fought there. At the cemetery’s dedication on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln rose to deliver “a few appropriate remarks,” now known as the Gettysburg Address. His two-minute speech served as a reminder of the sacrifices of war and the necessity of holding the Union together. 

Did You Know?

Asked to provide "a few appropriate remarks", President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is recognized today as one of the greatest speeches of his presidency.

I am thankful everyday for the sacrifices young men & women have made for me to live a wonderful and free life... God Bless them all ♥

Have Fun, Travel Safe & Stay Healthy!!!

Monuments & Memorials ~ Day 5

Today was a day of exploration around the city ~ our goal was to take the metro down into DC and do a walk about to find monuments & memorials.  When we got off we made it toward the Tidal Basin where the Jefferson Memorial is located.
 

Thomas Jefferson is one of the greatest figures in the history of the nation. The author of the Declaration of Independence was one of the founding fathers of the United States.

A firm believer in equal rights, democracy, education available to all, freedom of religion and separation between church and state, he gave form to the nascent nation still searching for its identity. Besides being a politician, Jefferson was also an architect, a writer, musician, scientist and inventor.

We spent quite awhile at the memorial but knew we had a full day ahead of us.  So after The Jefferson Memorial we started walking around the Tidal Basin.  That alone was a 1.8 mile walk ~ oh my aching feet!!!  Along our walk we came upon the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial and then Martin Luther King Memorial.  We crossed the road and walked towards the World War II Memorial.  From there we headed towards the Korean War & Vietnam Wall Memorials which really brought a tear to my eyes.  I was a teenager during the Vietnam war but I lost several school friends to that war.  As FDR said "I HATE war"! I also wore a POW bracelet during the war and can remember his name to this day.  Charles Boston ~ I had found his name on the wall the last time we visited DC.

After that we went to the Lincoln Memorial ~ It was breathtaking!  Now to finish up our day we strolled towards the Washington Monument... Do you know the difference between a Memorial and a Monument?  A memorial is built after the person died and a Monument is built during the persons life.  I didn't realize that before we visited DC. Of course there were many other monuments and memorials along our walks ~ One of the best was GRANT.  That was right by the Capitol and it was beautiful!

It was a long day and we had a lot of fun seeing all the Monuments and Memorials that we could.  But I can tell you it will take a day for my feet to feel better ~ lol lol.

 

Have Fun, Travel Safe & Stay Healthy!!!