We had been wanting to visit Gettysburg since our history lessons in elementary school.
Historical records indicate that civilizations had slaves back to 3500 BC and probably started much earlier. Slavery was present in most civilizations. There were numerous forms including: punishment for crime, debt slavery, prisoners of war, indentured servants, child abandonment, and slave children. The Dutch introduced slavery to the American colonies in 1619. The slave population had grown to four million in the United States. Vermont banned slavery in 1777. Slavery was abolished in Britain in 1807. It was declared illegal in France in 1794, Portugal banned it in 1624 and Spain outlawed slavery in 1542. It took a world wide effort to abolish slavery. Even though slavery is illegal in the world, human trafficking and bonded labor still exist.
Harriet Beecher Stowe, a Connecticut born seminary teacher who was an active abolitionist wrote this book in 1852. Uncle Tom was a long suffering black slave whom the book is centered on. It depicts slave reality but with Christian love. All can be overcome. It was the most popular novel of the day. Supposedly, Lincoln met Stowe and said “So this is the little lady who started this great war”.
The Northern states were opposed to slavery and did not want its expansion into the western territories. The newly formed Republican party opposed slavery and their candidate Abraham Lincoln won the Presidency. He won based on electoral votes, he only had 39.8% of the popular vote. Eleven southern states seceded from the Union in protest against federal legislation that limited the expansion of slavery. They believed the legislation violated the tenth amendment. Southern states sought to secede because they believed that the federal government had no authority to tell them how to run their affairs.
The Civil War began in 1861. More than 630,000 people died the during numerous battles primarily across the south over a 4 year period. Of those killed, only 230,000 were from bullets.
President Lincoln did not issue the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves, until January 1, 1863, about one and a half years after the war started. His goal was to preserve the Union, and he only issued that proclamation when he felt doing so would promote that objective.
Lincoln was the first American President to be assassinated. He was 56. The assassination occurred 5 days after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant. The assassin, John Wilkes Booth was a proud Confederate sympathizer.
Gettysburg National Cemetery
This is the final resting place for more than 3,500 Union soldiers killed in the Battle of Gettysburg. Confederate burials are not in the cemetery, their remains went to cemeteries in Virginia, Georgia, and the Carolinas.
At the cemetery’s dedication on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave his now famous speech. He delivered “a few appropriate remarks,” i.e. the Gettysburg Address. His two-minute speech served as a reminder of the sacrifices of war and the necessity of holding the Union together.
Gettysburg Museum & Visitor Center
This is a must see in Gettysburg. At the museum, there are numerous short films and plenty of artifacts. It is extremely well done and appears to be an unbiased account of the war.
Cyclorama
French artist Paul Philippoteaux painted the Battle of Gettysburg in the late 1880’s. It took a year to complete the oil painting. It measures 377 feet in circumference and is 42 feet high. Its an incredible 360 degree view of the battle. There are artifacts in the foreground and a sound and light show that highlights various parts of the background. It was actually painted in a circle.
Auto Tour
This is a well defined route around the battlefields in Gettysburg. We did not buy the guidebook or CD. There were many personal tour guides leading small groups. It is impossible to view all the 1300 monuments, memorials, and markers in a short amount of time. Most roads are one way and provide easy parking to view each monument.
Gettysburg KOA
Our site was in the woods and very private. We enjoyed our stay here. They had to shut off the park water to repair a leak. The wifi was not usable. Our Verizon signal was only one bar. The park was less than half full, very quiet, and peaceful. We enjoyed sitting outside by a fire and listening to the birds.
Dobbin House Tavern
Built in 1776, it’s one of Gettysburg’s oldest historic buildings. We had a very good early dinner in a rustic, dark, candlelit tavern. Sandy finally had Maryland Crab Cakes. Fabulous.
