Gettysburg Semester 2009 - Muster Out

Last Friday, after all us of burned the midnight oil to finish our seminar papers, we scrambled over to Rob Gibson's studio to get a Civil War era group picture taken (see below!). He briefly reviewed the history of photography and showed us the techniques he used -- and even let us play around with his camera, which was super neat. We then got dressed up and posed; staying still for fifteen seconds is, believe it or not, harder than it looks! That evening, after I took a long afternoon nap, we all went to Herr's Tavern for a final dinner together. We read Civil War poetry, enjoyed the yummy (but admittedly leisurely) meal, and said our last goodbyes to Dr. Guelzo.

Now that I'm officially finished with all of my work for the semester, it's beginning to feel like the end. It's a bit astonishing that the semester is over already; as I write this, my darling roommate is packing up her things, and it all feels a bit surreal. I will not deny that I am excited to head home and celebrate the holidays with my loved ones in a warmer climate, but I am sad that this experience is coming to a close. (It's going to be REALLY strange not talking Civil War with the people I live with all the time.) I've met many kindred spirits here and will miss them dearly, and with the good and bad, I am thankful to have spent the time here that I did. To everyone: best of luck on your adventures. Thank you to everyone who has helped me, and all of us, on this journey. It's been great!

Gettysburg Semester 2009 - Washington, D.C.

This Friday, we embarked on our final Gettysburg Semester field trip – to Washington, D. C. I hadn’t been to Washington since early high school, and have desperately missed being in a city, so I really looked forward to it.

We began the day in Lafayette Square in front of the White House, where Dr. Guelzo explained how the area appeared during Lincoln’s administration. As he discussed Stanton in the Treasury Department and Lincoln’s frequent visits to Seward’s house nearby, we saw a helicopter depart from the White House and some apparently important visitors arrive. Exciting!

We then made our way to Ford’s Theater, where we spent some time in their downstairs museum. There, they had some interesting artifacts, including the gun John Wilkes Booth used to assassinate Lincoln and the suit the president was wearing when Booth did so. We then left the museum itself and made our way upstairs to peek into the Presidential Box, in which Lincoln sat when Booth shot him. After listening to a brief ranger program, we crossed the street and went through the Peterson House, where we were able to see the rooms in which Mary Lincoln awaited news about her husband, Secretary of War Stanton briefly ran the nation, and Lincoln ultimately died.

After lunch at the Hard Rock Café, we concluded the day with a visit to the Lincoln Memorial. Looking across the mall from the Lincoln Memorial was certainly an apt way to end the trip – and the last of the semester.