Gettysburg Semester 2009 - Gettysburg, Town and Pickett's Charge

The cold morning of November 6, we met John Heiser on the front porch of the Appleford. John runs the library at the Gettysburg National Military Park, and I’ve been interning with him this semester – so it was nice to see a familiar face as one of our tour guides! We began by going through the history of Gettysburg the town prior to, during, and just subsequent to the battle. First, we went to the train station, and John explained that Gettysburg was a fairly bustling frontier town center by July 1863. As we walked through town, we discussed the various buildings with individuals present during or significant to the battle – and John impressed upon us how utterly and thoroughly July 1863 impacted the citizens of Gettysburg.

After John acquainted us with the history of the town we’ve been living in for the past few months, we made our way to the battlefield itself in order to discuss the farms and homes there. These included the McPherson Farm, the Snyder Farm, the Bushman Farm, and the Trostle Farm. Personally, I found the Bushman Farm to be particularly interesting, as there is a barn on the property that may date from as early as the late 1790s!

After lunch, we met Scott Hartwig, the chief historian at the GNMP, for a discussion of Pickett’s Charge and the final day at Gettysburg. He began by explaining Lee’s motivations for Pickett’s Charge and Meade’s reasons for staying in the defensive position he held on the evening of July 2. We then discussed Cushing’s Battery and the position of the 69th Pennsylvania and their efforts to repulse the Confederate attack. After that, we walked down toward the Virginia monument and made our way back, walking the route of Pickett’s Charge. We stopped several times along the way to discuss the preliminary artillery bombardment, the order of the Confederate advance, and accounts from the men involved. We concluded the walk with a discussion of the Union victory at Gettysburg and its implications, and got back on the bus just as the sun set. Next weekend, on to Richmond!