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155 years ago today - 2nd day at Gettysburg - today - our visit
Posted by lytle78
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155 years ago today - 2nd day at Gettysburg - today - our visit July 03, 2018 12:02AM |
I’ve been to the battlefield twice. About 7 years ago on a frigid day in winter with a sharp north wind. In about 8 hours I moved around the whole tableau of the battle - all three days. I could do that because in 1958 I spent $5 (or so) on the new board game by a company called Avalon Hill - “Gettysburg”. I fought the battle dozens, maybe hundreds of times - by myself and against my friends. I knew the timetable of arriving forces to a “T”.
This visit now was hot and sultry - and the stinking trees are full of leaves - you can’t see nearly as well as I could the other time - plus my long-suffering wife from North Norway is only mildly interested in the details of our Civil War.
Having said all that, at the Visitor Center, we found a nice Park Ranger walking a small group through the whole ballet of the battle from day 1 to 3. Folks held cards representing the units - at Corps level. I naturally jumped at the chance to grab the 3rd Corps of the Army of the Potomac - Mad Dan Sickel’s outfit - which on day 2 - 155 days ago today - he proudly - without orders or informing Meade the OIC - marched his whole Corps down from their place on the Union left/center on Cemetery Ridge onto a small rise ahead of the line - madness!
The funny thing is that Longstreet’s First Corp of the Army of Northern Virginia was forming up for an attack on the position Sickles marched out of. Of course they met - Peach Orchard, Wheat Field and the rest. The 3rd Corp was mauled. The funny part is that Longstreet’s blow against the line on Cemetery Ridge was never delivered - spent on the 3rd Corps who were in advance of the main line of resistance.
The result of attacks on the extreme left and the extreme right of the Union line apparently led Lee to conclude that the Union center had been thus weakened - his conclusion - attack on day 3 - tomorrow - Pickett’s Charge and the so called “High Water Mark of the Confederacy”.
So here’s a silly photos of me and some folks in the demo at at the Visitors Center and then a link to an interesting Military History article about the luck of fools.
[medium.com]
Rick Kempf
Gold Canyon AZ- where there is no gold
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/2018 12:19AM by lytle78.
This visit now was hot and sultry - and the stinking trees are full of leaves - you can’t see nearly as well as I could the other time - plus my long-suffering wife from North Norway is only mildly interested in the details of our Civil War.
Having said all that, at the Visitor Center, we found a nice Park Ranger walking a small group through the whole ballet of the battle from day 1 to 3. Folks held cards representing the units - at Corps level. I naturally jumped at the chance to grab the 3rd Corps of the Army of the Potomac - Mad Dan Sickel’s outfit - which on day 2 - 155 days ago today - he proudly - without orders or informing Meade the OIC - marched his whole Corps down from their place on the Union left/center on Cemetery Ridge onto a small rise ahead of the line - madness!
The funny thing is that Longstreet’s First Corp of the Army of Northern Virginia was forming up for an attack on the position Sickles marched out of. Of course they met - Peach Orchard, Wheat Field and the rest. The 3rd Corp was mauled. The funny part is that Longstreet’s blow against the line on Cemetery Ridge was never delivered - spent on the 3rd Corps who were in advance of the main line of resistance.
The result of attacks on the extreme left and the extreme right of the Union line apparently led Lee to conclude that the Union center had been thus weakened - his conclusion - attack on day 3 - tomorrow - Pickett’s Charge and the so called “High Water Mark of the Confederacy”.
So here’s a silly photos of me and some folks in the demo at at the Visitors Center and then a link to an interesting Military History article about the luck of fools.
[medium.com]
Rick Kempf
Gold Canyon AZ- where there is no gold
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/2018 12:19AM by lytle78.