Gettysburg, PA

Soldiers National Monument located in the military cemetery on the spot where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address.

Dedication plaque of the Monument.

My infantry training included strategy, tactics, weapons placement, map reading, terrain evaluation and on and on.  There were numerous field deployment exercises in which we were given a scenario: objective, our assets, limited knowledge of enemy strength and position.  We walked the theoretical battlefield and worked up our battle plans: machine guns here, mortars there, main force dug in on the hill, reserve force covering from side hill.

Given that background, I was curious about how Gettysburg was fought, lost and won.  About 160K soldiers fought here with about 51K casualties, including 5000 rebs slaughtered in one hour - the result of the famous Pickett's Charge.  Some of the lessons of the Revolutionary War, most specifically guerilla-style warfare, were not much employed here.  Massed infantry assaults were made across open fields, straight into cannon fire and well-positioned defenders on the high ground.  No wonder there were so many deaths.

At the visitor's center, we watched an excellent film narrated by Morgan Freeman, toured the museum and viewed the cyclorama - something we didn't know existed.  Cycloramas, popular in the late 1800s, are huge circular paintings viewed from inside the circle.  The Gettysburg cylcorama is 377' long and 46' high; the viewer is on a hill in the middle of the battlefield.  Surrounding the circular viewing stand, close in, are many real battlefield artifacts positioned on what appears to be real soil.  The real stuff meshes seamlessly with the painting, making the whole extremely realistic.  Add naration, sound and light effects and you have a fantastic show complete with cannon and musket fire.  The 4 pix below are of segments of the cyclorama, followed by a plaque about its painter.

The Union officially won the battle and if they'd capitalized on that victory, may have been able to win the war shortly thereafter.  But, Union General Meade allowed Lee's army to get away so the war dragged on for 2 more years.  Lee was an excellent general but he was one of few on either side.