A Lesson in Civility

Gettysburg:24-25^th September

Battlefield at Gettysburg

Deltaville came and quickly went as we settled into the marina, then tossed a few items into bags for the next leg of our journey with the Magpies.  We’d picked up a rental car at Gloucester, looked longingly at Wal Mart, then quickly sped on to Gettysburg.  Our combo of a 10 year old Garmin and Google maps (on the phone) was certainly put to the test.  It was a bit of a drive, skirting Washington DC (too close for comfort) yet somehow, we timed it perfectly to cross the road to a lively “pub”, the Appalachian Brewing Company, with a German inspired menu.  Amongst the offerings were fritters, potato pancakes with apple sauce and a pudd called elephant ear (a large donut stretched free form, deep fried, dusted with sugar and spice and served with a mountain of vanilla ice-cream).  Well, someone had to suffer in the name of curiosity!  One thing for sure though, American’s eat fried, eat quickly and eat early, so we were almost last out the door. 

Impressive display and comprehensive overview at the Gettysburg Diorama

Next morning recharged, we hit Gettysburg’s offerings.  We were now in Civil War era (1861-1865) and ready to understand how the three-day battle at Gettysburg (1863) changed the outcome of the war.  Here too, President Abraham Lincoln gave the “Gettysburg Address”.  With only a day and so many choices, it was hard to narrow them down.  First list casualty was the self-guided driving tour, although the country-side was very beautiful.  Our lack of knowledge about the battle also meant driving the extensive Battlefield and surrounds was also off the list.  So what to do?

Battle-scarred side wall (hard to see)

We started with the Gettysburg Diorama, a scale model of the battleground with a short sound & light show describing the events over those three days.  It was an excellent beginning, and after a short walk around town, we all agreed that the Battlefield Visitors Centre was to be next on our list.  There, the introductory film, fantastic Cyclorama (the background was a mural painted in 1883 by French artist, Paul Philippoteaux recording the events) and well-stocked museum kept us busy for more than a few hours.  To complete the day, Cap’n History Buff (currently reading Nero) and his Mate, took off on a guided bus tour of the Battlefield, which they later described as excellent.  GS and Mrs Magpie waited in the coffee shop working on a plan (to cover as much as humanly possible) for sightseeing Lancaster the following day.