Gettysburg, PA

We enjoyed being tourists this morning in Gettysburg. We stayed at this hotel below - at General Lee's Headquarters on July 3, 1863. Inside is a small museum that you can visit for free if you're a guest of the hotel.
After touring the museum, we did an audio tour through the battlefield - an 18 mile journey that takes you through the ins and outs of this violent battle. It was interesting to imagine what had taken place here almost 150 years ago. It definitely left me with a greater sense of appreciation for those who have fought to give us the freedom and the united country we now experience today.


The 2 pics below are taken from the top (1st pic) and then the bottom (2nd pic) of Little Round Top.

"Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left flank on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Considered by some historians to be the key point in the Union Army's defensive line that day, Little Round Top was defended successfully by the brigade of Col. Strong Vincent. The 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, commanded by Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, fought the most famous engagement there, culminating in a dramatic downhill bayonet charge that is one of the most well-known actions at Gettysburg and in the American Civil War" (taken from Wikipedia).

At the completion of the audio tour we made our way over to the Visitor's Center and the *main* museum in Gettysburg. This was definitely the highlight as we took in a great video that really brought the Civil War Era and the Battle of Gettysburg to life. We also had the privilege of seeing a Cyclorama, a painting by the French artist Paul Philoppoteaux depicting "Pickett's Charge", the climactic Confederate attack on the Union forces during the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863.

Now we're in Grantham, PA at Messiah College for the annual ACSD conference. Becky Weber, a good friend from Simpson, just arrived and is my roommate for the next several days. This is gonna be fun. I am definitely missing home though. Priya melts my heart every time I hear her sweet voice on the other end of the phone line.