Anybody been to Gettysburg?

[DoubleSecretProbation]

History nerd here and especially the US Civil War. I’ve never been and am thinking of taking my 12 year old during his fall break for a couple of days while the wife and daughter go to Disney World.

Any thoughts or other suggestions? Needs to be close enough to drive and interest a 12 year old.

 

[funKYcat75]

Haven’t been. What’s the address?

 

[Gassy_Knowls]

White people bad

 

[It'saDoneDeal]

I'm hoping someone has been and has some good feedback. I've thought about making a trip with my parents (for my dad especially) who I think would get a big kick out of it. But I don't want to make a long drive for a meh experience.

 

[jaw4ukcats]

We’ve been. The best thing to do is hire one of their guides to drive around in your car with you. You will find the info on the parks service website. It’s not crazy expensive and definitely worth it.

 

[Surewhatever]

Doubleday Inn is a nice place to stay. It is right on the battlefield.

https://doubledayinn.com/

Dobbin House is pretty good for food.

http://www.dobbinhouse.com/

Westside diner for breakfast.

Farnsworth house used to be great but not so much anymore. It might be better haven't been in a couple of years.

 

[bthaunert]

I live pretty close to Gettysburg and always make it a stop when friends or family visit. I’m not a history buff, but do enjoy going over there. I’ve always done the self guided tour.

I’m not so sure you can make a multi-day trip out of it, but can be a stop as part of a trip imo. Maybe throw a day at Hershey Park in there too. Just a thought if your boy is 12.

 

[Tannerdad]

On my bucket list. Will get there next year I hope. Been to a few battlefields.

 

[Bill Derington]

It’s definitely worth the trip, awesome experience.
Actually standing on all the historic locations is surreal.
Pickett’s charge was a lot further than I envisioned.

 

[MrKentucky]

Gatlinburg > Gettysburg

 

[Col. Angus]

Yea I been there.

 

[kevcat]

I'm hoping someone has been and has some good feedback. I've thought about making a trip with my parents (for my dad especially) who I think would get a big kick out of it. But I don't want to make a long drive for a meh experience.

I’ve been. It’s very interesting and I would recommend doing it. However, it’s pretty much a one day thing. I wouldn’t plan a three day trip to see it, because you’ll run out of things to see and do after 8 hours or so.

 

[Col. Angus]

I’ve been. It’s very interesting and I would recommend doing it. However, it’s pretty much a one day thing. I wouldn’t plan a three day trip to see it, because you’ll run out of things to see and do after 8 hours or so.

Yea it’s not that big a deal. Cemetery, couple wax museums, get a penny pressed into a cool coin. Bout it. I remember the battlefield being pretty small compared to what I thought it would be.

 

[CatOfDaVille]

I went back in March with my daughter's 5th grade class. We took a trip to DC and drove up to Gettysburg for the day. The drive from DC to Gettysburg is less than 2 hours, so if you are looking for a 2-3 day trip, I would recommend going to DC for a day or two. You can fill 2 days in DC easy with all of the Smithsonian museums, memorials, tour of the Capitol, etc.

As far as Gettysburg, if you're a history buff like me, you'll love it. If you're a kid, I can see it being pretty boring. We were on a bus, and our guide hopped on the bus with us as we drove around the battlefield and town. The entire tour was maybe 2-3 hours, and I learned a ton. It was surreal to see a few holes still in the brick walls of a couple of buildings where they were hit by cannonballs. I believe one house still had the cannonball stuck in the wall.

There's also a decent museum at the visitor's center, but all in all, Gettysburg is a half to 3/4 day trip max.

 

[CAT Scratch FVR]

The drive from DC to Gettysburg is less than 2 hours, so if you are looking for a 2-3 day trip, I would recommend going to DC for a day or two. You can fill 2 days in DC easy with all of the Smithsonian museums, memorials, tour of the Capitol, etc.

This. Also recommend a side trip to Harpers Ferry WV, an hour from Gettysburg. Scenic, Civil War Museum.

 

[DSmith21]

I would recommend adding a trip to Antietam battlefield to your itinerary. It was another major engagement and it is only about 40 miles from Gettysburg. Antietam only gets about 25% of the tourist traffic that Gettysburg does.

 

[Kaizer Sosay]

I went back in March with my daughter's 5th grade class. We took a trip to DC and drove up to Gettysburg for the day. The drive from DC to Gettysburg is less than 2 hours, so if you are looking for a 2-3 day trip, I would recommend going to DC for a day or two. You can fill 2 days in DC easy with all of the Smithsonian museums, memorials, tour of the Capitol, etc.

As far as Gettysburg, if you're a history buff like me, you'll love it. If you're a kid, I can see it being pretty boring. We were on a bus, and our guide hopped on the bus with us as we drove around the battlefield and town. The entire tour was maybe 2-3 hours, and I learned a ton. It was surreal to see a few holes still in the brick walls of a couple of buildings where they were hit by cannonballs. I believe one house still had the cannonball stuck in the wall.

There's also a decent museum at the visitor's center, but all in all, Gettysburg is a half to 3/4 day trip max.

What he said.

 

[Bob E. Lee]

Any thoughts...?

Thoughts? Yeah sure, here's a thought: I'd have kicked Meade's Yankee *** up one side and down the other if that idiot Jeb Stuart hadn't gone AWOL for a couple of days. I mean, WTF man?

 

[Bill Derington]

I was there for about 5-6 hours, and it wasn't nearly long enough for me. That was just the bus tour through hitting the Lee statue with a guide talking, Devils Den and then stopping by the museum.
If you want to walk the battlefield it could easily be a 2 day stop, but that's if you're really into the history of the battle, and timeline of events.

 

[DoubleSecretProbation]

Thoughts? Yeah sure, here's a thought: I'd have kicked Meade's Yankee *** up one side and down the other if that idiot Jeb Stuart hadn't gone AWOL for a couple of days. I mean, WTF man?

Yeah but that whole circuit around Meade’s army was dope as ...

 

[TexasTimCat]

I have been to Gettysburg - but if you are a civil war buff i highly recommend Shiloh.

 

[DSmith21]

I have been to Gettysburg - but if you are a civil war buff i highly recommend Shiloh.

 

[Festivus Miracle]

I have been to Gettysburg - but if you are a civil war buff i highly recommend Shiloh.

We really enjoyed Gettysburg but I will second the Shiloh recommendation. Visitors Center is kind of small at Shiloh but the battlefield has some interesting monuments. For those history interested a trip to Corinth, Mississippi needs to be included in the Shiloh visit. Pivotal battle in the CW.

 

[MegaBlue05]

I went to Gettysburg when I was about your son’s age. I thought it sucked. I remeber it being hot and boring. My dad loved it and didn’t want to leave.

I would probably enjoy it more as an adult. Kids, unless they’re really into history, usually equate old with boring.

 

[Tskware]

Been to Antietam, Gettysburg, Shiloh, Fort Sumter and Vicksburg. Very interesting stuff, I could spend a full day easy at Gettsyburg, but because I know my civll war history, I prefer to get out of the car and walk around, e.g., the sunken road at Antietam. Very strange feeling to be on a spot where so many thousands were killed and wounded.

As a UK football fan, if you go to a game this fall at Mississippi State, the most direct drive takes you right past the Shiloh battlefield, it is not as big or as interesting as Antietam or certainly not Gettysburg, but worth a few hours to look around, it is a very scenic and beautiful spot, although literally right in the middle of nowhere, just like Antietam.

 

[vhcat70]

It's been 35 years. First go to Visitor's Center & get map & see battlefield layout. Then follow the driving trail. Stop at the various unit makers/ memorials. Views from the Union lines are best since they took the high ground - which Lee's dumb subordinates let them do. Climbing thru the rocks of Devil's Den was fun. We spent 1/2 day I think. Enough for this history buff who's been to several battlefields.

 

[Tskware]

It's been 35 years. First go to Visitor's Center & get map & see battlefield layout. Then follow the driving trail. Stop at the various unit makers/ memorials. Views from the Union lines are best since they took the high ground - which Lee's dumb subordinates let them do. Climbing thru the rocks of Devil's Den was fun. We spent 1/2 day I think. Enough for this history buff who's been to several battlefields.

My first impression of the Confederate side, looking at the stone wall, was that was one hell of a long way of open ground to ask Pickett's men to charge across, inconceivable to me how Lee could have ever thought it would be successful. Peach Orchard is very sobering as well, IIRC, one regiment from Minnesota took 80% casualties in something less than 30 minutes. I am 99% certain that Gettysburg is still by far the bloodiest single battle US forces have ever been engaged in, including both World Wars

 

[UK_ Alum_02]

I would like to go back. Thought it was boring when I was 9-10, but I am ready to head back to that area now to revisit a few places.

 

[CC_332_rivals113783]

Stopped there for a little bit on a trip to NYC. Be sure to look around the town itself and find the spot where Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address.

Someone said something about Harper's Ferry - I recommend it, but it's very small and hard to park. Cool stuff to see though.

Antietam isn't far away either. I did Antietam and Harper's Ferry in one day. Baltimore also isn't a bad drive from Gettysburg.

 

[ukalum1988]

I would recommend adding a trip to Antietam battlefield to your itinerary. It was another major engagement and it is only about 40 miles from Gettysburg. Antietam only gets about 25% of the tourist traffic that Gettysburg does.

My wife and I went to Antietam back about 20 years when we lived in the Baltimore area. It was in September about a week or so from the anniversary of the battle and it wasn’t crowded at all. The battlefield was very well preserved and a hard-core history buff could easily spend several days at Antietam checking out the markers, monuments, etc.

Went to Gettysburg when I was about 12 years old as part of a family vacation. I really enjoyed it, and meant to go back when I lived in Baltimore but unfortunately I never did.

 

[tallkat70]

I went there four score and seven years ago.

 

[Bill Derington]

My first impression of the Confederate side, looking at the stone wall, was that was one hell of a long way of open ground to ask Pickett's men to charge across, inconceivable to me how Lee could have ever thought it would be successful. Peach Orchard is very sobering as well, IIRC, one regiment from Minnesota took 80% casualties in something less than 30 minutes. I am 99% certain that Gettysburg is still by far the bloodiest single battle US forces have ever been engaged in, including both World Wars

I believe a small company from Georgia had taken the stonewall briefly on the second day, but didn't have the force to hold it. Lee had that in the back of his mind, but didn't know the Union had reacted to that, and reinforced that position.
Also, Lee was as much wanting a political win as a military win. He was desperate to win a large battle on Union territory to put pressure on Washington.

 

[UKRob 73]

Guy on here who goes by BBDK does civil war reenactments there.

 

[CatOfDaVille]

Also, when you visit Gettysburg, it's important to remember the logistics of battles in the 19th century.

For instance, the Union army reinforcing Cemetery Hill which ultimately led to the failure of Pickett's charge was largely dependent on the artillery they positioned at the top of the ridge. In 1863 the only way to get a cannon to the top of hill was to have a team of horses pull it. Our tour guide told us that it took about 8 hours for a team of soldiers to lead a team of horses to pull a single cannon to the top of the hill. Think about that in the July heat in a full wool uniform.

Thinking about stuff like that really adds to my overall appreciation of the history. Maybe it's just me...

 

[Tskware]

Also, Lee was as much wanting a political win as a military win. He was desperate to win a large battle on Union territory to put pressure on Washington.

Without question, and every war has a large political component as well as military strategy, but slaughtering 15,000 men in one hopeless charge did not accomplish either goal. And Longstreet warned him not to do even try . . . but the rest, as they say, is history.

 

[Tskware]

FWIW, I have never been to Fredericksburg, but my brother has and he told me the same thing similar to PIckett's Charge, the Union General (Burnside?) that repeatedly ordered infantry assaults up Marye's Heights must have been a lunatic. No possible way to take that position with 19th century tactics.

 

[Bill Derington]

Without question, and every war has a large political component as well as military strategy, but slaughtering 15,000 men in one hopeless charge did not accomplish either goal. And Longstreet warned him not to do even try . . . but the rest, as they say, is history.

True, but the South couldn't maintain the war effort as long as the North could, nor were they ever going to militarily win the war.

Lee knew this was his one shot at winning offensively in the North, to put pressure on Washington, and relieve pressure on the south by pulling forces to protect Washington. As you mention it was a bad decision, but at that point it was all Lee had to try achieve his goal when entering Pennsylvania.

 

[vhcat70]

FWIW, I have never been to Fredericksburg, but my brother has and he told me the same thing similar to PIckett's Charge, the Union General (Burnside?) that repeatedly ordered infantry assaults up Marye's Heights must have been a lunatic. No possible way to take that position with 19th century tactics.

The hill at Fredericksburg is much steeper, Confeds basically looking down on Unions. Way more hopeless than Pickett's charge.

 

[vhcat70]

My first impression of the Confederate side, looking at the stone wall, was that was one hell of a long way of open ground to ask Pickett's men to charge across, inconceivable to me how Lee could have ever thought it would be successful.

Agree, Looks hopeless from either side. THis is hindsight now.

Confeds lost battle the first day due to not securing the heights against minimal Union forces (somewhat unknown though), nor disrupting Union supply lines with Lee overruling Longstreet's right flanking plan. The die was cast & rest was playing it out.

 

[Bill Derington]

Longstreet didn’t seem to have his heart in Gettysburg. His slow reversal on the second day, when time is of the essence has always been dumbfounding to me.