Last weekend we took a little road trip to Gettysburg, PA. The date was November 19, 2011 exactly 148 years since Lincoln was there with his Gettysburg Address to dedicate the cemetery. Robert has found an interest in Lincoln and the Civil War and this was something that I thought would bring history to life for him. Because on Dedication Day there are re-enactors everywhere which helps make the battlefield and the war more real. We left on Friday night and stayed over. The boys were both up and ready to head into Gettysburg by 8:30 (which was perfect). When we got to Gettysburg, we went to the National Cemetery as they were getting ready for the annual Dedication Day Service. As we walked through the cemetery, each Civil War grave had an American Flag on it and on some a state flag from where they called home.
We were able to listen to the Dedication Day service, where Lincoln (James Getty) once again gave the Gettysburg Address while the crowd listened.
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| National Park Service welcoming all to the service |
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| The Gettysburg Address |
Following the service, we walked to the Pennsylvania Monument and walked past the High Water Mark and the location of Pickett's Charge. The we went and took a audio tour of the enter battlefield. This took us a little bit of time (all afternoon) because we wanted to climb the towers and see the monuments, plus it was a beautiful day!
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| At the top of Little Round Top |
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| At Devil's Den towards Little Round Top |
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| With the re-enactors present, we saw scenes like this that might have been what it looked like 148 years ago. |
That evening, we returned to the cemetery to view the luminaries that are placed on each of the Civil War graves for Dedication Day. This was eerie, but also breathtaking to see but also very humbling to remember that each person had died for us and for our freedom to keep our nation together.
We had a great weekend, with great weather and the boys what to know when we can go back.
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