Florida-Georgia-Alabama-Tennessee-North Carolina-South Carolina-Virginia-Mississippi!
The DixieDualSport Forum!
A Message Board, Guestbook, or Poll hosted for your website.



View Single Post Thread: Bert's "Let's ride New England" Tour 2009
 
Author Comment
 
EbarDP48
Moderator
Registered: 02/22/06
Posts: 2,516

    10/01/09Reply with quote#30
Before leaving Gettysburg, I thought I'd share 4 of the 20 pages of history contained in this Internet storyboard of the battle of Gettysburg.
http://www.gettysburg.com/bog/bogstory/story1.htm

The Extraordinary Story of the Battle of Gettysburg

 

 

 Page 12

Young SoldierDead SoldiersWhen the cannonade ceased 12,000 Confederate soldiers marched from Seminary Ridge in parade dress formation to launch a famous, heroic attack upon the Union center, forever ingrained and immortalized in history as Pickett's Charge. The Confederate objective was a small clump of trees, 1 mile away across an open field. Once the smoke from the cannonade cleared the field, Union forces watched their soon to be combatants in awe. They admired the intense patriotism and desperate dedication of the men before them. Still, once within range, the Union artillery hit and mowed down the columns of men like blades of grass. Two out of three Confederate soldiers would not return. Picture left: A young Confederate soldier. Picture right: Dead soldiers after Battle.

 

 

 




Page 13
Incredibly, a small number of Confederate forces reached the small clump of trees in their brave determination and held the land for a brief period of time. Their courage and heroism gave way to the devastating realities of war as Union forces engulfed them from three sides. The group of trees became known as the High Water Mark of the Confederacy. Picketts division and other elements in the attack were virtually destroyed.




Page 14

General PickettTroops leavingRetreating back to Seminary Ridge, General Lee waited and upon seeing General Pickett and realizing the defeat that occurred, advised Pickett to reform his division in the event of a Union counterattack. Pickett, looking at Lee responded, "General Lee, I have no division." With these words, and after 3 days of devastating carnage, the battle ended with the Confederates being defeated and retreating back to Virginia the next day. Sadly, the horrors of the war would continue for another two long, bloody years. Picture left: General George Pickett. Picture right: Troops on the move.

 

 

 

Page 15
 
Declaration of IndependenceGeneral GrantBy coincidence or perhaps an omen, the next day happened to be July 4th, known as America’s Independence Day. It was on July 4th, 1776 that the first 13 colony states formally broke away from Great Britain and formed a new nation called the United States of America. In perhaps another omen that the United States should be one country, this same day, the Confederate stronghold and gateway to the west, the city of Vicksburg, MS fell to a Union general, who 2 years later, would accept the surrender of General Lee and Confederate forces at Appomattox, VA. That General - Ulysses S. Grant. Picture left: Declaration of Independence. Picture right: General Grant.

 

 

 It was hard not to stop our tour right here and spend the next three days. Gettysburg is one of those places I have visited, where I mark it for a return trip later.
It's hard to look out over the now calm fields where those three days of bloody fighting took place and not feel sad or have a heavy heart.
Those three days of fighting earned these fields labels like Plum Run, the Peach Orchard, Cemetery Hill, High Water Mark and Big Round top.
I can only imagine the lead, steel and blood that's still buried in these fields today.

If you care to read the whole story click on this link.

http://www.gettysburg.com/bog/bogstory/story1.htm

Bert
   


Responsible Southern Adventure Riders
Florida-Georgia-Alabama-Tennessee-North Carolina-South Carolina-Virginia-Mississippi...And Beyond!