BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG: Reliving History at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

52 Places to Go: Week 27

Reliving History

The hot July sun beat down on the sloping field in southern Pennsylvania, just as it had on July 1-3, 1863 when the Battle of Gettysburg was fought in this quiet farm community just north of the Mason-Dixon line. I wished we had brought parasols like those I saw carried by the hoop-skirted ladies hovering at the edge of the crowd. Directly in front of us, on the stubble of cut hay, we watched gray uniformed Union soldiers loading their cannons. On the other side, beyond a stone wall, Confederate soldiers, armed with their own cannons and muskets, lined up their ammunition while drummer boys and flag bearers got ready to lead the charge. The regiment doctor, his white apron already stained, prepared to treat the wounded.

History was repeating itself--or so it seemed. This time, however, the soldiers and ladies dressed in 1860's attire were actors playing parts. Observers sat safely on bleachers or stood along the sidelines while the action was narrated over a loudspeaker. (The announcer also filled us in on background information--a benefit for people like me who were a bit rusty on Civil War history.)

KA-BOOM! The first cannon volley thundered across the field and smoke billowed skyward. Soldiers marched forward and fell in battle. KA-BOOM! KA-BOOM! KA-BOOM! For nearly an hour the cannons boomed and muskets fired with deafening realism. When the attack was over “victims” jumped up unharmed and the soldiers, sweltering in their authentic woolen uniforms, guzzled Gatorade.

Pickett's Charge

We were outside the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, at the reenactment of Pickett’s Charge, an authentic recreation of this pivotal Civil War battle presented by Gettysburg Living History Inc., one of several living history companies that stage Civil War events in Gettysburg. Every year during the 4th of July weekend thousands of Civil War reenactors from all over the United States congregate in Gettysburg to recreate events ranging from battles and drill competitions to medical demonstrations and fife and drum concerts. They also put on fashion shows, art exhibits, impersonations, and talks. Some events are free while others require tickets.

For my family, watching and talking with the reenactors was an ideal opportunity to visualize history as it happened. Dressed in authentic clothing and living in a tent encampment for the long weekend, the reenactors at Herr’s Ridge lived and breathed the history of the Civil War era. Although there are excellent exhibits at the National Park Visitor Center and other museums in town nothing makes history more real than meeting people who have incorporated it into their lives.

What the Women Wore

When the battle was over the announcer invited us to walk on the battlefield and through the encampment. While the men in our group examined weapons and cannonballs, my daughter and I were much more interested in talking with the women. Many wore elaborate costumes, varying from hoop skirts and sheer dimity summer dresses to more practical shirtwaists and sunbonnets. We learned that women reenactors had to carefully research their costumes to make sure that each part was consistent both with the time period and their character’s age and social class. Snoods, or hairnets, for instance, were only worn by young women during that period and were a kind of fashion fad.

We chatted with two women whose husbands had been on the battlefield. Both said they had been drawn into reenacting by their husbands’ military interest but once “bitten by the bug” it was hard to resist becoming an enthusiastic participant. Weekends such as this one were family events and included children who were also dressed in period clothing.

When we asked about the authenticity of women and children at this event we got a short history lesson on women’s participation in the Civil War. While most women stayed at home during the Civil War, maintaining the family farm or business while their husbands were fighting, many wives followed the camps, especially if their own homes had been destroyed by the war and they had no relatives to take them in. In a few cases, women disguised themselves as men, and fought as soldiers. If they were discovered, they were evicted from camp and lucky not to be shot for treason.

Sutlers and Vendors

At the Herr’s Ridge battlefield we also visited the area designated for sutlers and vendors. A “sutler,” I learned, is a person who follows an army for the purpose of selling the troops provisions, liquor, etc. The tented sutler and vendor booths contained everything from modern day food and drink to genuine and authentic reproduction Civil War uniforms and weapons. Reenactors are expected to be completely accurate down the stitching on the uniforms.

Vendors also sold women and children’s clothing, household goods and toys of the period. In a booth that specialized in jewelry I learned another new word, “chatelaine,” an ornamental clasp that the mistress of a house wore at her waist and which had hooks for attaching keys to the pantry, a watch, and perhaps a small purse. The chatelaine we examined was of chased silver and clearly meant as a status symbol as well as a practical item.

Steeping Yourself in History

If you want to thoroughly steep yourself in the Civil War era you can stay in the recently renovated historic Gettysburg Hotel and eat at the Dobbin House Tavern. Other area attractions include the National Park Service Visitor Center and Cyclorama on Taneytown Road, tours of Dwight Eisenhower’s farm (tickets and shuttle from the Visitor Center), and the national cemetery across from the Visitor Center.
If you like your history dramatized, you should plan your trip to Gettysburg so that it includes a summer weekend. Reenactments of various kinds of Civil War events occur on almost every weekend between May and October. Another way to put drama into your trip is to tour the battlefields by trolley. The tour guide plays the part of several Civil War characters. (We chose instead to buy the Auto Tape Tour at the National Civil War Wax Museum, 297 Steinwehr Avenue, for a self tour so that we could visit at our own pace.)

Getting there: Fly to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and then go by car to Gettysburg. (South on 15 from Harrisburg, exiting on US 30 to Gettysburg. A scenic 39 mile drive.)
Current Gettysburg information: Gettysburg go to http://www.gettysburgaddress.com. Click on reenactments for current information.

This article was first posted 4/13/11.  The trip occurred in July 1997. For a few more pictures from the trip click HERE. You can find information about current reenactments at Gettysburg by searching the web.

All text and photographs copyright Caroline Arnold.

ANCIENT CORINTH AND EPIDAUROS: Guest Post by Sara Kras

Ancient Corinth, Greece. Temple of Apollo at Sunset

My friend and fellow children’s book writer Sara Kras recently arrived in Greece to begin a year's study for her Master's Degree. Here she shares some of her first impressions of Greece. Sara loves to travel and has contributed numerous articles to The Intrepid Tourist in the past. Sara's most recent book, Baby Boomer Reboot, is a fascinating account of the challenges she faced going back to college in her fifties. 

Ancient Corinth is a small inland village about three miles from the seaport town of Corinth.  Summer months are the most difficult time to find lodging in Greece, especially by the sea.  Because we had to make a last minute booking, I thought somewhere away from the sea might be available and I was right.  I called Pegasus Rooms in Ancient Corinth.  I was told there were no rooms available for a week, but they had an off-site apartment called Acrocorinth Apartments. 

The owner told us the rate would be 60 euros per night including breakfast.  The apartment was surrounded by the owner’s vineyards and olive tree groves, supposedly a quiet farmer’s cottage.  Unfortunately, immediately to our right lived a very noisy Greek family.  The noise came and went in waves.  We knew we had to stick it out because we had nowhere else to go.  Not everyone felt the same way.  We saw an older couple on the other side of us leave early on a Sunday morning.  This was because the patriarch of the noisy Greek family decided to rev his motorcycle very loud for several hours.  We handled the noise by exploring the surrounding area, which took us to the ancient ruins of Corinth and to the very well-preserved amphitheater in Epidauros. 

Our apartment in Ancient Corinth.

Located on the Isthmus of Corinth, Ancient Corinth had the unique position of being literally the midway point between Athens and Sparta, two warring city-states.  Ancient Corinth was founded in 8^th century BC.  However, it reached its peak in the 7^th and 6^th centuries BC.  The Temple of Apollo dominates the town and still does today. 

Surrounding the ruins at Ancient Corinth is a cute village with restaurants, tourist shops, and traditional food markets.  Our favorite restaurant in Ancient Corinth was Marinos Restaurant.  We ate there every night for a week and the food was consistently delicious.

The ruins are not a large complex.  It takes about an hour or two to see it all.  Once you’ve walked through the entire ruin, you exit by the ancient marble walkway.  There’s a profound reverence this walkway inspires.  How many people walked on this marble walkway since the 8^th century BC?  You can just imagine each person carrying their concerns, worries, and joys as they trod upon the walkway leaving a miniscule imprint of their bare feet or soles of their shoes.

There’s also an interesting museum connected with the site, which is a common theme at most ancient ruins in Greece.  This museum featured carvings of the mythological battles of Gods and men against the centaurs and Amazon women.

Temple of Apollo during the day.

Marble walkway of Ancient Corinth.

Carving of soldier fighting an Amazon. 

(Notice her outfit of a dress with half her chest covered and the rest exposed.  This appeared to be the only outfit the Amazons wore into battle per the many carvings we viewed.)

After seeing the ruins in Ancient Corinth, we decided to take an hour road trip to Epidauros to see the Epidauros Theater, a UNESCO World Heritage site.  This magnificent marble theater was built around 330 to 320 BC.  It seats up to 14,000. Greek plays are still performed there today and a schedule of shows was posted at the site. The acoustics are still very spectacular. Tourists below sang or clapped so those above could hear them.

Just like Ancient Corinth, there was a small museum as part of the ruin complex.

Sara standing in front of the theater

The gorgeous view from one of the top seats!

There are so many ruins and places to see in Greece, it’s hard to choose.  But if you find yourself in Corinth or the Peloponnese, these two sights are worth the visit.

CELEBRATING SEVEN YEARS OF TRAVEL at THE INTREPID TOURIST

With my family at Gettysburg, PA, July 1997

Seven years ago today, on April 13th, 2011, I published the first post on THE INTREPID TOURIST. Since then there have been more than 300 posts, published once a week, usually on Monday. My first post was inspired by a family trip to Gettysburg where we witnessed a reenactment of the Battle of Herr's Ridge, complete with all the noise, smoke, (no actual ammunition), soldiers and their families. I had written the article shortly after our visit in 1997 but it had never been published. So, I decided to use it to launch the blog.

Reenactors at Gettysburg included families of the soldiers dressed in clothing of the time

I thank all of you, my loyal readers, for your encouragement and interest through the years. And I thank all my guest posters for adding their unique experiences and trips to far away places.
Happy Traveling for another year!

Our tickets gave us a close-up view of the battle (the year on the ticket is incorrect--it was 1997)

Battle of Gettysburg

Reliving History (July 1997)

The hot July sun beat down on the sloping field in southern Pennsylvania, just as it had on July 1-3, 1863 when the Battle of Gettysburg was fought in this quiet farm community just north of the Mason-Dixon line. I wished we had brought parasols like those I saw carried by the hoopskirted ladies hovering at the edge of the crowd. Directly in front of us, on the stubble of cut hay, we watched gray uniformed Union soldiers loading their cannons. On the other side, beyond a stone wall, Confederate soldiers, armed with their own cannons and muskets, lined up their ammunition while drummer boys and flag bearers got ready to lead the charge. The regiment doctor, his white apron already stained, prepared to treat the wounded.

History was repeating itself--or so it seemed. This time, however, the soldiers and ladies dressed in 1860's attire were actors playing parts. Observers sat safely on bleachers or stood along the sidelines while the action was narrated over a loudspeaker. (The announcer also filled us in on background information--a benefit for people like me who were a bit rusty on Civil War history.)

KA-BOOM! The first cannon volley thundered across the field and smoke billowed skyward. Soldiers marched forward and fell in battle. KA-BOOM! KA-BOOM! KA-BOOM! For nearly an hour the cannons boomed and muskets fired with deafening realism. When the attack was over “victims” jumped up unharmed and the soldiers, sweltering in their authentic woolen uniforms, guzzled Gatorade.

Pickett's Charge

We were outside the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, at the reenactment of Pickett’s Charge, an authentic recreation of this pivotal Civil War battle presented by Gettysburg Living History Inc., one of several living history companies that stage Civil War events in Gettysburg. Every year during the 4th of July weekend thousands of Civil War reenactors from all over the United States congregate in Gettysburg to recreate events ranging from battles and drill competitions to medical demonstrations and fife and drum concerts. They also put on fashion shows, art exhibits, impersonations, and talks. Some events are free while others require tickets.

For my family, watching and talking with the reenactors was an ideal opportunity to visualize history as it happened. Dressed in authentic clothing and living in a tent encampment for the long weekend, the reenactors at Herr’s Ridge lived and breathed the history of the Civil War era. Although there are excellent exhibits at the National Park Visitor Center and other museums in town nothing makes history more real than meeting people who have incorporated it into their lives.

What the Women Wore

When the battle was over the announcer invited us to walk on the battlefield and through the encampment. While the men in our group examined weapons and cannonballs, my daughter and I were much more interested in talking with the women. Many wore elaborate costumes, varying from hoopskirts and sheer dimity summer dresses to more practical shirtwaists and sunbonnets. We learned that women reenactors had to carefully research their costumes to make sure that each part was consistent both with the time period and their character’s age and social class. Snoods, or hairnets, for instance, were only worn by young women during that period and were a kind of fashion fad.

We chatted with two women whose husbands had been on the battlefield. Both said they had been drawn into reenacting by their husbands’ military interest but once “bitten by the bug” it was hard to resist becoming an enthusiastic participant. Weekends such as this one were family events and included children who were also dressed in period clothing.

When we asked about the authenticity of women and children at this event we got a short history lesson on women’s participation in the Civil War. While most women stayed at home during the Civil War, maintaining the family farm or business while their husbands were fighting, many wives followed the camps, especially if their own homes had been destroyed by the war and they had no relatives to take them in. In a few cases, women disguised themselves as men, and fought as soldiers. If they were discovered, they were evicted from camp and lucky not to be shot for treason.

Sutlers and Vendors

At the Herr’s Ridge battlefield we also visited the area designated for sutlers and vendors. A “sutler,” I learned, is a person who follows an army for the purpose of selling the troops provisions, liquor, etc. The tented sutler and vendor booths contained everything from modern day food and drink to genuine and authentic reproduction Civil War uniforms and weapons. Reenactors are expected to be completely accurate down the stitching on the uniforms.

Vendors also sold women and children’s clothing, household goods and toys of the period. In a booth that specialized in jewelry I learned another new word, “chatelaine,” an ornamental clasp that the mistress of a house wore at her waist and which had hooks for attaching keys to the pantry, a watch, and perhaps a small purse. The chatelaine we examined was of chased silver and clearly meant as a status symbol as well as a practical item.

Steeping Yourself in History

If you want to thoroughly steep yourself in the Civil War era you can stay in the recently renovated historic Gettysburg Hotel and eat at the Dobbin House Tavern. Other area attractions include the National Park Service Visitor Center and Cyclorama on Taneytown Road, tours of Dwight Eisenhower’s farm (tickets and shuttle from the Visitor Center), and the national cemetery across from the Visitor Center.
If you like your history dramatized, you should plan your trip to Gettysburg so that it includes a summer weekend. Reenactments of various kinds of Civil War events occur on almost every weekend between May and October. Another way to put drama into your trip is to tour the battlefields by trolley. The tour guide plays the part of several Civil War characters. (We chose instead to buy the Auto Tape Tour at the National Civil War Wax Museum, 297 Steinwehr Avenue, for a self tour so that we could visit at our own pace.)

Getting there: Fly to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and then go by car to Gettysburg. (South on 15 from Harrisburg, exiting on US 30 to Gettysburg. A scenic 39 mile drive.)
Current Gettysburg information: Gettysburg go to http://www.gettysburgaddress.com. Click on reenactments for current information.