If you ever get the chance to visit Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, you should do so. It is the town in which the Union army desperately defeated the Confederacy in the Battle of Gettysburg in July of 1863. The Confederates were on their way to Washington, DC but the Union quickly caught up with them.
A view from Little Round Top
What is so striking about visiting the battlefield is the overwhelming sense of loss (51,000 Americans died there) that simply hangs in the air and permeates your mood. You can feel the sadness all around you.
View of the Battlefield
I was also unprepared for the size of the battlefield and the miles it stretches upon. The battle occurred within the town also and this was a frightening thought upon seeing that the row houses were built right up against the road the soldiers passed and fought on. Many houses from the era remain.
We did not spend enough time in Gettysburg. We tried to do it in one day. I recommend a long weekend. I also recommend avoiding any hotel that sits right on the major thoroughfare, Steinwher Avenue/Baltimore Street if you are a light sleeper as you will hear the trucks on this busy road. We stayed at the Gettysburg Travelodge and wouldn’t stay there again. Not only was there heavy street traffic noise but someone tried to get into our room at 1:30 in the morning, not accepting their key just would not work. The free continental breakfast was just plain bad.
On Little Round Top
We made sure to climb aways up Little Round Top to see where the 20th Maine Infantry soldiers had defended their positions against all odds as immortalized in the Gettysburg movie with Michigander Jeff Daniels playing Colonial Joshua Chamberlain. It is near here that we had our paranormal experiences.
On Little Round Top
If I had known we could leave a little flag in honor of my ancestors who fought for Michigan, I would’ve done so. Here is just one flag left for the 20th Maine.
Below is a photograph of a soldier’s fortification on Little Round Top. I was especially drawn to this area and felt especially sad and I knelt down as if I were a soldier and took some photos. One is above the Maine flag photo. The other below. You can see quite a large orb in the left side of the photo.
- Orb on Little Round Top
After we visited the 20th Maine Infantry Memorial Statue, my daughter and I went ahead of my husband. At the car we began wondering what happened to him as he was slow to show up. When he finally arrived at the car, it was by walking out of the woods nearby rather than the path. He said that he distinctly heard someone “Ssshhh!” him as he walked on the path. He was alone at that point, no other visitors nearby. Since it was so distinct he decided to walk in the woods and find the man who’d shushed him to be quiet. He found no one. My husband was dressed in all blue that day, including a blue cap. Could a Union soldier been concerned for his safety as he walked down the hill?
