July 2nd.....Devil's Den,  Wheat field, was not a good day all around.....

Gettysburg  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gettysburg

 

Edited July 2, 20206 yr by kmealy

We live 25 miles from there. When the Confederates were on their way to Gettysburg, they demanded a ransom from the folks here and when they refused, the Confederate general torched our town. This area is steeped in Civil War history and a metal detector's dream location. 

Gettysburg must be on every American’s bucket list.  So much to learn about our nation’s history and a reminder of what can be.

We've visited Gettysburg 4 times. Each time we learned more about that tremendous battle and the brave men who fought there. Very sobering experiences. 

2 hours ago, lew said:

We live 25 miles from there. When the Confederates were on their way to Gettysburg, they demanded a ransom from the folks here and when they refused, the Confederate general torched our town. This area is steeped in Civil War history and a metal detector's dream location. 

If/when we ever get down there, I’ll say hi. Just as a point of fact it is a felony to be in possession of a metal detector at any of the  national civil war fields, even if it stays in the trunk. Gettysburg has always on our bucket list, add in Amish country, Hershey, and we could spend a long time there.

18 minutes ago, Artie said:

at any of the  national civil war fields,

Both Franklin county and Adams county were inundated with Union and Confederate Armies- encampments, skirmishes and the like. Just about any farmer's field around here will yield Civil War artifacts.  

 

Looking forward to the visit!

Edited July 3, 20206 yr by lew

Right about now....way back then.....the roar of 150+ cannons going off....prelude to the mile stroll in the fields...

 

One of Pettigrew's  units, got about as far as the Chambersburg Pike....saw the fences...and decided this wasn't a good idea.....and as veterans, just turned around and walked back into the woods.  And, not a word was said....by them, or anyone else.  

I visited on the 100th anniversary (1963).   Then again in the 1980s with my kids.  One of my bucket list items is to visit the battlegrounds in Tenn and Ga that my great grandfather fought in (and was wounded in 2 of them).   Not this year.

My dad's grandfather rode with Quantrill's Raiders. Not a point of pride. One of Phyl's great great uncles marched with Sherman. His diary was some interesting reading. The Illinois town where she grew up was, at one time, named after General Hooker, who suffered an ignominious defeat at Chancellorsville. The town was renamed Sigel, after another General. He was a German immigrant, as was her uncle that marched with Sherman. Needless to say, most folks in that area are of Dutch or German descent. Phyl's maiden name is Sudkamp. Pronounced Soodkomp.

Well from a spelling/pronunciation standpoint, she traded up  

Great-grandfather Perry Newman, enlisted in 1864, mustered out in 1865....Buried down in Dayton, OH.    No wounds, entire Company made it through the war.   Was regarded as the "Black Sheep" of the family for enlisting......

I do not believe that any of the Fleming kin were on this side of the pond yet. We were still dealing with a famine of epic proportions  .

My mother's grandfather John L. Mason was drafted as all young men of the south were for that war, but was captured by Ohio 14th regimen and taken to Ohio for several months.  He was uneducated and signed out with his X.  

 

Just north of Chattanooga is a walled cemetery where many of those men are buried.  It is right along I-75.  Chickamauga was a real battle ground between General Sherman and I don't remember the confederate leaders at that point.  That is where Sherman's march began to Atlanta.  On the eastern side is a place called East Ridge and Skycrest Drive is right on top of the ridge.  Many monuments and markers are placed along there.  Also, on the sides of Lookout Mountain are many monuments.  There is a park on Lookout Mountain where the confederates took position to meet the oncoming union soldiers.  The canons remain at Point Park.  It is very close to Ruby Falls.  So, if you are touring in the area, it will take a few hours to explore all that.  It was an intense fight.  It is no pride to me to have that history in my family, but I understand that when you are drafted, you get no choice.  Some folks who were drafted left the south.  

Our local PBS station aired this video this morning. It isn't new but I had never seen it before. I was mesmerized by the visuals, photography and narration.