Battle of Gettysburg Tour – September 2024

 I have long held the ambition to one day visit an American Civil War battlefield. Then, in late September, whilst working in the US, I found myself with a Saturday off and the battlefield of all Civil War battlefields “only” 4 hours drive from where I was staying!

Free tourist map provided by the information desk

It was a no-brainer, as they say, and I was up and out of the hotel and on the road by 6am!

Rebel Uniform

The journey from Pittsburgh was straight forwards and on interstate dual carriageway nearly the entire way there.

Selection of handguns!

Arriving amongst the rain and mist at 10am, I was surprised to see how the charming little town of Gettysburg appears to still be made up of buildings contemporary to the war.

Recalling the Gettysburg address

I made my way to the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center thinking this would be a good start and would set the scene for my visit.

The Gun line in the Cyclorama

I was not disappointed. The visitor’s centre is modern and roomy. It has toilets, an information desk, restaurant, museum, well-stocked gift shop and the Cyclorama (a circular painting by the French artist Paul Philippoteaux depicting Pickett's Charge, the climactic Confederate attack on the Union forces during the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863).

The 1832 "Old Dorm" Seminary Ridge

To enter the museum & Cyclorama there was a fee, which could be grouped together with a 2-hour coach tour. As I only had one day to visit & wanted to get the very most from the experience, I opted for the whole package ($53). I surmised that if time allowed, I could always re-visit any viewpoints that interested me in my car after the tour was finished.

Tour Bus - 2 hour tours

This proved to be a good choice. The museum tells the story of the whole Civil War and where the battle of Gettysburg fits in context. It was excellent, if a little darkly lit, with many contemporary items, weapons & uniforms displayed.

Typical rail fences on Seminary Ridge

The Cyclorama is very evocative. I’ve visited a similar thing on the battlefield at Waterloo and it’s a great way to place the viewer at point in time during a momentous event!

Starting point for Pickett's Charge

The coach tour was excellent. The tour guide was from Atlanta (a Southerner!) who did a great job to tell the story from both points of view. In fact, that was a great learning for me. When a country looks back on a Civil War, you have to remain positive and not point fingers at “Them & us” otherwise you just perpetuate the animosity.

The ground over which they charged

They took us around the site following the course of the battle over three days. Stopping every few hundred metres to get out and view the myriads of memorials etc. Many of these- the Confederate ones –are at risk from the US Woke/Cancel-Culture and may disappear.

The Devil's Den beneath Little Round Top

The area is a National Military Park supported by the American Battlefield Trust. I had downloaded their visitor information app ready to do a self-tour and found it extremely helpful when I drove around later on. The app is GPS enabled and will literally guide you from stand to stand and then give you all the information you could possibly need in written, spoken, pictorial & video format!! It’s amazing and completely free. You could easily conduct a “Tour” from the comfort of your armchair, it’s really that good.

The View from Little Round Top

The landscape is little changed (a few new buildings, better roads and slightly expanded forestry) from 1863 and you can really understand the tactical challenges faced by the two opponents.

The Peach Orchard

Many of the opposing forces front lines are marked out with rail fencing & preserved cannon. This makes it easy to understand the areas fought over.

The Wheatfield

The tour took you to all the iconic landmarks. Amongst the most iconic were Jenny Wade’s house, Seminary Ridge, scene of Pickett’s Charge, Little Round Top, the Peach Orchard, the Wheatfield Devil’s Den, both commander’s HQs and the Gettysburg National Cemetery.

Gettysburg National Cemetery

I spent the entire day there, leaving for my hotel in Pittsburgh at 4.30pm just as it was starting to get darker.

Longstreet Memorial

Gettysburg is a fantastic place to visit. I could easily have spent 2-3 days there. The town itself deserves more detailed exploration and there were several more museums to be visited that I just didn’t have the time to see. Everything is accessible and well sign posted. There’s ample carparking and sufficient public toilets around the site.

Lee's HQ during the battle

I literally took hundreds of photographs, but I’ve just inflicted a select few to help illustrate the article!

View towards Little Round Top

If you ever get the opportunity to visit, don’t miss out!