Gettysburg Battlefield

Yesterday was a beautiful day and fall colors were everywhere.  I woke up fairly early and got a few pictures off our balcony as the sun was rising.  This is my favorite time of year.  It is not hot like the summer but it is also not so cold that you need a coat.  One of the aspects of living near DC that we have really enjoyed is the long spring and fall seasons.  Fall lasts for almost 2 months and smoothly transitions into winter. 

This is the view from our balcony.  Almost every tree is a different color.  In the background you can see the old post office tower, the Washington Monument and the Capitol dome.

Yesterday was so nice that we decided we needed to spend it outdoors.  For a while we have been wanting to go see the Gettysburg Battlefield but have not made it up there.  It is less than two hours away so it is perfect for a day trip. 

When we arrived at the visitors center we learned a little of the history of the battle before we drove to the actual battle sites.  One of the things that was interesting was the advances in weaponry that occurred between the mid to late 1800’s.  During that time period they began filling steel shells with explosives.  These shells were much more damaging than a solid cannon ball.  They would explode when they hit the ground sending shrapnel everywhere.  Some of them also had fuses and would explode in the air showering soldiers with the shrapnel. 

This display contained a few of the shells from the time period.  They were basically pipe bombs that soldiers loaded in cannons and blasted at their enemies.

We were able to visit a number of the major battles sites.  The battle lasted three days and over 50,000 soldiers were wounded or killed.  That is over ten times the number of US soldiers that have been killed in Iraq in the last seven years. 

We are standing by a cannon.  This cannon was grooved on the inside, like a modern rifle, to make the cannon’s shot more accurate. 

Aimee had to make sure it actually had grooves on the inside.  Good thing it wasn’t loaded.

We also went to the top of an observation tower.  It gave us a great view of the entire area where the battle occurred.  It was pretty tall and when you were at the top you could feel the entire tower shake a little as people walked up the stairs.

We were a little concerned when we got to the top and saw that some of the supports were rusted completely through.

Overall the tower seemed sturdy enough, but I sure wouldn’t want to be at the top during a windstorm!

Here are a few more pictures from the trip.  A lot of the pictures have cannons in them because there were cannons everywhere on the battlefield.  They are also fun to take pictures with. 

 

Aimee also had fun getting some good nature shots.