They are following not only their generals, but their hearts.
Names like Heth, Pickett, Meade, Buford, Hancock, Longstreet... and yes,
[Good catch, C-90. I do need to re-read.]
Today, and the next few days, etched a few words into our national history:
"The Wheatfield"
"The Peach Orchard"
"The Devil's Den"
"Little Roundtop"
"Bloody Run"
"Seminary Ridge"
"Pickett's Charge"
One hundred fifty years ago as I type this, the men of the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac were a day into the Battle of Gettysburg.
If you haven't visited the battlefield, you should. Walk on Little Roundtop and think about the Rebel Yell coming up... or stand on the treeline in Pickett's ranks and imagine what motivation it would take to leave those trees and charge the Yankee lines - a mile away.
I visited the Battle of Lexington (MO) historic site here yesterday.
Now I understand why people say the war never ended...
Once Chamberlain had a speech memorized from Shakespeare and gave it proudly, the old man listening but not looking, and Chamberlain remembered it still: 'What a piece of work is man...in action how like an angel!' And the old man, grinning, had scratched his head and then said stiffly, 'Well, boy, if he's an angel, he's sure a murderin' angel.'
-- Michael Shaara, "The Killer Angels"
4 comments:
My buddy Pete has been liveblogging Gettysburg since yesterday. You might find it worth a look. :)
Yep, cannot imagine that 'walk' across that mile of land under fire!
Zercool, you need to go back to history class, Grant wasn't at Gettysburg. He was still out West.
And there is a article out that Lee messed up because he couldn't see the low ground in front of the left side of the union position.
http://news.yahoo.com/map-may-explain-lees-decisions-gettysburg-171733006.html
And according to something I read the tree's now in the area of the Little and Big Round Top weren't there in the 1800's. Probably because it was waster ground, they were harvested for fire wood and building materials.
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