Today--a free day for everyone in the family, so we took a day trip to the Gettysburg battlefield.  I haven't been there since I was middle school aged.  I just finished reading "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara, a historical fiction book about the battle.  I knew as soon as I finished the book I wanted to revisit the battlefield. 

The visitor's center at the battlefield is very nice, and still fairly new.  There is a cafeteria, snack bar, and ice cream on the deck.  You can also buy tickets to see the cyclorama and movie which are housed there, although we did not do this.  We visited the bookstore/gift shop, but kept our souvenirs to those pennies that you put through the machine and smash them into an oval shape.  They did have numerous cool penny souvenirs (in homage to Lincoln), as well as books, T-shirts, figurines, etc.  If you're a Civil War buff, you'll probably find something you can't live without.  The food at the center was slightly more than you'd pay at McDonalds ($24 for all four of us) but portions were substantial.  We also had a good time looking at all the different license plates in the parking lot.  J was impressed that people from all over the country come here, and realized that it was something important and special.

Our first stop was a walk to the Soldier's National Cemetery, where Lincoln gave his Gettysburg address.  On the way there, we could see parts of the battlefield, some monuments, and a house that was used as a hospital.  The girls were very interested in this, and had a hard time initially--"But it just looks like a house!"  We had to explain to them that they used what was nearby out of necessity.  Our visit to the cemetery was personal--my husband has a uncle (a WWII vet) who is buried there.  We got directions from a ranger at the visitor's center, who told us where to find the grave.  We found it handily and snapped a few pictures.  Uncle Tom was only 30 years old when he was killed--one of the heroes of "The Greatest Generation."

We drove the self-guided auto tour of the battlefield, leaving the car at certain points for better views.  It's very well marked, and you can take as much or as little time as you want at various stops.  I read from the brochure as we reached certain points on the tour, so we all could understand what had happened at each location.  Monuments are almost everywhere you turn, something I hadn't remembered from my childhood.  K commented repeatedly about all of the cannons.   Looking down on the field from the height of Little Roundtop, you can see Devil's Den, where the Confederates stationed their snipers, as well as the field where Pickett's famous charge was held.  As I stood there, I was picturing the smells, sights, and noise of the battle.  It was hard for me to imagine how a Confederate sniper could hit anything at that distance, but a ranger commented they could hit a target from 1000 yards, and the distance from the top of Little Roundtop to Devil's Den was only half that distance. 

We were initially a little worried that K would be bored, but she loved being outside, seeing the different monuments, and climbing the stairs at the Pennsylvania monument to take in the view.  We knew J was old enough to have some appreciation for the place, and did a brief history lesson on the Civil War before arriving.  She had only studied the Revolutionary War this year in school, so now she has a little bit of a head start on the Civil War.  She did mention that many of her classmates have visited the battlefield.  When I asked her what she thought of the place, she said "It was cool.  It was a lot bigger than I expected it to be." 

I hope we'll be able to take another trip to the battlefield someday.  We are so lucky to live near this amazing national treasure.  If you're one of those folks who always says, "We should go to Gettysburg.  We live so close, and we've never been there,"  please take the time to go, especially if you have kids in the 9-12 age range.  They will certainly be old enough to understand some of the importance of this hallowed ground.  I know I have a new appreciation for it after today's visit.