Thursday, Oct. 19
6:30 a.m. - roll call
6:45 a.m. - blessing of the troops by Father Paul; official "you-youing" of Pvt. Marley who arrived late to roll call
11:40 a.m. - troops board bus after making a "run for the border" (Taco Bell); Pvt. Jennifer is "you-youed" for leaving her official timepiece on the wagon train; Pvt. Jodi Crocker is "you-youed" for crabbing about the soda served to the troops
11:45 a.m. - Pvt. Kris, in charge of Tricks and Treats, passes out Halloween candy to the troops from an orange plastic pumpkin - this lifts troop morale and prepares them for battle
2 p.m. - March to the Visitor's Center - the troops are videotaped by amused onlookers, waved to and beeped at by passerby; road guards do an excellent job of holding oncoming traffic (Burger & Steve)
2:15 p.m. - Attended a presentation using the electronic map; walked around visitors center
3:15 p.m. - A mix-up of instructions with the bus - the troops walk back to the Holiday Inn instead
From 4:30 until dinner, we toured battlefield sites concentrating on Buford's and Reynold's movements. The weather was beautiful - sunny and warm!
We watched the sunset from the Eternal Peace Memorial, and the Col. remarked that he saw the same sunset last year, also. We took a moment to appreciate the eternal flame and look at the nearby mountains. The Col. told us stories of people who heard the scream of soldiers when the wind blew from the west...
We had dinner at Gettysburg College and had a wonderful meal. We were surprised at the size of the dining hall and the wide selection of food - it was great!
The troops are beginning to feel the emotions & aura of the Civil War that Col. Shay has tried so hard to help us understand.
A separate group walked to the battlefield around 9:30 p.m. and stayed until approximately 11:30 p.m. Sounds were heard by Ben, Sue, Burger, Steve, Shallan, Michele, Sarah, Jenn included screams of, "Noooo!", the thundering hooves of horses, booms, and whistles. A chill embraced us all at once, and when we looked at the trees to look for breezy movements, the trees were still. We all truly believe...
Friday, OCT. 20
8:00 a.m. - Breakfast buffet at the Holiday Inn dining hall. Late soldiers are properly "you=youed".
9:17 a.m. - The bus turns onto Reynolds Road and is met by a thick fog. The Col. comments that this is only the second time in 30 years coming here that he's seen that kind of fog here.
10:10 a.m. - Col. and his brother tell the story of Barlow & Gordon, soldiers fighting for opposite sides yet helping each other and meeting years later at a "convention" - The Col. gets very excited and calls his brother in to help organize the story
10:25 a.m. - We're amazed at the point-perspective painting on the side of a building. As we walked the length of it, the soldiers and the scenery moved!
1:30 p.m - The bus leaves after a lunch stop at a park. After eating, the group played on the playground, swinging, climbing, riding on play horses, etc. We took a few minutes to take a group picture in the "Gettysburg Wagon" - unfortunately Judge Advocate General Sue forgot her camera, so when she ran to the bus to retrieve it, we all ran from the picture position. We did form a line, however, at the Col.'s request so Sue could take her photo.
Today is cloudy and chilly. Sweatshirts and jackets have replaced the T-Shirts worn yesterday. Once in a while a few sprinkles stream down upon us, but it never puts a damper on our spirits.
4:30 p.m. - We arrive back at the Holiday Inn after marching to Little Round Top. After our lines became disorganized we understood how difficult it was to keep the troops in tact.
We retired later in the evening to room 311, where the Col. and Mr. Ray listened with us to Gettysburg ghost stories. The Colonel was amused with the group's drinking games and he kept asking, "Who's the asshole?" A night rendezvous to the cemetary was cancelled due to heavy rain and scattered lightning. Although the group was disappointed, we bonded by staying together just as the soldiers did during the war.
Our dinner at the Dobbin House Tavern was great! And, we were treated to an unexpected tour of the establishment, finding out that the Dobbins had ties to soldiers in the Civil War.
SATURDAY, OCT. 21
9:30 a.m. - We experienced the sights and sounds of the cyclorama of Pickett's charge - the lighting and sound efects moved everyone!
12:30 p.m. - We ate lunch at the same park as yesterday, only there was one problem - the bathrooms were locked! Road Guard Burger and Regimental Historian Michele invited two women at the park to eat with the group. Both were students at Gettysburg College, and one of the women's friends appeared in the movie "The Ghosts of Gettysburg!"
3 p.m. - Pickett's Charge. The early morning rain has stopped, but the wind is brutal and the fields are extremely muddy. However, the troops move through the fields, guided by our top-notch scouts (Burger and Kevin). Almost at the end of the route, the troops are commanded to CHARGE!!! We charged and took heavy casualties. At the end, we joined hands in a circle and looked at the territory we covered and the other surrounding fields. It was a breathtaking view - the sun's rays peeked through the clouds and streamed onto the many monuments, fields, cannons, horses and cows. We took a few minutes to ponder what we had just done and its significance to life in general. A few red eyes formed as the Col. philosophised and gave us insight into our own lives.
8 p.m. - Banquet at the Historic Herr Tavern. The men and women dress up to celebrate our achievements, discoveries and great time. Certificates and mini-balls are given to each trooper, along with special awards. The troops are amazed that besides remembering everything to share w/ us on the battlefields, the Col. is able to pay attention to everyone individually and tell a story about each soldier at the banquet. We do believe that no teacher loves us more than he, as he always tells us.
1 a.m. (now Sunday morning) - A party in room 311 - Burger, Steve, Jim, "Goodie", and Ben's room. A small group (Shallan, Don, Steve, Sue, Sarah, Jenn, Kris, Burger, and Michele) visit the cemetary but hear nothing - we blamed it on our noisiness. Some go to bed around 4 a.m., but a few stay awake _all night_ to make sure they'll be awake at 6:30 a.m...
SUNDAY, OCT. 22
6:30 a.m. - A group of 20+ soldiers patiently waits in the hotel lobby for the Col. to take us on a sunrise march to Cemetary Ridge.
6:50 a.m. - The Col. is properly "you-youed" after arriving 20 minutes late. Sgt. Laurie had to call the Col. since his alarm didn't go off.
7:30 a.m. - The small group joins hands in a circle and watches the sun rise above the monuments. We find is hard to believe that such a peaceful sight was a killing ground - a sobering though for all of us.
10:30 a.m. - The group lays a wreath in the National Cemetary on Ben Hassler's grave as Pvt Rebecca sings "Amazing Grace." We bow our heads in silence and can only shake our heads in disbelief as we look at the headstones, especially the high number of unknown headstones.
11:30 A.M. - The soldiers board the wagon train to Rochester. Although we are exhausted, none of us wants to leave - we all know we've had one of the best experiences of our lives. It truly is hard to leave.
7:30 p.m. - Arrive at St. Jack Fisher College. The bus ride home was filled with intervals of sleep and movie-watching: Major Payne, Star Wars, Part II of Gone With the Wind. The Col. remarks that he awoke during Star Wars to see two men fighting with popsicles - he's not sure how this relates to the Civil War, as the students said. The ride was our last chance to bond and be together - we cherish every minute and reflect on our trip. |
