The Battle at Gettysburg: Where ancestors fought

September 19, 2014

Finally it’s departure day!  Estimated time of departure is noon.  And we almost made it too.  The problem?  The truck won’t start!  Dead battery.  Why?  Well, we packed the camper the night before and in the process of going in and out of the camper, we left lights on with the camper plugged into the truck overnight.  Some jumper cables and we were out of town with no more headaches.

Our first stop on this trip is Gettysburg National Battlefield.  The Gettysburg battle field is the focus of military historians due to its military importance in the Civil War and the human carnage that happened there over the course of those hot July days.  One of Charlie's ancestors was among those brave soldiers who fought there.  He was wounded in the battle fought at the apple orchard and what is now known as Sickles Lane.  One of the few soldiers from his unit who survived the battles at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, Elijah Horton was a Union soldier and is buried in McKune Cemetery in Oakland Township, Pennsylvania.

My ancestors who were in the United States at the time of the Civil War lived in South Carolina and fought for the Confederate States of America.  There is a road through the battle field that is called Confederate Lane because it was there that many southern soldiers assembled.  Although I am not aware that any of my ancestors fought in the Battle of Gettysburg, it was still unnerving to think of the number of these brave southern men who fought and died on those fields.  And for what cause?

Returning to our campsite, we were joined by old friends who shared dinner in Gettysburg and good conversation around the camp fire.  It was a really nice start to our trip!