September 18, 2014

Gettysburg National Military Park, PA

We began our tour at the Museum and Visitor Center where I stamped my passport. 

After purchasing our tickets ($11.50 each saving $1.00 off the regular price with a AAA discount) we sat through a beautifully Morgan Freeman narrated film entitled A New Birth of Freedom detailing the monumental events of the Battle of Gettysburg onto the larger context of the Civil War.

More men fell during the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) than in any other battle on American soil before or since.

The film, sponsored by The History Channel, is shown exclusively at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center and sets the stage for the Gettysburg Cyclorama. 

Following the film, we were ushered up an escalator to the Cyclorama painting. 

The cyclorama was a very popular form of entertainment in the late 1800s.  Displayed in auditoriums, these massive oil-on canvas paintings were enhanced with landscaped foregrounds featuring trees, grasses, and fences resulting in a three-dimensional

effect.

 

 

In the late 1880s Paul Philippoteaux, a French artist, painted the Battle of Gettysburg Cyclorama painting.  The artist, accompanied with a battlefield guide, photographer and veterans of the battle, spent months on the battlefield researching the battle. 

 

Along with a team of assistants, it took Philippoteaux a year to complete the painting.  The breathtaking canvas measures 377 feet in circumference and is 42 feet high.

 

The Cyclorama immerses visitors in the fury of Pickett’s Charge during the third day of the battle.

Over the years, the Cyclorama survived fire, leaks and tears.  As a traveling exhibit, the painting had been sliced into panels.  This took a toll on the painting creating seams and bends and causing chips in the paint. 

In the later 1940s, the painting was purchased by the National Park Service.  The Cyclorama underwent a five year, thirteen million dollar rehabilitation project beginning in 2003.  Upon its completion it was moved to the new Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and visitor Center and placed in its own unique viewing auditorium with a restored skyline and foreground.

The Gettysburg Museum (entrance is included with the film and Cyclorama admission ticket) has 11 exhibit galleries featuring Gettysburg National Military Park artifacts and interactive displays.

 

 

According to the brochure it is recommended that visitors allow at least 90 minutes to 2 hours to explore the exhibits.  We didn’t stop to read every placard at each display and it still took us 3 hours to walk through the museum. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our next and final stop on our tour was at the Soldiers’ National Cemetery, a short drive up Taneytown Road. 

 

 

 

 

 

Cars are not allowed into the cemetery so we parked in the lot across the road.

Our timing was great as we entered the cemetery because a Park Ranger led tour was just beginning. 

We learned that when the armies marched away from Gettysburg there were over 51,000 soldiers dead, wounded, or missing.  The dying and wounded were being treated in almost every building in town.  Most of the dead lay in inadequate graves hastily dug.  Some had not been buried at all.

The Governor, Andrew Curtin, commissioned a local Attorney to buy land for a proper burial ground for the Union dead.

The keynote speaker for the dedication ceremony that took place on November 19, 1963 was Edward Everett. 

 When he concluded his two-hour speech, President Lincoln gave his know famous address.  It took only 2 minutes to deliver the 272 words.  Though now considered a masterpiece of the English language, at the time it was not very well received.