The trip started with a battlefield tour from a National Park Service ranger, who showed us around the park while narrating the buildup and three days of the battle. He also gave us histories of some of the many monuments of the battlefield, highlighting the importance of memory and politics in the ways we commemorate events.
The group then got a tour of Culp’s Hill from Peter Carmichael, Director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. Professor Carmichael showed us where some of the bloodiest fighting of the war took place, as well as the locations of several Confederate mass graves. He also shared stories from his research on how common soldiers experienced the battle and understood loyalty to army and country.
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| Group at Culp's Hill with Peter Carmichael (Photo by Dr. Judy Giesberg) |
The day ended with a trip to the Visitor Center. Here the group saw the film A New Birth of Freedom, viewed the Gettysburg Cyclorama, and went through the Gettysburg Museum.
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| And posed with a familiar face. (Photo by a stranger, but with the camera of Dr. Judy Giesberg) |
Overall the trip was a great experience. In addition to a last hurrah for a number of graduating students, the terrific battlefield guides offered new perspectives for thinking about not only the battle, but the ways we study history and memory. Perhaps the only thing that could have made the day better was if we had seen a ghost, but no such luck.
Special thanks to Professor Giesberg for organizing everything and for driving, as well as the History Department for funding the trip.
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