Chuck Lawliss
Page 3
Another way to see the area is to engage a Battlefield Guide, licensed by the Park Service, to accompany you in your car (or drive your car, if you wish). Later this year, reservations for guided tours will be available. The cost for a two-hour tour with up to five people in the car is $30.
The Visitor Center contains the “electric map” that shows troop movement during the battle, a museum, and bookstore. From mid-June to September there are ranger-guided walks. Admission to the map is $3 for adults, $2.50 for seniors, and $1.50 for children sixteen and under.
The National Cemetery, where Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address, is across the street from the Visitor Center. A battle seminar is held in March. For information phone 717-334-0772.
Across the parking lot to the right of the Visitor Center is the Cyclorama Center, where exhibits include a short film, From These Honored Dead, and the 356-foot-long painting of Pickett’s Charge, displayed in a special program with a sound-and-light show. Admission is $3 for adults, $2.50 for seniors, and $1.50 for children sixteen and under.
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF PICKETT’S BRAVE MEN
To sense what it must have been like to be part of Pickett’s Charge, go to the Lee statue on Seminary Ridge, and look up and see the “little clump of trees” a mile away on Seminary Ridge that marked the center of the Union line. Imagine this is July 3, 1863. It is early afternoon and it is very hot.
You are one of thirteen thousand Confederate soldiers waiting for the signal to charge. You are carrying a rifle and about twenty pounds of ammunition and equipment, and you are frightened.
The signal comes, and you are running across the field and up the gentle hill, the eerie sound of rebel yells ringing in your ears. Officers on horseback waving swords urge you on.
You’re halfway up the hill now, and you’re beginning to think you may live through this after all. Suddenly there is a thunderous roar—a hundred cannon and thousands of small arms are firing at you. Your friends are falling on either side of you …
At a leisurely pace, the mile walk takes about twenty-five minutes. It is a memorable experience, particularly for teenagers.
A WALKING TOUR OF THE TOWN
An excellent way to see the historic sights is to take a self-guided walking tour of Gettysburg. At the Western Maryland Railroad Passenger Depot, 35 Carlisle St., is the Gettysburg Convention and Visitors Bureau, where you can pick up a free tour map. The exterior of the depot looks the same today as it did when President Lincoln arrived in November 1863 to dedicate the cemetery. The Gettysburg Convention and Visitors Bureau (35 Carlisle St., Gettysburg, PA 17325) provides information about the area. For information phone 717-334-6274.
The walking tour passes thirty-five points of interest and should take about two hours. For information phone 717-334-6274. Another way to see the sights is by renting a horse-drawn carriage, For information phone Dayhoff’s Carriages, 717-337-2276.
Gettysburg is the ultimate Civil War treasure trove. There is a great deal to see and do here, and visitors should plan to stay several days. In addition to the sites, the town plays host to a number of special events. Civil War Heritage Days, in late June and early July, include a collectors’ show, a Civil War book show, fireworks, a parade, and thousands of uniformed enthusiasts in town to reenact the battle.
The Confederate States Armory and Museum, 529 Baltimore St., features a collection of rare Confederate small arms, edged weapons, and memorabilia. Usually open daily except Tuesday, 12:00-5:00. Admission is $2, $1.50 for children. For information phone 717-337-2340,
Jenny Wade House Museum, 548 Baltimore St. The 1863 home of the only civilian casualty of the battle (see Farnsworth House, this page) has its original furnishings. Open daily, 9:00-5:00, except December through February. Admission is $5.25 for adults, $4.75 for seniors, and $3.25 for children. For information phone 717-334-4100.
Lincoln Room Museum, 12 Lincoln Square, is located in the historic Wills House, where Lincoln stayed the night before he delivered his Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863. The house had been used as a hospital after the battle. The room where Lincoln slept has its original furnishings. An audiovisual program is provided. Usually open daily, 9:00-5:00. Admission is $3.25 for adults, $3 for seniors, and $175 for children.
Events are scheduled in Gettysburg every year for the anniversary of Lincoln’s Address, November 19. On Remembrance Day, the Saturday closest to November 19, a parade is held, sponsored by the Sons of Union Veterans.
General Lee’s Headquarters, 401 Buford Ave., is a small stone house used by Lee on the first day of the battle. It contains a small museum that displays artifacts related to the battle. Open daily in the summer, 9:00-9:00, and 9:00-5:00 the rest of the year. Admission is $2 for adults, free for children under twelve.
The Conflict, 213 Steinwehr Ave., is a triple-screen program depicting the Civil War with an emphasis on Gettysburg. Daily, 9:00-5:00 and summer evenings. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and students. For information phone 717-334-8003,
Gettysburg Battle Theatre, 571 Steinwehr Ave., has a thirty-minute multimedia program showing the strategy of the battle, employing a miniature battlefield and 25,000 figures, Open March through November, daily, 9:30-7:30. Admission is $5.25 for adults, $4.75 for seniors, and $3.25 for children eight to eleven. For information phone 717-334-6100.
National Tower, one mile south via U.S. 97, has four observation decks on a 300 foot high tower permitting a 360-degree view of the battlefield. A short audiovisual program prepares visitors for what they will see from the tower. Open April through October, 9:00-6:30; weekends only the rest of the year; call ahead during winter. Admission is $5 for adults, $4.50 for seniors, and $3 for children. For information phone 717-334-6754.
Lincoln Train Museum, a half mile south via U.S. 15 on Steinwehr Ave. Visitors can take a simulated Lincoln Train Ride of twenty miles while a guide explains why and how the president came to Gettysburg. The museum features more than one thousand model trains and railroad memorabilia. Usually open daily, 9:00-8:30. Admission is $5.25 for adults, $4.50 for seniors, and $3.25 for children. For information phone 717-334-5678.
Doubleday Inn
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
On July 1, the first day of the battle, a Confederate force was met by General Abner Doubleday’s division at Oak Ridge, just across the road from this inn. The fighting raged until Jubal Early’s rebels drove the Union troops back toward Gettysburg, a mile to the southeast. Some of the Confederate dead were buried in Iverson’s Pit, a few hundred yards from here.
Although not built until 1929, the inn is actually on the battlefield. It was named after Doubleday (spuriously credited with inventing baseball), who held off the rebels long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
The inn is big, handsome, and comfortable, decorated in a mixture of “Americana and English country.” The bedrooms are stenciled, colorful quilts cover the beds, and Union and Confederate flags are painted near the front door.
On Wednesday and Saturday nights during the summer, a historian comes to the inn to lead discussions about various aspects of the battle. And from time to time, “Lieutenant Marcellus Jones,” who says he fired the first shot of the battle, rides up to the delight of both adults and children, who are allowed to sit on his horse.
Address: 104 Doubleday Ave., Gettysburg, PA 17325; tel: 717-334-9119.
Accommodations: Nine guest rooms, five with private baths.
Amenities: Air-conditioning, off-street parking, afternoon refreshments, historical discussions, bicycling.
Rates: $$, including an afternoon tea. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and personal checks.
Restrictions: No children under seven, no smoking.
The Bafferton Inn
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
During the first day of battle, as retreating Union troops swept by this house, a stray shot shattered an upstairs window, the bullet lodging in the fireplace mantel where it remains today. Later, when the nearby Catho
lic church was being used as a hospital, masses were held in what is now the living room.
Now a charming inn, the house is a half-block from Lincoln Square and the Wills House, where Lincoln put the finishing touches on his Gettysburg Address. The inn, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1786, and was the first house in what became the town of Gettysburg.
Sam and Jane Back own and operate the inn. They were educators in a New England prep school until they decided they “wanted to do something different.” They have furnished the inn with eighteenth- and nineteenth-century antiques, and graced the walls with elaborate stencils and family portraits. A folk art mural encircles the living room.
In January, the inn, in conjunction with several other local inns, hosts a Civil War ball, and many guests come dressed in uniforms and period clothing. On other winter weekends, guests dine with Lincoln (portrayed by a local actor) and listen to a concert of Civil War band music.
Address: 44 York St., Gettysburg, PA 17325; tel: 717-337-3423.
Accommodations: Eight double rooms and two suites, all with private baths.
Amenities: Air-conditioning, off-street parking.
Rates: $$. American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and personal checks.
Restrictions: No children under eight, no pets, no smoking.
Baladerry Inn
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
During the battle, this peaceful refuge was a madhouse. Two miles down Blacksmith Shop Road there was fierce fighting at Little Round Top and Devil’s Den. A bit north was the Wheat Field, where more than six thousand men fell. Three miles up Baltimore Pike was the Union line on Cemetery Ridge, the objective of General Pickett.
This old stone and brick house, built in 1812 as part of Spangler’s Farm, was used as a field hospital, and Confederate general Lewis Armistead, who was mortally wounded leading Pickett’s Charge, died on the Farm.
Today, an addition and a carriage house complement the original structure. The guest rooms and common areas have been tastefully furnished with antiques and reproductions. The innkeepers, Tom and Caryl O’Gara, who radiate Irish hospitality, named the inn after the town in Ireland where Tom’s ancestors lived.
Address: 40 Hospital Rd., Gettysburg, PA 17325; tel: 717-337-1342.
Accommodations: Two double rooms in the original house, six more in the carriage house, all with private baths.
Amenities: Air-conditioning, off-street parking, cable TV in the common rooms of both buildings, tennis court, game room, bicycling, picnic baskets on request.
Rates: $$, including informal afternoon tea. All major credit cards and personal checks.
Restrictions: No children under fourteen, no pets, restricted smoking.
Farnsworth House
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
The one civilian killed in the Battle of Gettysburg was Jenny Wade, struck by a stray bullet while working in her kitchen. Her house, now a museum, is just down the street from the inn. The shot, experts believe, came from one of the Confederate sharpshooters firing from the garret of this house. Some 150 bullets struck this house as Union troops attempted to silence the sharpshooters.
Today, many people believe that Jenny Wade is one of the ghosts still haunting this inn. Patti O’Day, the daughter of innkeeper Loring Shultz, conducts a ghost tour of the house, and has discussed the ghosts of Gettysburg on national television.
Gettysburg is believed to be the most haunted place in the country. The 51,000 casualties here, they say, produced a lot of restless spirits. Should you hear moans in the night, just pull the covers over your head and try to go back to sleep.
Ghosts or no, this is a comfortable old inn filled with artifacts, many of them dug from the nearby battlefield. The attic contains display cases of grenades, artillery shells, and bullets.
The cozy guest rooms are furnished with period antiques. On the walls of the candlelit dining room are portraits of Lee and Meade and photographs by Matthew Brady. If you dine here, you may order such Civil War-era fare as peanut soup, pumpkin fritters, and sweet potato pudding.
Address: 401 Baltimore St., Gettysburg, PA 17325; tel: 717-334-8838; fax: 717-334-5862.
Accommodations: Five guest rooms, all with private baths.
Amenities: Air-conditioning, off-street parking, TV in sitting room, restaurant, house tour, antique shop, concierge, bellman.
Rates: $$. American Express, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.
Restrictions: No pets, no smoking in guest rooms.
Gettystown Inn and Dobbin House Tavern
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
The Dobbin House had been in existence for some time when Lincoln passed by on his way to dedicate the new national cemetery just down the street. In fact, it’s the oldest building in the area. Built in 1776 and now on the National Register, the house was the Dobbin family’s private residence. In the 1850s it was a station on the Underground Railroad. Fugitive slaves were hidden in a space that can still be seen next to the walk-in fireplace. During the battle, the Dobbin House was used as a hospital.
The Dobbin House Tavern offers both a continental menu and dishes of the Civil War period. (Open daily, 5:00-10:00, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Lunch served daily in Springhouse Tavern, opening at 11:30. Reservations: 717-334-2100. Same credit cards as Inn.)
Next door is the Gettystown Inn, a Civil War-era house beautifully restored and furnished with period antiques. The guest rooms are named after generals who fought here—Lee, Pickett, Steinwehr, Stuart, and Reynolds. In the common room is cable TV, a VCR, and a selection of tapes of Civil War movies. Guests are served breakfast at the Dobbin House.
Address: 89 Steinwehr Ave., Gettysburg, PA 17325; tel: 717-334-2100; fax: 717-334-6905; E-mail: inn@dobbinhouse.com.
Accommodations: Five double rooms, all with private baths.
Amenities: Air-conditioning, off-street parking, restaurant, cable TV with VCR in common room.
Rates: $$. American Express, Visa, and MasterCard.
Restrictions: No pets, no smoking.
WEST VIRGINIA
Harpers Ferry
West Virginia
John Brown, a militant abolitionist, slipped into town here on the evening of October 16, 1859, planning to capture the armory and distribute weapons to the slaves who, he believed, would rise in rebellion. His twenty-two-man “army of liberation” took control of the armory but, finding themselves outnumbered, took several hostages and barricaded themselves in the fire house.
Troops brought from Washington by Robert E. Lee stormed the building and took Brown prisoner. Ten of Brown’s men, including two of his sons, were among those killed. Brought to trial for murder, treason, and conspiring with slaves to create insurrection, Brown was found guilty, and hanged at nearby Charles Town.
During the war, the town became the base of operations for Union invasions into the Shenandoah Valley. Stonewall Jackson achieved his most brilliant victory here in 1862, when he captured 12,500 Federal soldiers.
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is open daily except Christmas, 8:00-5:00, although not much happens here in the winter. Admission is $5 for cars, $3 for walk-ins. The election of 1860 is re-created the second full weekend in October. From Washington take 1-270 north to I-70 to Rte. 340; from Gettysburg take MD 15 south to Rte. 340 west; from Baltimore take I-70 west to Rte. 340 west. For further information phone 304-535-6029 for the Information Center, or 304-535-6298 for the Visitor Center (PO Box 65, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425). Across the river from Harpers Ferry, in Maryland, is the Kennedy Farm, an innocent-looking farmhouse, now a National Historic Landmark, that was the staging area where John Brown and his followers planned and prepared for their Harpers Ferry raid during the summer of 1859. Open May through October, Saturday and Sunday, 9:00-5:00. Admission is free. The grounds are open all year. The Kennedy Farm is at 2406 Chestnut Grove Rd., Sharpsburg, MD 21782. From I-70 take exit 29 to Rte. 65 south for about ten miles. For informati
on phone 301-645-6870.
Fillmore Street
Bed and Breakfast
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
A visitor might well think that the national historic park contains all of Harpers Ferry, but there is more to the town at the top of the hill. There lies the Fillmore Street Bed and Breakfast, a Victorian cottage that dates from 1890, but is built on the foundation of a Civil War-era house. When Stonewall Jackson swooped down on the town in 1862, there was fighting on and around the property.
Today guests enjoy the garden rocking chairs on the front porch and the view of the mountains. Good reading awaits in the little library between the guest rooms. The house is a charmer, with blue-green shutters and a white picket fence. When you’ve explored the rest of Harpers Ferry, hosts James and Alden Addy will direct you to some of the other pleasures of the area—river sports, biking, antiquing, and exploring the old C & O Canal towpath.
Address: 630 Fillmore St. (PO Box 34), Harpers Ferry, WV 25425; tel: 304-535-2619.
Accommodations: Two double rooms, both with private baths.
Amenities: Air-conditioning, fireplaces, in-room TV, afternoon tea or sherry.
Rates: $$, including either full breakfast at 9:00 or continental breakfast in room. Personal checks or cash only.
Restrictions: No children under twelve, no pets, no smoking.
Jefferson County Courthouse
Charles Town, West Virginia
Ten days after his raid on Harpers Ferry, the trial of John Brown began in Charles Town. The injured Brown was carried into the courthouse and lay on a cot throughout the trial. The trial lasted a week; the jury deliberated forty-five minutes.
Brown showed no emotion when he was sentenced to hang. On his way to his execution, he handed a guard a note that read: “I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood.”