find and take the helicopter ride... it's worth it to see it from the air to and get a better perspective of what the lay of the land is like
Posted on 04/14/2005 6:31:24 AM PDT by John Robertson
Both times I did the tour with the Battlefield guide, all he talked about was the battle. The strategic and tactical situation, the terrain, the movements etc. No BS was included, thank God. It really is nearly impossible to sort out the battle without one of the guides.
Oops, I misread. That was supposed to be "John Robertson," not the name of our illustrious host, and really should have been in response to "lil Freeper" who had suggested the CD.
I think group guides can be had for $20 or $30 dollars...and a CD is $10 or $15. You'll get a lot more from a real human than a CD.
Take care....
Well, I don't subscribe to the "orb" theory...but, we have seen a specter of a woman looking down at us from the second floor windows...the curtain moved and it motioned like it was closing the shutters...WE couldn't sleep after that. We heard a door slam, there wasn't a breeze it was a still, humid and hot night. What a rush that was...
Good guided tours with in depth type guides and information are well the worth the time and whatever additional expense involved.
When I was there, we didn't have enough time to do it right, and although I enjoyed it very much, when we go again we will do it right. It is an awe inspiring experience to be in the place where these things actually happened. For instance, you will never understand the futility of Pickets charge until you see the ground they had to travel and how far it was.
I have heard that "one on one" type personal tours are available if arrangements are made in advance. You take the guide and go in your own car or his. One guide and your family. I only know one person who did that, but he absolutely raved about the experience.
The tower really got to be a problem in the early nineties when the owner started playing light rock and roll from a bank of speakers on top of the tower. You could hear from just about everywhere in the town.
I've been to G'Burg 30 times or so, including several at night. I never saw or felt anything. But my wife completely wigged out one time in broad daylight near the Peach Orchard. She just made a running break for the car in the middle of a trivial conversation. She said later that she was overcome with an overwhelming sense of imminent death.
find and take the helicopter ride... it's worth it to see it from the air to and get a better perspective of what the lay of the land is like
WOW, that's wild. My dog wouldn't get out of the car!
My 1st experience was at Pea Ridge. The Elkhorn Tavern. It functioned as a hospital during the battle and hundreds of soldiers from both sides died there. I accompanied a ranger on his rounds one evening. At the tavern he punched the fire watch clock and made sure all the doors inside were locked and then locked the outside doors. We then went to the next four or five stations and then found ourselves back at the tavern. When he unlocked the front door and we went inside I saw that all the inside doors were standing open. It was also noticably colder inside than out. I could feel the hair on my neck starting to rise. The ranger laughed and said that it happens all the time. I told him I'd had enough of this sort of fun and went back to camp walking fairly fast through the dense forest. Since then I've experienced other things but nothing as startling as Elkhorn Tavern.
When at Sayler's Creek (VA), experienced a similar event. I just brushed it off as the locks wouldn't set..too old
I took my kids to Little Round Top, sat them down and told them the story of Chamberlain and his regiment fighting back the charging confederates and saving the union. (This was actually the year they filmed "Gettysburg" but before it was released. I told them how they ran out of ammunition and their only option was to retreat, whereupon Chamberlain gave the order to fix bayonettes and CHARGE!!!! and we ran down the hill just like those Maine boys. Later, when the movie came out, my daughter gave me a look of awe as that scene unfolded. I think she had assumed I made the whole thing up!
Not surprising. Most locals I've talked to say that the most "active" places on the battlefield are the Wheat Field (by far everyone agrees on this one), the Peach Orchard and-oddly enough-the Seminary.
Artillery Ridge Stables will let you RIDE the battlefield, as on HORSES?
We did that at Chickamauga and it was a blast! Of course, I love to ride. I cantered my nag through the breakthrough at Brotherton's. Didn't feel anything creepy either while riding around or later while walking . . . maybe the spirits of my two gg grandfathers who attended the premiere were protecting me, but it's a quiet, happy place.
Is it a guided tour?
confederates and saving the union.
I think she had assumed I made the whole thing up!
Wellllllll, maybe just a little leap,,,not actually making it up,,just kinda extrapolating. :^}
Yeah. They have a guide, you can rent an audio tape player that is synchronised with their ride. It was a blast. We did it on July 3 ( we booked about 8 month earlier!), When we rode towards Cemetary Ridge we went past the Southern folk, steping off with their battle flags and a few drummers, walking towards Cemetary, where a group of Union folk waited ditto the flags ( I remember one group descendants of the New York Irish chanting " You didn't take it then and you won't take it now!).
Devil's Den, Peach orchard, and Wheat Field were intense battles. As well as Picketts charge....Not suprising to be a bit emotional and open to spiritual things there...
Check em out. http://www.artilleryridge.com/
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