Today was our first full day at Gettysburg. We started off with breakfast at the hotel. This is where breakfast is.

After breakfast we got on the bus to the Visitor Centre.

The first thing we did was to see a short film and then go to the cyclorama. I’m not sure I can explain well enough how awesome this was. The entire circular auditorium was one large 360 degree picture of the battlefield depicting Pickett’s Charge. Parts of the picture would light up for explosion as the sounds of artillery went off. This one was a real treat for the senses. It truly was amazing.

After the cyclorama, we took the Battlefield Bus Tour. This was a 2 hour tour of the battle in chronological order. We did day 1 which included MacPhersons Ridge and Lutheran Theological Seminary.

We then travelled to do day 2 which included General Lee’s Headquarters (the actual HQ and not the one from the film although we did see this as well), then we drove along Seminary Ridge (this is where Lee’s forces gathered for the attack on both day 2 & 3). From there we went to the Peach Orchard and from that the Wheat field. We drove past Devil’s Den making our way up to the summit of Little Round Top.

After stopping on Little Round Top for a while we then drove down for day 3 which included the centre of the union line along Cemetery Ridge which looked across the flat open plain toward Seminary Ridge from which Pickett carried out his charge.

Throughout the tour we stopped at various monuments that have been erected by veterans an descendants of those who fought during the war, although the monuments of the South are mostly State monuments as opposed to regiment and leader monuments as it is for the north.

After the tour we went into the museum, again this was astounding. It is amazing how much memorabilia is still available to see.

After this we decided to call it a day and head back to the hotel.

Tomorrow is another day ……..