American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

Gentlemen,

My son will be 12 years old this June. About the right age to take on a camping trip to Gettysburg. Just the two of us the women folk do not want to go. I plan on staying at Artilery Ridge Campground (if it is still there) and spend two days visitng the battle field and key attractions. I have not been their in quite a while. I have an old driving tour tape 1980's, do I need a new one? I recall the Big Map. The Wax mussame The visitor's center with the large painting. Any thing else a must see? I have heard there have been some changes. What do I need to know? When would be the best time to go July or August?

Lt Gen Joseph C. Mishurda




Lt General Joseph C. Mishurda,
"Killer Angels"
VI Corps, AoS, USA

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by jmishurda</i>
<br />Gentlemen,

My son will be 12 years old this June. About the right age to take on a camping trip to Gettysburg. Just the two of us the women folk do not want to go. I plan on staying at Artilery Ridge Campground (if it is still there) and spend two days visitng the battle field and key attractions. I have not been their in quite a while. I have an old driving tour tape 1980's, do I need a new one? I recall the Big Map. The Wax mussame The visitor's center with the large painting. Any thing else a must see? I have heard there have been some changes. What do I need to know? When would be the best time to go July or August?

Lt Gen Joseph C. Mishurda




Lt General Joseph C. Mishurda,
"Killer Angels"
VI Corps, AoS, USA
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

<font color="yellow"><font color="yellow">Have fun Jim. Sounds like a great trip. If Artillery Ridge campground is no longer there, check out Caledonia state park about 8 miles west of Gettysburg. It's about halfway between Chambersburg and Gettysburg on Chambersburg pike. I camped there two summers ago and was very pleased. Not too rough for camping (i.e. clean showers and restrooms), but not too cushy either (i.e. no putt putt golf).

You can also visit Caledonia Furnace next to the campground site. The furnace was owned by abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens and burned by Gen Early's troops on the way to Gettysburg.</font id="yellow">
Here's the link to the state park.</font id="yellow">

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/ ... donia.aspx


BG Boyd Denner
"Alabama Brigade"
1/3/III
ANV
"God Bless the Alabamians" Gen. Robert E. Lee - The Wilderness 1864

Joe,

Enjoy! I would avoid the weekend they do the re-enactment. I assume that it is sold out already and the town will be packed. It should be the weekend after the anniversary but you may want to check for sure.

Is your tape the one sold at the Wax Musuem? I got one there back in 1991 and still use it.

There also is Round Top Campground (other side of the Round Tops of course). I've driven by it several times but never stayed there so I can't tell you much about it.

You asked about changes. They are currently in the process of clearing vegetation so as it looks as it did in 1863. The Peach Orchard was replanted recently so right now it doesn't look like anything is there. In a couple of years hopefully it will all be grown in.

If you have the opportunity to get out to the battlefield real early (as in 6-7 AM) by all means do it. To see the field before the tour buses and all the other visitors get up is truly a treat. There is nothing like sitting on Little Round Top all by yourself.



Lt.General Dale Lastowicka
VIII Corps
Army of the Shenandoah

Gen Mishurda,

I believe the cyclorama is closed as they are refurbishing the painting in preparation for it's move to it's new home which is being constructed behind the Round Tops. The new visitors center is supposed to be ready in the spring of 2008. The old Visitor's Center is still open as is the map and when I was there last October the Wax Museum was still in business.

I would avoid going 4th of July week as that is when they hold the reinactments, I believe it is scheduled for the 6-8 this year and the town is usually packed, as a matter of fact you probably would have a hard time getting a reservation for that week at this late date. Not much difference in crowds between July and August, it can be hot and muggy that time of year there.

According to the Friends of the National Park at Gettysburg site

http://www.friendsofgettysburg.org/index.html

The Artillery Campground is still in business, you'll find them listed at the Travel to Gettysburg link there if you want more info. I visited their diorama on one of my trips there.

I see no reason why your old battlefield tape would not still be useful. The only addition to the monuments I'm aware of was the Longstreet statue a while back, although after more than twenty trips I always find something I didn't see before when walking the battlefield. If you haven't been there for a while you'll be surprised at some of the changes. They have been trying to restore parts of the park to it's apeparance at the time of the battle thinning and removed new timber and planting some missing orchards.





Gen. Ken Miller



Army of the Shenandoah

Area around Little Roundtop has been improved considerably. They now have the line back through the woods cleared and marked.

If you decide you need an upgraded audio guide I recommend the Gettysburg Expedition Guide. Be sure you get the combined with Audio Battlefield Tour, Guidebook and Computer CD-ROM. The CD-ROM has an interactive program that runs through the troop movements over the three days. It's by the History Channel and TravelBrains and you can probably get it ahead of time at www.travelbrains.com.

Have fun.

LG. Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
III Corps, AoM (CSA)

When my son was about that age, we also took a copy of a Gettysburg game map with us and used it to walk the battlefield -- using it to match up the terrain to the map hexes as well as the location of the troops which he knew about from playing the game.

If you want to do some walking the boy scouts have two historical trails hikes at Gettysburg --- one is 5 miles -- billy yank trail - and it is around the culps hill area. The other is 10 miles - johnny reb trail - and covers the main battle line, the roundtops and picket's charge. The book store used to sell the trail guides.

Lt Gen Bob Breen
Commanding 5th Bde, 1st Div, XIX Corps, AoS
"Defenders of the Right"