A Trip to Gettysburg -- an excerpt

   ~ Posts from here on out can be considered excerpts from the larger book that is being developed. For information on when that will be available and how to order a copy please email me.~

Thank you

A

Gettysburg, PA

When my children were still quite young I made a trip back East to visit my brother. We chose to meet in Gettysburg, PA.  My brother – being military minded in the family tradition, was interested in the battle fields and war history of the place. I – not being militarily inclined – was simply happy to be away from the role of mother and housewife for a few days. While we were walking along yet another open expanse of field where god knows how many people died and my brother chatted merrily on about war strategies and cannons my attention was drawn to a copse of trees about midway out into the field. Hiding in the trees were 3 young children very dirty and dressed in homespun rags. The oldest couldn’t be older than 9 and the youngest looked to be about 4. They watched as the tourists walk by, taking pictures and consulting maps- but they stayed hidden in the small gathering of trees. I don’t know if the children knew that I could see them- they didn’t react to me any differently than they reacted to any of the other living people but I know I will never forget seeing them.

 Later that day we came to the area of rocky outcropping known as Devil’s Den. Again, my brother was going on about ambushes and bloody battles but I was more interested in climbing to the top to stretch my legs against the endless monotony of the flat fields and battle grounds. I left him and began climbing the trail to the top of the formation. Once up there I stopped to look out across the fields thinking as most probably do that the pastoral beauty seemed incongruous with the bloody history. I turned to follow the trail and saw what I believed to be a male Reenactor dressed in Rebel Blue. He was stretched out on a bench enjoying the sun and watching people wander by. I looked at him, he smiled and tipped his hat and said clear as day ‘Howdy Ma’am’. I smiled in return, said ‘hello’ and walked around the next bend of the trail where I came upon a sign and historical marker with period images. One of the images showed a dead Confederate soldier – the same man who just said hello to me! I turned and ran back to the bench but there was no one there. I asked another gentleman if he saw where the costumed soldier went but he hadn’t seen anyone. I went back to the sign marker with the soldier’s picture and said a silent hello, acknowledging that I had seen him. I am glad that he seemed not only peaceful, but genuinely happy.