OT Bull Run & GB pics

[geofflambert]

Well, at least you don't have to take a Bathyscaphe down to walk on the graves of sailors.

[GaryChildress]

ORIGINAL: Gräfin Zeppelin

Jeez I never understood this battlefield visiting stuff. Its depressing like walking around on a graveyard.

I think battlefields are very much spiritual places to visit. It is like a graveyard--honoring those who lost their lives for all sorts of reasons beyond their control.

EDIT: I think almost any battlefield is a worthwhile visit. Some are maybe not as interesting as others, like Normandy has all sorts of neat bunkers and other relics still around. I think it would be interesting to visit some of the Pacific Islands where battles took place. You can probably still find a few relics laying around in the jungle which no one has yet discovered.

[geofflambert]

OK, now we begin the survey of Gettysburg. Unlike Bull Run, this battlefield was well tended when I visited, so there aren't a lot of differances as far as trees cut down and so forth. Now, this is going to be a slow process doing the workup on each site and then posting it, it may take three weeks or so to get through the two day visit. First I will post a Google sat view of the field with the first six camera locations marked. This represents the morning of the first day of my visit. The Google sat views were taken in wintertime, which is good because more is visible and not blocked so much by foliage.
edit: Forget what I said about trees cut down for accuracy. The Battlefield seems better tended today, especially the view from Little Round Top and from the Oak Ridge Tower.
I'll have to do the big sat view in two parts because it was too big to upload.




This is the rail cut NW of the town where the Iron Brigade captured many prisoners on the first day. If I'm incorrect about that, I will edit out my mistake and pretend I knew the true facts all along.

[geofflambert]

Here's a more close in view from above.

[geofflambert]

In this first pic, you can see at the lower right the shadow of the railing on the Reynolds Ave overpass. You can clearly see that the cut at this point is quite deep, and understand how the Confederates trapped there were in no position to resist.

[geofflambert]

This next shot is the view to the WNW along the tracks.

[geofflambert]

This frame slightly overlaps the last and is aimed roughly West. That's the Chambersburg Pike between the camera and the barn.
The monument on the right is for the 84th NY

[geofflambert]

This frame follows the track to the ESE into town.

[geofflambert]

This shot overlaps the last, and you can see that hideous "National Observation Tower" in the left center which has since, thankfully, been torn down. I hereby indemnify myself against any criticism about the fact that as long as it was there, I would and did go up in it and take some pics. The thoroughfare you see can be called either Wadsworth Ave or Buford Ave, take your pick.
edit: You can see the steeple of the Lutheran Seminary Chapel and the top of the cupola of the Seminary building itself just peeking over the trees to the right of the steeple.

[geofflambert]

Here is the sat view of the South half of the field including the next five locations, the first of which and second overall is the Peach Orchard. See you tomorrow (maybe).

[geofflambert]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

This suggestion may arrive too late but here goes, "Oh Johhhhn...it's 12:00..do you know where Longstreet is?"

I believe it's cattycorner to Short Avenue. Let me check my Google maps.

[geofflambert]

The Peach Orchard. Here's a close in sat view of it and the Wheatfield. You don't see any peach trees in the orchard. Peach trees like apple trees aren't very robust and have to be replaced from time to time. This view is from winter, so they probably planned to plant new ones in the spring.

[geofflambert]

Now I'll zoom out twice so you can see where it is in relation to other important spots.

[geofflambert]

Here are the abbreviations used: A = the Angle PO = Peach Orchard WT = the Warfield Ridge Observation Tower, aka the SW Ob. Tower DD = the Devil's Den RT = Round Top LRT = Little Round Top

[geofflambert]

The camera location is at the NE corner of the Peach Orchard. The street you see is the Millerstown Rd. / Wheatfield Rd.
As before, the compass bearing is noted in the sky of each pic.
The monument is for the 68th PA

[geofflambert]

The telephone poles you see beginning in front of the barn follow the Emmitsburg Pike.

[geofflambert]

The National Observation Tower is visible towards the right. It was about 360 feet tall. The monument you see just to the left of that is about 200 meters south of the Angle.
The monument on the right with the wings is for the NY Excelsior Brigade consisting of the 71st, 72nd, 73rd and 74th regiments.

[geofflambert]

The monument behind the first cannon is in the shape of a Minie ball and is for the 7th NJ. The larger monument to the right of it is for Battery B of the NJ light artillery.
In the distance I think we may be seeing the Trostle Farm where Gen. Sickles was wounded. I'll try and nail that down.

edit: Yes, that is the Trostle Farm

[geofflambert]

The dark area beyond the tree is the "Wheat Field"
The monument on the left is for the 15th NY independant battery

[geofflambert]

Little Round Top and Round Top.