A weekend education

You might recall me telling you about the Civil War lecture series I attended in February, taught by one of Riley's High School teachers. Well, as a sort of culminating activity, he also leads a field trip for those who wish to visit some of the battlefields with a professional historian/exceptional storyteller. Sure, I've been to all of the locations myself at least once--but never with the benefit of a formal tour or a dedicated guide (who has devoted his life to studying world conflicts, it seems) to highlight some of the strategies, provide colorful details, give in-depth description, and offer intelligent analysis of the proceedings and outcomes. (Soooo much more entertaining than just reading the plaques, y'all!)

Anyway, can we agree that this seemed like the very definition of a no-brainer for me? So I signed right up, and prepared myself for a whirlwind experience. You see, we'd be covering 5 sites, in 4 states (not even including the the travel portion in NC), over 3 days. Whew! There's clearly no time to waste, so let's get started with Day 1: Harper's Ferry and Antietam. We heard all about John Brown's Raid, an ill-fated, poorly planned and recklessly executed attempt to gain control of the armory and, apparently, start some kind of "free black nation" if he was successful. Not only did he fail, but he was ultimately hung for his crimes. (The town itself--nestled in the mountains, on the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers--is quite lovely, though!)

From there, we motored over to Antietam (which I suppose I really should call Sharpsburg, after the Union fashion) to take in the sprawling battleground and listen to tales about the "bloodiest single day of the war", in which 23,000 young men were killed, wounded, or missing after 12 hours of brutal combat. I'll spare you the gruesome specifics, and sum up the takeaway from this particular clash between, among others, George McClellan and Robert E. Lee: the Northern general had several opportunities to strike decisively at the South's much smaller forces, cripple the Confederate army, and bring the whole ugly War Between the States to an end. In each instance, he grappled with indecision and declined to act, thus prolonging the agony of a divided America for another 2-1/2 devastating years.

Another thing I'd either forgotten after many years out of class, or never learned in the first place, is that although neither side could claim a clear victory, it was the first time Lee had been forced to withdraw from a confrontation. President Lincoln, feeling encouraged that the tide might finally be turning, then issued the Emancipation Proclamation 4 months later. Because of this action, European nations, who had already abolished slavery, would no longer recognize or trade with the Confederacy. And because of the damage this caused to their economic situation--in terms of both commerce and obtaining supplies for their troops and citizens--this ultimately signaled the beginning of the end for the aspiring independent nation.


Fascinating stuff, I tell ya. (Yeah, yeah, I know: Nerd Girl. I'm okay with it...) Having relived the terrible events of a nightmare day of bloodshed, we were done with the learning portion of our afternoon. All we had to accomplish after that was a relatively brief drive to Gettysburg, where we'd be bunking (not literally, thank goodness!) for the night. Easy peasy, yeah? Ha! Tell that to the capricious Weather Gods, who unleashed a MOTHER of a storm...which, apparently, we needed to navigate ALL THE WAY THROUGH to reach our hotel. Let me recap the relevant details: visibility? Damn near nada. Rain? Hmm...imagine trying to pilot one's vehicle through a carwash, (but without the helpful rails to keep you headed in the right direction. Just had to, you know, "make your best guess" as to where the lines, curves in the road, etc. might be. Super-exciting! And by that I mean "utterly terrifying" and "potentially deadly at any moment"!)


What else...right, thunder? Yep, like Thor himself was swinging that gigantic hammer of his (and not in a cute Chris Hemsworth way, either. Dang it...). Oh, and my favorite--lightning! In fact, one time it flashed right over my car, so close that I couldn't help jumping in my seat....and I could actually smell the burned ozone afterwards! Yaaayyyy! All of the...pandemonium...was so loud that I couldn't even hear the GPS, with my phone turned to maximum volume. Yeeeaahhh....that may very well have been in the Top 3 most harrowing jaunts I've ever taken, in all my years behind the wheel.

But here I am in--what state again? Right, Pennsylvania...where I'll join up with my group tomorrow morning to do the full-day Gettysburg shebang. It's been a loooonnnng day, and my bed is calling, so I'm going to turn in....and hopefully have peaceful, sunny dreams!