Pennsylvania Bucktails

Hello,

Sallie here. When I was in Gettysburg recently, I met some great soldiers who had something funny in their hats. I learned that they are called the Pennsylvania Bucktail Regiment and how they fought during the Battle of Gettysburg. The first regment was up on Little Round Top.

Here is a video of me talking to the captain of the regiment. Enjoy learning about the Pennsylvania Bucktails.

Now that you have seen the video, see if you can answer these questions:

1. Why do they wear a white tailed deer tail in their hat?

2. Where are they recruited from?

3. Where did the first regiment of the Pennsylvania Bucktails fight?

Until Next time.... Sallie

Confederate Generals Interviews

Hello, Sallie here.

When I was in Gettysburg recently, I met a few Confederate Generals. Here is a video of the Generals I met. I met General Longstreet, General Stuart, and General Armistead. They were all at the Battle of Gettysburg.

General Longstreet was nicknamed "Old Pete" and "My Old War Horse". He was at Appomattox Court House, Va with General Lee. General Stuart went to West Point and there he met General Lee. He was at the Battle of Antietam in Maryland. General Armistead also went to West Point. He was killed during Pickett's Charge in Gettysburg, Pa.

Until next time......

Hello,

Sallie here. During a recent trip to Gettysburg, I had the opportunity to meet singer David Kincaid. I really enjoyed listening to him play and learning about Civil War music. I learned about what instrument he played and what were some of the soldiers favorite songs. I also learned that Mr. Kincaid plays mostly Irish music.

Here is a video of Mr. Kincaid playing and me asking him a few questions:

Until next time...

Cleaning Up the Gettysburg Battlefield

Last weekend I traveled to Gettysburg to help my friends, The Beeghley Family, clean up the area of the battlefield known as the Peach Orchard. The Beeghley Family help out at the battlefield as part of the Adopt-A-Position program. As part of the program, they travel to Gettysburg a few times a year to help pick up trash, fix fences and help clean up the battlefield.

Here I am with my friend Sarah sitting on a canon getting ready to clean up the Peach Orchard (behind us). The Peach Orchard was the site of some very heavy fighting on July 2, 1863.

Here I am picking up some trash. It is a shame that there is trash, but at least we are here to clean it up for everyone to enjoy this beautiful battlefield.

This is my friend CJ helping to pickup trash. The Trostle Farm is the white barn in the distance. General Dan Sickles was wounded on that farm and Confederate General Barksdale charged across the field behind CJ toward the Trostle Barn.

Here I am sitting on a fence with the Rose Farm in the background. The area around the Rose Farm was made famous by Alexander Gardner who took many photographs of dead Confederate soldiers on this farm.

Taking a break under a nice shady tree.

Having a nice cold drink after cleaning up the battlefield. What a great day!

This a National Park Service Ranger DeJesus who is in charge of the Adopt-A-Position program for Gettysburg.

Special thanks to the Beeghley Family for teaching me about how everyone can help keep my favorite place clean.

Rock carvings and dinosaurs in Gettysburg

Today, I took a trip with the Beeghley family to Gettysburg to help clean up the battlefield as part of their Adopt-A-Position program. While we were there, we decided to use our copy of The Complete Gettysburg Guide to find some rock carvings.

We stopped on Little Round top to find some carvings. One of the more famous ones is a carving that tells about where Colonel Strong Vincent was shot and killed on July 2, 1863. Here is a photo of me sitting on the rock with the carving.

Next, we moved up toward the top of the hill and started to look for another carving. According to The Complete Gettysburg Guide, the carving was behind the monument to the 91st Pennsylvania and marked the spot where Lt. Charles Hazlett and General Steven Weed died. According to the story, General Weed was shot in the chest and paralyzed. Lt. Hazlett (who was commanding the cannons nearby) knelt over the dying General to help him when he too was shot in the head and killed.

That's me checking out the Weed/Hazlett carving that reads, "C.E. Hazlett Fell Com'g Batt'y D U.S. Art'y in Battle July 2nd 1863"

So, I saved the best for last (actually it was our first stop). According to the book, on the way to Little Round Top, there is a stone bridge over Plum Run with actual dinosaur tracks in the stones. We had to find these. So, we walked up the bridge, counted out the stones and found the dinosaur tracks. How cool is that!

Here is a picture of me (and our handy Guide) with the track near my right paw.

Next time you are in Gettysburg, be sure to look up some of these famous rock carvings.

Until next time...

The Complete Gettysburg Guide

In preparation for a trip to my favorite town of Gettysburg tomorrow to help some friends clean up the battlefield as part of the Adopt-A-Position program, I borrow a copy of The Complete Gettysburg Guide from Dr. Beeghley who runs the Teaching the Civil War with Technology blog. He recently wrote a review of the book and I thought I would take a look.

What a terrific book! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the Battle of Gettysburg. I plan on taking it to Gettysburg with me tomorrow so we can find some new places to visit.

Getting anxious for tomorrow! I'll be sure to report what I find.

UPDATE:

During the Remembrance Day Ceremony I was able to meet the authors of the Complete Gettysburg Guide. Here I am with JD and Steve.

CSI: Gettysburg Part 1

My friend Sarah's dad, who runs the Teaching the Civil War with Technology blog loves to do something he calls, CSI: Gettysburg. So, one one day we decided to take a trip to Gettysburg to due some investigating. So, we loaded up his iPod Touch with some photographs and armed with background information we set off. Our goal was to find the the location where Civil War photographer Matthew Brady took the following photograph:

According to the book Gettysburg: A Journey in Time by William Frassanito, this photo was taken by Brady on July 15, 1863 on the slopes of Culp's Hill. The photo shows two of Brady's assistants sitting on a rock looking at the breastworks of the Union line. Frassanito further states that this photo was taken near the monument to the 102nd New York Regiment and some of the trees in the photograph are still standing today. Our hunt for clues was on!

Once we were on Culp's Hill, our first task was to find the monument to the 78th and 102nd New York Infantry Regiments. This was pretty easy as it was on the right side of the road leading up to the summit of Culp's Hill. Here is a photograph of my friend Jacob next to the monument. Now, look closely....Can you see the head of a lion and his paw in the monument?

According to one account, it was said that the 102nd and 78th fought like lions at Gettysburg so they had the lion carved into their monument. Here is a close-up of the monument, can you see the lion's head now?

Our next job was to find out where the photo was taken from, so we walked up the hill a bit further and using the original photo on the iPod and Frassanito's book as guides, we were able to find the same rock that the assistants were sitting on in the original photo.

Here I am with my friend Sarah (in her Civil War dress) sitting on the same rock as the assistants.
Here is a close up view of me and my friend Sarah. The tree behind us is the same tree behind Brady's assistants in the original photograph (although much bigger now). Many people refer to these as "witness trees" because they witnessed part of the battle.

One more photo of me sitting on the famous rock. It was kind of exciting to think that I was sitting in the same place that the photograph was taken.

According to one of the park rangers we met later on and told about our story told us that the tree that is fallen over in front of me (behind the one that is standing up and it looks like a mound of dirt) is another witness tree that fell over during a storm.

What a great, fun-filled day at Gettysburg. We used primary sources from the Library of Congress, a book and our knowledge about the battle to sort out the clues and find this famous place on the battlefield.

Next time we are going to due some crime scene investigating in Devil's Den. Stay tuned ....

Mechanicsburg

Hi. Sallie here,

I wanted to tell you a little bit about my visit to Mechanicsburg, Pa. Did you know that Union and Confederate soldiers passed through there. I learned that they used the Frankenburger Tavern, Peace Church, and the John Rupp House as headquarters during the invasion of Mechanicsburg. The Confederates had planned to try to take Harrisburg, which is the capital of Pennsylvania. Instead of attacking Harrisburg, the Confederates headed for Gettysburg instead. The John Rupp House was a stone brick house that is now a small private office.

Here is the sign in front of the John Rupp House

Here I am sitting in front of the John Rupp house

Here is what Albert Jenkins looks like.

Albert Jenkins was Confederate General. He and his troops used this house during the invasion of Mechanicsburg. He was part of the Battle of Sporting Hill. During the battle of Gettysburg, General Jenkins was wounded on July 2nd and could not fight for the rest of the battle. Because of the wound he received at Gettysburg, Jenkins did not return to his army till the Autumn.

Did you know that the Frankenbuger Tavern is the oldest building in Mechanicsburg? They had to use 20 tractor trailers to get all of the stuff out of the house. If you ever visit Mechanicsburg, the Frankenbuger Tavern is on 217 E. Main Street.

For anyone that wants anything Civil War era, you can check out Jim Schmick's Civil War and More Store on 10 S. Market Street. Here is the website for his storehttp://www.civilwarandmore.com.

Until next time.....

Gettysburg's Coster Avenue Mural

Hi,

During a recent trip to Gettysburg, I had the opportunity to visit one of the lesser known monuments, the Coster Avenue Mural.

Here I am sitting on the monument to the 154th New York in front of the mural.

This painting shows some of the fighting that took place here on July 1 between soldiers from the 134th New York, 154th New York and 27th Pennsylvania ( Col. Charles R. Coster's Brigade) who stood along a nearby fence line and fought against the attacks of two Confederate brigades under Generals Ivery and Hayes.

According to a small sign near the mural, the Union troops arrived in this area known then as Kuhn's brickyard from Cemetery Hill. The Union troops were then attacked by Confederate soldiers from Louisiana and North Carolina. The Union soldiers were outnumbered and were defeated and had to retreat back to Cemetery Hill.

The paper goes on to say that the mural was designed and funded by Mark H. Dunkelman who was a historian of the 154th New York. The final mural was painted by Rhode Island artist Johan Bjurman. The mural was dedicated on July 1, 1988, the 125th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Here is my friend CJ pointing to the painting:

Finally, here is a map from Google Earth of downtown Gettysburg to help you find the location of this beautiful painting.

Until next time...

The Gettysburg Train Station

During one of my recent visits to Gettysburg, I had an opportunity to visit the Gettysburg Train Station. This is the train station where President Lincoln arrived prior to giving his famous speech.

Here I am just outside of the station with a bust of President Lincoln and near a plaque describing the building.

According to a nice volunteer at the station, I learned that the station was built between 1858 and 1859 because in 1857 the first passenger trains came into Gettysburg. The original passenger station had two-stories with waiting rooms on both floors. The rooms were separated so that women and children would use one and men would use the other. There is also a spiral staircase in the center of one of the rooms. Here are some photos of a model of the original train station. You can see how the outside looked and also the two waiting rooms.

During the battle, the train station was used as a field hospital and the cupola was used as an observation point so commanders could see what was happening during the fighting.

On November 18, 1863 around 6pm, President Lincoln arrived at this train station from Washington. From here, he would walk a block up the street to the home of David Wills. Here is a photo looking down onto the original loading platform where President Lincoln would have walked.

So, the next time you are in Gettysburg, be sure to stop by the train station.

More from Gettysburg

Hello! Sallie here,

As you know, Gettysburg is one of my favorite Civil War Battlefields to visit.  During a recent visit, I spent some time around Spangler's Spring with some Civil War Reenactors from Sykes Regulars and I thought I would share what I learned.

Here I am at Spangler's Spring.  This area of the battlefield is located at the base of Culp's Hill and was the site of some very heavy fighting during the battle.

Here I am with the commanding officer of the troops at the encampment.  He was showing me his writing desk where he would write letters and orders, review maps and compile reports.

Next I met Captain Steve Hanson.  Captain Hanson is the commander of Sykes Regulars and a very nice person.  Notice the tents behind him, this is how Civil War soldiers would have camped and slept.

Here is a close up look at Captain Hanson's tent.  You can see his sword and haversack behind me and the blanket he would sleep on inside his tent.  I'm not sure what is in the bottle, but I've heard that sometimes officers would buy whiskey.

Here you can see Captain Hanson giving orders to his troops.  He was trying to get them to "fix bayonets" where they take their bayonets from the scabbards and place them on the end of their muskets.  

Next I spent some time helping make lunch for the soldiers.  We made some ham, potatoes, and had some fresh fruit and bread for them to eat.  

Next I met one of the many park rangers who help the Gettysburg National Military Park safe and clean for the millions of annual visitors.

After a long day of hanging out with Sykes Regulars it was time for some rest.  Here I am snoozing in the shade of a tree.  My head is resting on a soldier's great coat and next to me are his haversack, cartridge box (with the US plate on it) and his bayonet scabbard. 

You can check out more photos of my visit on my Flickr Page.

There are so many places to visit and see related to the Civil War.  Do you live near a Civil War battlefield or museum?  Do you know of a teacher who teaches about the Civil War?  If so, why not Sign Up to have me come for a visit?

Until next time...

Arrived in Jim Thorpe!

I arrived safely at the L.B. Morris School in Jim Thorpe, greeted by Mrs. Barford’s fifth grade class. This morning I had the chance to visit the school library where Mr. Richards talked about buglers, bugle calls, and the battles which took place at Gettysburg during the summer of 1863. We heard the story The Last Brother, written by Trinka Hakes Noble and illustrated by Robert Papp. We also watched two scenes from the movie Gettysburg, in which one of the troops talked about how many bugle calls they had to learn. Remembering all those calls had to be tough!

I’ll post more after I explore a few things around here.

The David Wills House in Gettysburg

Hello Everyone,

On President's Day 2008, I took a trip to my favorite town of Gettysburg and visited the newly opened David Wills House.  In November 1863, this was the home of David Wills and is where President Abraham Lincoln stayed prior to giving his famous Gettysburg Address.

President Lincoln arrived in Gettysburg on November 18, 1863 at the local train station and went to the Wills home.  President Lincoln was invited to Gettysburg to provide "a few appropriate remarks" as part of the ceremony dedicating the National Cemetery.  While at the Wills house, President Lincoln meet with Pennsylvania Governor Curtin, said a few words on the public and then completed his now famous Gettysburg Address. 

Here are a few photos from the museum:

Here is a pocket hymn book that soldiers would have carried with them.

Check out the prices for things like corn and flour on this sign!

This is the key to the bedroom where President Lincoln slept

Here is a chair in the bedroom where President Lincoln slept.

Here I am checking out the actual bed that President Lincoln slept on.  Did you know that they took the headboard off of the bed in the summer time so it would be cooler when sleeping?

This is the saddle that on the horse President Lincoln rode to the cemetery on November 19, 1863.

I hope you enjoyed this post on my visit to the David Wills house.  I hope to go back soon and visit the train station where President Lincoln arrived so stay tuned for that post.  

Do you have somewhere near you that played a role in the Civil War?  If so, I would love to come visit you.  Check out my wiki at http://civilwarsallie.wikispaces.com