The Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania during the American Civil War just hit a milestone anniversary this year on July 1-3...150 years! This turning point between Union and Confederate troops captured my father's interest so much that at the century-mark anniversary we travelled to that hallowed ground in honor of that iconic battle. His grandfather had served as a Private for the Union during his early 40s; considered quite the senior fellow in those days. One of his muster papers appears in the picture above.
My father, mother and I packed up our year-old 1962 VW bug and embarked on the long journey to Gettysburg and surrounds from our home in Wisconsin. What I did to pass the time in the tiny back seat of that car while traversing numerous states was probably to read, read and then read some more. I don't believe we even had an in-dash radio back then. Oh yes, and I also watched innumerous landscapes roll by as my father's quota of "miles travelled" each day increased exponentially.
When we finally arrived in Gettysburg I wasn't expecting how vast the area was, nor the quiet and stillness it exuded. Travelling between monument to monument seemed quite the distance for a young 10-year-old girl. What I remember most were the split rail and stone fences dotting the rolling hills. The fact that at that time in my life I only recognized pictures or statues of Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee didn't really help me to appreciate what truly transpired there so long ago.
In fact, for whatever reason, I had a much greater affinity to Fort Sumter, located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, that heralded the beginning of the Civil War. We travelled to that setting, too. There was just something about the sea breezes filtering through the moss-laden trees and the architecture of the wrought iron balconies of Charleston homes that intrigued me. This is not quite understood by me today, as the black cannons of war were exactly the same in both locations: Gettysburg and Charleston.
On our way home, we paid a visit to my brother, who was then stationed at a military base in Columbia, South Carolina. It was rather ironic that this journey with my parents encompassed the past service of an ancestor, only to come full circle with the current service of a sibling. I guess you could call it both a journey of distance and time.
Knowing that I had a great-grandfather who served in the great "War of the Rebellion" is an honor for me. Being the youngest of a youngest afforded me that proximal link, for which I remain ever proud.
©2013 Debbie Ballard
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