Gettysburg Sesquicentennial

If you get a chance, hike behind Seminary Ridge and come up around the side of Little Round Top. Longstreet tried to talk Lee into that flanking move and Lee wouldn't let him.

I have walked that route before. I understand Lee did not want Longstreet that far away from the main body and Berdan's sharpshooters certainly made life uncomfortable on the march to the jumping off point but it is likely such a move would have forced Meade to pick another line further southeast.

Sun Tzu said:

"Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend; march swiftly to places where you are not expected. An army may march great distances without distress, if it marches through country where the enemy is not."

For example, behind a ridge that your army occupies.

Unfortunately, Jeb Stuart's cavalry, which could have screened the move, was off on a lark.

And I'm no Robert E. Lee.

The Union army was on the interior lines. Even with Stuart in the perfect spot (and he would have been dueling with Buford who was a very good cavalry leader), it would have been difficult for Lee to fully encircle the larger army.

Is there a list of speakers?

If you go to any of the reenactment or sesquicentennial sites you will see a looooong list of speakers, living history exhibits, and events planned. Too numerous to list.

The end of the Republic and the beginning of the Democracy settled by the sword. I wonder to this day just how our founders viewed this from on high?

"gafinfan wrote:

The end of the Republic and the beginning of the Democracy settled by the sword. I wonder to this day just how our founders viewed this from on high?

I dont know... but they'd all be on prozac today...

"Ohiophinphan wrote:

The Union army was on the interior lines. Even with Stuart in the perfect spot (and he would have been dueling with Buford who was a very good cavalry leader), it would have been difficult for Lee to fully encircle the larger army.

Wouldn't need to have encircled it. Just outflank it and roll it up like a carpet.

I am friendly with the retired Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court whom is a Lincoln scholar....I asked him if he was going down there and he wasn't, he has a few speaking engagements around here. They run a group called The Lincoln Forum and they to down to Gettysburg every November. Doris Kearns Goodwin, as you are aware she wrote the book the movie was made after, goes down there as well. If any of you folks are interested check it out, it really is a great symposium with the foremost leading minds attending.

http://www.thelincolnforum.org/index.php

"gafinfan wrote:

The end of the Republic and the beginning of the Democracy settled by the sword. I wonder to this day just how our founders viewed this from on high?

I imagine they would be shocked that blacks and women are allowed to vote.

"Frumundah Finnatic wrote:

I imagine they would be shocked that blacks and women are allowed to vote.

They would be even more shocked that the country they designed to be ruled by law was destroyed by the sword and that it was so soon after their passing.

As for the treatment of Blacks and Women, knowing that they too debated those issues, I like to think that is one of the very few issues they might give us credit for changing ..... proudly I might add.

"cdz12250 wrote:

Sun Tzu said:

"Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend; march swiftly to places where you are not expected. An army may march great distances without distress, if it marches through country where the enemy is not."

For example, behind a ridge that your army occupies.

Unfortunately, Jeb Stuart's cavalry, which could have screened the move, was off on a lark.

And I'm no Robert E. Lee.

Wasn't Stuart being off on a lark something caused by Custer's cavalry?

At the risk of sounding sacrilegious, I think Lee was somewhat overrated. Isn't it true that after the death of Stonewall Jackson, that Lee never won another major battle? Who was the real brains in that outfit? Lee's comments upon hearing of Jackson's death indicated IMO that perhaps he too realized it.

"Gettysburg was the price the South paid for having Robert E. Lee as commander." - Shelby Foote

While some of us were in the Valley of Death below Little Round Top awaiting the Ranger walk on July 2, I struck up a conversation with a fellow. Turns out he was a blogger for Forbes Magazine. I had forgotten about it until today when on a whim, I googled my name with Gettysburg and low and behold

http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterjreilly/2013/07/04/gettysburg-day-2-heading-into-action/

I show up in the last paragraph and come off looking pretty bright. Enjoy the reading.