Today was spent attempting to complete everything there is to do at Gettysburg National Military Park. First thing in the morning I was in line to buy tickets to an attraction I had been looking forward to: the film, "A New Birth of Freedom", narrated by Morgan Freeman; the Gettysburg Cyclorama painting created in 1884; and the new Gettysburg Museum of the Civil War. This threebie was superbly well done, and I had never seen a cyclorama before. It combines the huge, 360-degree painting with an overhead canopy and a three-dimensional diorama to create the illusion of being surrounded by the action of Pickett's Charge on the third day of the battle. Imagine being in a circular room with a mural of the battle painted on the walls, so no matter where you stood, you are in the middle of the action. This is all accompanied by music and narration. Astounding.
The museum tells the story of the battle through 12 galleries, including artifacts, exhibits and additional films.
Dwight D. Eisenhower's farm is close by, and tours are offered. Fearful of missing something, I hopped on a shuttle and wandered around the home and grounds.
Poor George Spangler! In the blinking of an eye his farm was turned into a corps field hospital during and after the battle. Today it is a place to learn about Civil War medicine. Here is a typical doctor's kit, including a doll which was used to smuggle medicine past military inspectors. A little girl and her mother would travel freely, and even if the mother's belongings were inspected, not even the most hardened soldier would disturb a little girl and her doll.
So it was a full day at the visitor center. Tomorrow will be spent taking care of housekeeping in WindDancer; no excursions planned.
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