Friday June 12th is day 37 of our travels. It is also the last caravan move we have for this event. It's only 82 miles from DC to Gettysburg, so we had our travel log review this morning and the Dawn Patrol left about 10am. The rest of us will pull off our sites at 11am and get on the road once everyone has their tow cars hooked up. It is only 10 miles on I-495 around the north side of DC and about 35 miles on I-270. The rest is on a familiar road to us, Route 15!
US Route 15, this is the official name of the nearly 792-mile-long highway that runs from Walterboro, South Carolina, to Painted Post, New York. It passes through five states. The first of the two designations that Route 15 carries as it begins its trek through Pennsylvania is Blue and Gray Highway. This designation comes from the fact that the first 12 miles of Route 15 in Pennsylvania takes you from the Maryland border to Gettysburg, site of the most-famous battle in the Civil War. From Charlottesville, VA to Gettysburg US Route 15 has been designated The Journey Through Hallowed Ground. It is a 180-mile long, 75-mile wide National Heritage Area that includes 9 presidential homes and sites, 18 national and state parks, 57 historic towns and villages, 21 historic homes, hundreds of Civil War battlefields and thousands of historical sites. The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Route is often referred to as “Where America Happened.”
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| Picture Credit - National Park Service |
We passed a sign for the Monocacy National Battlefield. It is a National Park Service site located just off I-270 in Maryland, that preserves the landscape of the Battle of Monocacy fought on July 9, 1864. Known historically as "The Battle That Saved Washington," this crucial Civil War clash delayed Confederate forces long enough for Union reinforcements to secure the nation's capital. The park covers over 1,600 acres of historic farmlands, forests, and rolling hills along the scenic Monocacy River.
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| Photo Credit - Frederick County Parks & Rec |
Rose Hill Manor Park & Museums are located just off Route 15, where we entered it from I-270. It is a 43-acre living history property that preserves and interprets early American life, agriculture, and transportation history from 1746 through 1950. The historic estate features a 1790s manor house that served as the retirement home of Thomas Johnson, Maryland’s first elected governor and an Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court.
A bit further north on Route 15 is the Catoctin Iron Furnace. It is a historic iron production site operating from 1776 to 1903 at the foot of the Catoctin Mountains in Thurmont, Maryland. Founded by the Johnson brothers (including Maryland's first governor, Thomas Johnson), it famously produced ammunition and cannonballs for the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Today, its preserved stone ruins, an interpretive trail, and an on-site museum within Cunningham Falls State Park.
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| Photo Credit - Visit Frederick MD |
You need to visit the Catoctin Mountain Park to discover secret stories from World War II. The park has a rich history spanning thousands of years. It was created as a national park in the 1930s. During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration purchased over 10,000 acres of this abused, submarginal land. Designated as the Catoctin Recreational Demonstration Area in 1936, the project put unemployed men to work under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). They built trails, reforested the mountain, and constructed rustic cabin camps like Camp Misty Mount and Camp Greentop—the latter being one of the first environmental camps in the nation custom-built for children with disabilities. The park closed to the general public during WWII as the federal government repurposed the landscape for the war effort. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS)—the precursor to the modern CIA—covertly used the rugged terrain to train spies, intelligence agents, and guerrilla warfare operatives. In 1942, federal agents selected one of the New Deal family camps, Camp Hi-Catoctin, to construct a secure retreat for President Roosevelt. Originally named Shangri-La, President Dwight D. Eisenhower later renamed it Camp David after his grandson. It remains an active, secure presidential facility today and has hosted historic international events, including the 1959 Eisenhower-Khrushchev summits and the 1978 Camp David Peace Accords.
We arrived at Gettysburg campground, in two different groups, because of a wrong turn early in our travels. The tail-ender did the right thing and took the wrong turn with the 3 rigs that made that wrong turn leaving DC. The second group of rigs got within 8 miles of the first group, but we could not go slow enough for them to catch up. It's all good, because we all got here safely!
Everyone was pretty spent from this long caravan... LOL. It was hot and everyone stayed inside, or sat in the creek, or hit the pool! We all had dinner on your own. The staff went to the Mason Dixon Distillery. Which is famous for their Shrimp & Grits, which is what Tim wanted for dinner. It is a family-owned grain-to-glass distillery and restaurant. It is located in a historic, restored 100-year-old furniture factory. It is known for its industrial-chic vibe and communal German beer hall-style seating. One neat feature is the venue prioritizes conversation by intentionally having no televisions in the building.
After dinner, it cooled off and everyone came out and gathered.
There was plenty of laughter, sharing of spirits and fellowship!
Saturday June 13th was day 38. It was our last full day on this caravan. We spent most of the day at Gettysburg National Military Park. It preserves, protects, and interprets the landscapes and legacy of the pivotal Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1–3, 1863. The park encompasses roughly 6,000 acres of historic terrain. It features over 1,300 monuments, 400 historic cannons, and the hallowed grounds where President Abraham Lincoln delivered the famous Gettysburg Address.
We started the day at the visitor center watching the film, A New Birth of Freedom. It is narrated by Morgan Freeman. The film helped orient us to the battle and Gettysburg's place in the American Civil War. "A new birth of freedom" is the iconic phrase spoken by President Abraham Lincoln in his 1863 Gettysburg Address. It encapsulates his vision of a redefined United States, one fundamentally committed to human equality and a fully functioning democracy.
After the film, we moved to the Cyclorama.
It is a massive, fully restored 360-degree panoramic oil painting that depicts Pickett's Charge, the dramatic climax of the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863.
Painted in 1883 by French artist Paul Philippoteaux, the artwork measures 42 feet high by 377 feet long—making it longer than a football field and taller than a four-story building.
We stood on a viewing platform where the painting is brought to life using localized sound effects of gunfire, shouting, and explosions, paired with dramatic lighting that highlights specific actions across the canvas.
After the Cyclorama, caravanners were on their own to view the exhibits and museum.
Gettysburg Museum of the American Civil War houses an extensive collection of rare artifacts, personal soldier gear, weapons, uniforms, and exhibits.
With 22,000 square feet of space, the museum features relics of the Battle of Gettysburg and personalities who served in the Civil War, interactive exhibits, and multimedia presentations that cover the conflict from beginning to end as well as describe the Battle of Gettysburg and its terrible aftermath.
What I took away from the museum exhibits is in these two pictures. Look at them. What do you see? One is dead Union soldiers, the other is dead Confederate soldiers.
Both sides shared similar human experiences and motivations. You can not see any difference in the men, they all dies too young fighting a war that did not need to happen. Sad, just so sad...
Naturally, some of the caravanners had to tour the gift shop! I am sure there was a purchase or two!
Some of us enjoyed lunch in the cafe, others explored the battlefield that is close to the visitors center and others used the Genealogy Cafe to do some research. The McKenna Foundation Resource Room gives you free access to information using Ancestry.com, Fold 3 and National Park Service Civil War Soldiers and Sailors databases. Some of these resources also allow you to go beyond the Civil War and look up information about soldiers that served more recently. Pension records, census data, birth, death, and marriage records and much more.
After lunch we met for our two-hour Battlefield Bus Tour with a licensed battlefield guide. For more than 100 years, licensed battlefield guides have helped thousands of park visitors better understand the Battle of Gettysburg. These guides are rigorously tested and licensed by Gettysburg National Military Park and Bob, our guide, provided a unique and realistic approach to the battle and enhanced our experience.
For three days in 1863, Union and Confederate forces met here on the fields, hills and ridges of Gettysburg in the turning-point battle of the American Civil War. Through preservation efforts, the historic battlefield landscape looks very much like it did in 1863. It continues to serve as an everlasting symbol of courage, remembrance and reconciliation.
Monuments to Union regiments and batteries are the most numerous monuments on the battlefield. Almost every Federal regiment and battery that fought at Gettysburg is represented by a monument. Many have a second monument, and a few have multiple monuments and markers showing their different positions on the battlefield.
There are only a few Confederate monuments at Gettysburg to individual Confederate units. Most Confederate monuments have been erected by Southern states honoring all the units from that state. Here is South Carolinas.
Over 40 monuments honor individuals, both North and South. Most are Generals, but a Medal of Honor recipient and two chaplains are represented. There are even monuments to two civilians – one who grabbed a gun and joined the fight, and another who represents the sacrifice and suffering of women in the Civil War.
The Pennsylvania State Memorial is the largest monument on the battlefield. Standing 110 feet tall, it is topped by a bronze statue of Nike (Goddess of Victory). You can climb a spiral staircase to an observation deck for panoramic views of the field. Its bronze tablets list over 34,000 Pennsylvania soldiers.
We stopped at Little Round Top and got off the bus. On July 2, 1863, US General Dan Sickles left Little Round Top open, exposing the Federal line along Cemetery Ridge to Confederate attack. Quick actions by Brigadier General Gouverneur K. Warren alerted US officers to the threat and brought reinforcements to defend this high ground. The fighting here on July 2 became some of the most famous of the Battle of Gettysburg. Also located on Little Round Top is the 44th New York Infantry Monument. This is a castle-like stone structure. This location offers excellent views of the southern portion of the battlefield.
After the Battle of Gettysburg, farmer Joseph Sherfy's Peach Orchard would forever be associated with the intense fighting that took place there on July 2, 1863. On that day, US General Dan Sickles advanced his troops beyond the Federal line on Cemetery Ridge and occupied the Peach Orchard. A Confederate assault pushed Sickles’ 3rd Corps soldiers into a retreat at around 6:30 pm that evening.
On July 2, 1863, charge and countercharge left the Wheatfield and the nearby woods strewn with over 4,000 dead and wounded.
The Eternal Light Peace Memorial sits atop Oak Hill on the First Day's Battlefield. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the memorial in 1938, on the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.
The Virginia Memorial was dedicated in 1917 and is the largest of all the Confederate monuments on the Gettysburg Battlefield. The large open field to the east of the Virginia Memorial is where the last Confederate assault of the battle, known as “Pickett’s Charge,” occurred July 3.
You never know where you will find the 42nd Infantry Division... I knew we were in Dachau, but who knew we were in Gettysburg!
I took hundreds of pictures of monuments, but I will stop now.
We had our farewell dinner at the Farmhouse Restaurant at the Barn Resort. The location spans 130 acres. Their 5-story building was once home to the Boyd’s Bear Country Barn.
Nestled within The Barn Resort, The Farmhouse Restaurant offers a truly exceptional buffet dining experience, featuring a wide array of delicious daily specials. From their expansive, crisp salad bar and comforting soups to hearty main courses, a sizzling carving station, and irresistible desserts, there’s something to satisfy everyone.
Each dish is made fresh daily, crafted with the finest ingredients to ensure outstanding flavor and quality in every bite. The Farmhouse Restaurant provided us the perfect space to enjoy our last meal together on this caravan.
After dinner, we enjoyed our last campfire and our walk down memory lane with the caravanners. It is always a tough night in the caravan, because you build bonds in just two-weeks! We never say good-bye, we say see-you-later!
Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures!
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