On April 14^th when Gettysburg’s new Visitor’s Center opened, we were there.  It was our first trip to Gettysburg, but it was truly memorable.  Before we went, since we had not yet reached the Civil War in our studies, we read a little about what happened there.  I gave the boys the usual background and explained the importance of that particular battle.  Then we read an account by Tillie Pierce, an eyewitness to the events on those first few days of July in 1863.  It was chilling, especially for the boys, considering she was school-age when she witnessed what she did.  At one point they asked me to stop reading because they were so horrified, but we managed to make it through her story.  It brought life to the things that we would see later that day. 

The visitor’s center not only looks great on the outside, but the artifacts and the way they are presented are phenomenal!  The galleries are filled with shorter films in mini-theaters, all carefully structured to draw the viewer through "a narrative" presentation of the war, its causes and its aftermath.  It’s presented in the order of the Gettysburg Address, and you’ll see parts of the speech as headers leading you through the different areas.  The whole experience is so well organized that even kindergarteners will understand and appreciate what they’re seeing.  We were very impressed. 

After touring the visitor’s center, stop by the gift shop and pick up the Gettysburg Expedition Guide made by Travel Brains.  The CD guides you on an auto tour through the battlefield giving information about what you’re seeing and suggesting places to stop along the way.  You also get a guidebook and a CD ROM with animated battle maps, virtual tours, movies, games and more.  It’s $30, but worth it. 

Our favorite memory along the way was stopping at Little Round Top.  The movies at the visitor’s center had given the boys a good idea of how important that location had been and had taught them about Pickett’s Charge.  As we stood on top of the actual mound, looking down at “Devil’s Den”, I told the boys to try to imagine what it would be like to charge up that hill with the enemy blazing down on you from the top.  Even better, they could crawl around the massive rocks at the top of the hill and pretend they were part of Pickett’s Charge.  The abstract had become real for them.  They “got it”.  They even asked if we could go back the next day.  So if you go, don’t miss Little Round Top.  Get out of the car and walk around.  It’s worth it, for the young and the old.

Recommended Reading:
One of the best books I’ve ever read is Pulitzer Prize winner Killer Angels by Michael Shaara.  This book really brings the battle of Gettysburg to life with some beautifully descriptive prose.  You finish feeling like you knew the men at the battle. 

Amazon says:  This novel reveals more about the Battle of Gettysburg than any piece of learned nonfiction on the same subject. Michael Shaara's account of the three most important days of the Civil War features deft characterizations of all of the main actors, including Lee, Longstreet, Pickett, Buford, and Hancock. The most inspiring figure in the book, however, is Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, whose 20th Maine regiment of volunteers held the Union's left flank on the second day of the battle. This unit's bravery at Little Round Top helped turned the tide of the war against the rebels. There are also plenty of maps, which convey a complete sense of what happened July 1-3, 1863. Reading about the past is rarely so much fun as on these pages.

Wilbur S. Nye, Here Come The Rebels!, Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, 1965.

Glenn Tucker, High Tide At Gettysburg, the Campaign in Pennsylvania, Bobbs-Merrill Company Inc., Indianapolis & New York, 1958. (A fair study on battle and easy to read)

Stephen Sears, Gettysburg, Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston, 2003

Champ Clark, Gettysburg: The Confederate High Tide, Time-Life Books, Alexandria, VA, 1985. (Good general study of the Gettysburg campaign and battle)

Harry W. Pfanz, Gettysburg- The Second Day, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1987. (Very good and heavy on details and first-person accounts; specific to July 2^nd action)

George R. Stewart, Pickett's Charge, (reprint) Morningside Bookshop, Dayton, Ohio, 1980

Editors of Time-Life, Gettysburg: Voices of the Civil War, Time-Life Books, Alexandria, Virginia

Jeffrey J. and Loree Kowalis, Died at Gettysburg!, Longstreet House, Hightstown, NJ, 1998.

Math:
Civil War armies were organized by a distinctive order of rank and command. Interestingly enough, both the Army of Northern Virginia (the Confederate army) and the Army of the Potomac (the Union army) were organized in a similar fashion according to military manuals adopted prior to the outbreak of the war. The Confederacy adopted the United States Army regulations for their army organization, but renamed their manuals for southern service. Officials in the war departments of both governments made several adjustments to their respective military departments and army organizations throughout the war, but by the time of the Battle of Gettysburg, armies of both sides were organized in a similar fashion with a similar command structure.

The armies were divided into several different branches:

INFANTRY: Infantrymen were foot soldiers. They traveled from place to place by marching, in all types of weather. Each infantryman carried his own weapon- a rifled musket and bayonet- along with personal belongings and equipment, and food for several days. Most Civil War soldiers were infantrymen.

ARTILLERY: Artillerymen carried no weapons of their own, but were part of a team that operated a single weapon, the cannon. They needed special training to perform their duties, each man performing a task to help move, load, aim, and fire the cannon. Horses pulled the cannon from site to site, while the artillerymen walked though they did get to ride on the cannon limber and caisson when they had to get into battle quickly.

CAVALRY: Cavalrymen traveled on horseback. A cavalryman carried three different weapons- a saber, a carbine, and a pistol- as well as personal belongings and equipment. They were the eyes of the army. They scouted and screened movements of the army from enemy scouts, protected army flanks and supply route, and engaged in battle when needed. Cavalry could raid weak enemy positions and retreat quickly.

Both armies based their organizations on the infantry, while the artillery and cavalry were considered to be supporting branches. Still, how did all of these different units fit in to one huge force?

The largest single organization of an army was the corps. (pronounced "core") The Union army at Gettysburg had seven infantry corps and a cavalry corps, each commanded by a major general. The Confederates had three infantry corps, each commanded by a lieutenant general, plus a cavalry division. Typically, a Confederate corps was much larger than a Union corps. Within each corps was a division of infantry and there were three divisions in a corps. In the division was a brigade of infantry commanded by a brigadier general. Three to four brigades made up a division and three to six regiments made up a brigade. One regiment was led by a colonel and numbered over 1,000 officers and men at full strength. A regiment was divided into ten companies, each company commanded by a captain. At full strength, one company had 100 officers and men.

Due to disease, re-assignments, and battle losses, regiments were usually much smaller than the required number. By the time of the Battle of Gettysburg, some regiments mustered barely 250 men and a typical company at Gettysburg had between 30 and 40 men. Any regiment containing over 500 men was considered to be a large one at this battle.

Here is the basic breakdown of an army corps of infantry, from large to small:

CORPS- three divisions, commanded by major or lt. general;
DIVISION- three infantry brigades, commanded by a major general;
BRIGADE- three to six regiments, commanded by a brigadier general;
REGIMENT- ten companies, commanded by a colonel
COMPANY- approximately 40 men, commanded by a captain.

Artillery units were usually organized as artillery brigades or artillery battalions, and attached one per division. Cavalry regiments were organized in a similar fashion to infantry regiments and assigned to a cavalry corps.

Research and follow the fortunes of two regiments, one Union and one Confederate, during the battle of Gettysburg. For the Union side, you will be with the 69th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry of General Alexander Webb's Brigade, General John Gibbon's Division, Second Corps, Army of the Potomac. For the Confederate side,  trace the footsteps of the 57th Virginia Infantry, General Lewis Armistead's Brigade, General George Pickett's Division, General James Longstreet's First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia. How do they stack up against each other? Compare! Read the history to find out what happened in this battle – Pickett’s Charge.

Compare the size of the armies mathematically.    State mathematically the size of a company compared to a regiment, a regiment compared to a brigade, etc. 

Act it Out:
Break out the plastic army men and have some fun acting out the battle.  Or, get a couple of refrigerator boxes at a local appliance store and make some shelters, get plastic rifles at the dollar store, and battle it out in the back yard.  This activity is sure to keep your kids occupied for hours!