Milepost 4,655 (Gettysburg-Day 1)

We've had a couple of full days.  This will probably be briefer than I'd like, but we're a little tired.

First, I want to thank my former boss, Dennis Haarsager, and his wife, Mhairi MacDonald, for their generous hospitality.  Not only did they put us up for the night, but they also took us out for a very nice dinner.  Their home is quite amazing.  The oldest part was built in 1728.  During the Civil War, a Confederate soldier was shot in the house, and they have cannonballs that were found on the property.

Yesterday, we went to the Manassas Battlefield (known to the Union as Bull Run), which was the site of two battles.  The first is considered the first battle of the Civil War; the Fort Sumter fighting, which came earlier, was considered a siege.  This photo shows a field where Union and Confederate infantry stood in parade-style lines fifty yards apart.  At that range, they could not miss each other.

Last night's dinner was in the Harper's Ferry area.  That's where the abolitionist John Brown led a raid on the federal arsenal.  His plan failed, and he was arrested and executed.  This monument marks the spots of John Brown's Fort, where Brown and his followers barricaded themselves during the final hours of their raid.

Today, we went to the Antietam National Battlefield, where the single deadliest day of the Civil War took place on September 17, 1862.  The bottom photo, taken from an observation tower, shows what was called "bloody lane."  Confederate soldiers were in a sunken road on the left side of the photo, while Union solders were on the right. 

This afternoon, we reached Gettysburg and went to the museum and visitors center for the Gettysburg National Battlefield.  Tomorrow morning, we plan to get up early and take a self-guided auto tour of the battlefield shortly after it opens at 6:00 AM.