I recently went to Gettsyburg, Pennsylvania with my Boy Scout Troop. This was the site of the Battle of Gettsyburg, a very important battle in the Civil War.

We left on Friday at about 6 pm. It should have only taken about 4 or 5 hours. It took 7 hours. We got to our campsite at 1 in the morning. We had a cabin, so we didn’t have to sleep in tents as usual. Unfortunately, the bus couldn’t take us right to the cabin, so we had to walk about half a mile with heavy bags. Around 2, we all went to bed, then promptly woke up at 6:30. We had to meet the bus in the parking lot at 7.

We had a hearty breakfast at the Dobbin House, the oldest building in Gettysburg. We then quickly toured the Dobbin house and got back on the bus. Our tour guide pointed out many points of interest on the bus until we got to our destination, Devils Den. Devils Den is a hill with multiple rocks, and this was used for artillery and sharpshooters. After seeing that, we walked through the infamous “Slaughter Pen” and hiked up to the top of the “Little Round Top”, a much larger hill where Union artillery was operated. For lunch, we went to a nearby park and had a pizza party! After that, we got back in the bus, and drove to the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center. We saw a 30 minute film about the battle, then viewed the Gettysburg Cyclorama, a circular panoramic painting depicting the battle. After the museum, we went to the town of Gettysburg and went shopping for souvenirs. Finally, we ate dinner at a buffet, went back to the cabin, and went to bed.

The sun was in our eyes!

On Sunday, we woke up at the same time, but before we left, we had to clean the cabin. We got the Dobbin house around 9, and were we hungry. After breakfast, we went on a walking tour and learned all about civilian life during the battle. We then toured the Shriver house, the house of a young family who had everything going for them… and then the war happened. The husband died after he was captured during the war. The two daughters both died of tuberculosis. After the tour, we went shopping for a little bit longer, got some lunch, and drove back. This time, the drive was only about 6 hours.

I really loved the trip, I learned a lot and saw some really cool Civil War artifacts, rifles, and even cannons. I would definitely recommend visiting Gettysburg if you aren’t interested in the Civil War.

Here is a video of me reciting the Gettysburg address when I was 7: