I took my Civil War class to Gettysburg today. It was cold and it was raining but we braved the elements like a Civil War soldier. Since many of my students had not been to the battlefield since elementary school, we decided to concentrate on an overview of the battle through the park Auto Tour (with a few detours here and there).
It was my first visit to the new Visitor’s Center, which was quite impressive. (The old Visitor’s Center has been demolished). The park service has moved the famed Cyclorama to the new Center and it now offers an introductory movie that places slavery at the center of Gettysburg’s story. (I am guessing that this emphasis was in response to critics who complained that the park did not emphasize slavery enough in their interpretations of the battle). The movie was well done and I enjoyed the narration of Morgan Freeman and Sam Waterston’s interpretation of the Gettysburg Address. I also need to go back soon to see the Gilder-Lehrman Civil War gallery. The bookstore is now much larger and my students managed to locate all of their textbooks on the shelves. One of my students invested in an original newspaper from the era and another one bought a biography of the controversial Dan Sickles.
We ate lunch, as we always do when I take students to Gettysburg, at the famous (or infamous) “General Pickett’s Buffet.” The chicken and macaroni and cheese was quite good this time, but I got way too filled up with pitchers of Coke and Mountain Dew! Our visit to the buffet always allows me to say a few words–usually in the parking lot– about the relationship between capitalism and historic commemoration.
Thanks to my drivers–Dave, Dillon, and Andrew.
After spending a day like this on the field, returning to the sterile environment of the classroom is always a little depressing. Yet, we must press on. Our discussion of Reconstruction begins tomorrow..
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