Gettysburg Battlefield II–Devil’s Den

At the southern end of the battlefields in Gettysburg, there is a formation of rocks known as Devil’s Den. Located at the base of Little Round Top, the formation of rocks played a strategic role in the battle. Some of the fiercest fighting took place here.

A view of Devil’s Den, as seen from Little Round top.

Devil’s Den

The rocks are full of gaps and crevices, where soldiers could hide and move.

Little Round Top, seen from Devil’s Den

Looking roughly southward, from the high ground at Devil’s Den. It is from this direction the Confederate Army charged, driving out the Union Forces on the second day of the battle.

Next to Devil’s Den is a field of rocks, where intense fighting took place. It is here that many, many soldiers from both sides fell. This area has become known as the Slaughter Pen (this photo is a long, panoramic shot. Click on the photo to see the whole picture).

Thanks for visiting, and for allowing me to engage in a small history lesson as I show off my pictures. It is amazing how a couple days reading signs can make one an “expert”! It did not hurt that I found a good book at the library on the civil war, sort of a Civil War for Dummies type of book. It was called “Civil War for Dummies” (really!).

Gettysburg

My family and I recently took a vacation out east, and spent several days in Gettysburg, PA.  We found it to be a charming town, and an incredibly interesting battlefield park.  Our first day there, we took the Auto Tour around the battlefield, following the course of the battle, and marveling over the countless monuments and memorials.  I highly recommend this tour as a great way to start your visit, and get a general feel for the course of the battle. 

Here are just a tiny fraction of the shots I took there (no pun intended). 

The scenery around the park was beautiful, with mountains in the distance, and the old fashion fences, that I just love.  A photograph cannot do justice to the views.

As you can see, the next couple of shots are from the:

The landscape has, in many cases, been brought back to the condition it was in at the time of the battle.  This view down the cannon barrel (located next to the above monument) gives a nice feel for what the soldiers would have seen.  Minus the thousands of armed opponents, of course.

As you can see, we were not the only tourists enjoying the sunny, hot day.

As I mentioned before, there were countless monuments.  Here is the North Carolina monument…

And the memorial to the First Pennsylvania Cavalry.

Ok, you know I could not go an entire post without a little bit of wildlife.  This little guy (and I do mean little) was crawling up a rock while I was looking at another memorial.

 

Thanks for visiting.  I have a lot more to share, so come back again soon!

Kitchen Close Ups

Well my photo project is nearing an end.  It has not worked quite as I wanted.  I was suppose to take a close up each day, but at times I have missed days and had to take 2 or 3 at a time to make up.  I have learned a lesson – do not plan projects like this when you will be taking a major cross country vacation.

Some good news though, I have many MANY pictures from Pennsylvania and Virginia, and will have lots of pictures to post.  Pictures that are NOT close ups!

But now, back to the subject at hand.  Today my inspiration hit me while cooking some pasta for a salad.  And so the theme of todays close up entries:  Kitchen Close Ups.

The spray nozzle on a can of non-stick spray:

The clock on my microwave oven (bet you cannot guess what time I took this picture!):

And my favorite, the flame on my gas stove:

I will be getting back to my usual varied assortment of subjects, especially nature and wildlife, soon.  Thanks for bearing with me while I experiment.  And, as always, thanks for stopping by.