One hundred and fifty years ago, in those pleasant fields depicted above, Americans spent three days slaughtering each other. 7,863 men died and 27,224 men were wounded. The causes of the war are still debated, the need for the war are still questioned. What cannot be questioned is the bravery displayed by both sides on those three momentous days in July of 1863.
The guns on the blood-soaked fields surrounding the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania fell silent towards evening on the 3rd of July. But in many ways, they still echo down through the years even to this day. I'm not here to discuss that. As a Northerner I was taught one thing, as an adult I have learned more. Not everything is as one would have been led to believe as a youngster.
As a military man, my sole goal for this post is to salute those brave men. Whether they wore butternut or gray, or if their uniforms were blue, one thing cannot be questioned, they were all Americans. I salute them and I salute their bravery.
 |
| The Vermont Memorial at Gettysburg |
 |
| The Virginia Memorial at Gettysburg |
Yup when you go there or any battlefield you think of the courage of those men.I too salute them all.
ReplyDeleteWell said.
DeleteGettysburg is about as solemn a place as there is in these United States, outside of Arlington.
ReplyDeleteIt is that.
DeleteAmen to that, we lost a generation's worth of young men over those years...
ReplyDeleteSo much blood. And there are days I wonder if it could have been avoided.
DeleteI just returned from a week in Maine and Vermont where every little town had a giant well maintained monument to the men from the town that went off to fight in the Civil War. These are little tiny towns but they showed an attitude that seems to have been lost entirely. I think I spent too many years in California because I forgot about them and my dad dragged us to every battlefield in North America.
ReplyDeleteI found this link a couple of weeks ago doing some research. http://civilwartalk.com/threads/the-top-15-regiments-highest-percentage-casualties-single-battle.15162/
All the words below are from that site.
I do hope we can all learn and benefit from this. To give the Glory to God and give thanks to the men who fought for what they believed was right.
Regiment Battle Casualties Percent
1.) 1st Texas, CSA Antietam 226 82.3%
2.) 1st Minnesota, US Gettysburg 262 82%
3.) 21st Georgia, CSA Manassas 242 76%
4.) 141st Pennsylvania, US Gettysburg 198 75.7%
5.) 101st New York, US Manassas 168 73.8%
6.) 6th Mississippi, CSA Shiloh 425 70.5%
7.) 25th Massachusetts, US Cold Harbor 310 70%
8.) 26th North Carolina, CSA Gettysburg 588 69.8%
9.) 36th Wisconsin, US Bethesda Church 240 69%
10.) 20th Massachusetts, US Fredericksburg 238 68.4%
11.) 8th Tennessee, CSA Stone's River 444 68.7%
12.) 10th Tennessee, CSA Chickamauga 328 68%
13.) 8th Vermont, US Cedar Creek 156 67.9%
14.) Palmetto Sharpshooters, CSA Frayser's Farm 215 67.7%
15.) 81st Pennsylvania, US Fredericksburg 261 67.4%
Scores of other regiments on both sides registered losses in single engagements of above 50 per cent.
That's the New England I grew up in. Some towns even have a WWI monument. I wonder how many people go by those statues and not give them a second thought?
DeleteI cannot imagine a modern unit taking those kinds of casualties and continuing to fight.
Thanks for that link, lots of interesting stuff there!
I think I got caught in the spam trap again.
ReplyDeleteI have freed you from the spam trap. Again.
DeletePerhaps you're wearing a different cologne?
[Giggles to self]