GETTYSBURG - From time to time, both scholars and amateur American Civil War historians get on their high horse and pontificate about what happened, what could have happened and what should have happened at the Battle of Gettysburg, which occurred from July 1 to 3, 1863.
Since the 150th anniversary of the pivotal battle will be observed next summer, many tourists are opting to visit Gettysburg and other Adams County attractions this year. Because of the heavy influx of visitors, people who are looking for a different perspective and want to escape the crowds have no better option than to get on a high horse for a tour of the battlefield.
Last year, a group of local Civil War buffs booked one of the two-hour tours offered by the National Riding Stable at Artillery Ridge Camping Resort. In addition to this guided tour, Artillery Ridge offers a one-hour tour that is mostly sightseeing. Stables are available, with a rental charge, for people who bring their own horses. Those choosing the equine option can either join a group or ride the horse trails that are clearly marked throughout the national park.
Tours depart from Artillery Ridge and move west from the area that was the southern flank of the Union Army lines. These tours follow trails that pass within sight of some of the most famous landmarks on the second and third days of the battle. This year, most of those landmarks are clearly visible since the National Park Service has removed trees that were not part of the landscape in 1863, thereby restoring a better battlefield perspective.
To get the most out of the horseback experience, it helps to already possess a basic understanding of the battle. Of all the enhanced views provided by a horseback tour while returning to the east from the Confederate line near the Spangler farm, none is more heart-stopping or chilling than that where the position of the Union line was in the distant forefront.
Here is where having at least a basic understanding of the three-day battle adds to the tour because it was on Day 3, the afternoon of July 3, that the Confederate offensive known as Pickett's Charge took place. In films about the battle, the impression is given that the attacking Confederate and defending Union forces were in plain sight of each other, but a view on horseback shows that was not the case.
Even when sitting atop a horse, the contour of the rolling landscape hides from view the strength of the Union forces and the hundreds of artillery pieces that were in place, wheel to wheel in some locations along Cemetery Ridge. Those making the charge certainly knew a hostile force awaited them, but because of the dense smoke from the gunpowder and the uneven terrain, a large portion of those attacking would have been within point-blank range of the cannon and .58-caliber rifled muskets that cut them to shreds.
Although some of Gen. Robert E. Lee's forces reached the area known as "The High Water Mark of the Confederacy" near The Angle, artillery and small arms fire decimated their numbers. It has been recorded that when Lee rode out to meet the retreating troops, he asked Gen. George Pickett about the condition of his battalion, to which Pickett replied that he no longer had a battalion.
Other notable areas seen from a different perspective on horseback are the areas of Little Round Top and Devil's Den, which figured in some of the bloodiest combat on Day 2 of the battle. Especially interesting is the close-up view of the Trostle farm located between the areas known as the Peach Orchard and the Wheat Field.
At the farm is a monument to Maj. Gen. Daniel Sickles, the controversial and interesting commander of the Union's 3rd Corps. On Day 2 of the battle, he lost a leg, which he had preserved and buried with him when he died in 1914.
A lawyer and powerful player in the corrupt Democratic Tammany Hall political machine, he held numerous offices, including that of New York state senator and U.S. congressman. Before the war, however, the public mostly knew of him for shooting and killing his wife's lover, who was the son of "Star Spangled Banner" author Francis Scott Key, in the street in front of the White House. Sickles, the first to use "temporary insanity" as a defense, was acquitted.
While any tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield is worth the time, on horseback has a special feel unavailable by any other means of horsepower.
If you go
Advance reservations are required for horseback tours of the Gettysburg Battlefield and suggested for campsites. For complete information about the National Riding Stable at Artillery Ridge Camping Resort, visit the website at www.artilleryridge.com or call (717) 334-1288.
For those who prefer creature comforts over camping and want a central location within walking distance of many of the historical sites in Gettysburg, the Gaslight Inn Bed and Breakfast is a good option. For information, visit the website at www.thegaslightinn.com or call (717) 337-9100 or (800) 914-5698.