Departure Day, July 29, finally arrived and we set out only an hour or so later than originally planned--pretty good for us! Our ultimate destination that day was New Germany State Park in western Maryland, location of this year's Lewis Family Reunion, but Jack wanted to deviate from the interstate at Winchester and follow the old Northwestern Turnpike (US Route 50 now). He was looking for some relatively obscure Civil War battle and skirmish sites, part of his research for the novel he's working on about his great-grandfather Alexander Swaney, who was in the First West Virginia Cavalry and an orderly for Cavalry General John Buford during the War.
On the road (I-81) again.
The first place we were looking for was Blue's Gap, site of several small battles and a place of interest in his novel. Jack wanted to study the terrain. The area was wooded and mountainous and we didn't see anything to tell us where Blue's Gap was. We stopped at a gas station/mini-mart and asked the young girl behind the counter if she had heard of Blue's Gap, or if possibly a historical marker might be nearby. "No, never heard of it," she said, eyeing us dubiously. We drove on and in about a half mile came to--you guessed it--a historical marker describing Blue's Gap. Hmmm.
Finally we arrived at New Germany State Park and located our campsite. This place is really in the boonies--no cell signal at all in the campground. Nice park--heavily wooded, a small lake for swimming, fishing and boating, Lots of hiking trails. It was built in the 1930s by the CCC. We went back out to grab some supper and buy a few groceries before settling in for the night. Jack's nephew Franklin and his wife Joanne came by for a visit, after driving in from Lexington, KY. There were other family members arriving, some staying in cabins and some in another campground. After Franklin and Joanne left to go to their hotel, we retired fairly early.
Saturday morning we visited with another nephew, Dwayne, for a while. He and his wife Kim and their kids had pulled into a nearby campsite in the middle of the night. I (Carol) made a fruit salad for the reunion and Joanne and I walked over to the meeting hall where our reunion would be held. Everyone started showing up around noon-ish and the rest of the time was spent yakking, visiting, and eating--just enjoying seeing everyone again. Many of these folks we only see once a year. Carol went kayaking with some of the others on the lake in the evening and had a great time paddling with great-niece Jan and a bunch of the kids. (Watching youngsters Justin and Timbo turn their canoe over in the middle of the lake was a high point...) The reunion went on until dark. We helped clean up and then went back to our campsite for another early night.
Sunday morning Jack and Dwayne sat around the campsite and solved the world's problems, like they usually do. We packed up and moved out about noon. We were heading for Gettysburg, but stopped for the night in Hagerstown, so Carol could catch up on some emails and book editing work.
Monday we continued on to Gettysburg. General Buford, who figures heavily in Jack's novel, was a major hero of Gettysburg and Jack wanted to go over the battlefield and get the lay of the land, and get some questions answered. We ended up hiring a certified Gettyburg historian guide to go with us in our vehicle and show us the major sites where Buford was a crucial player. Our guide, John Krepps, was very knowledgeable and was able to give us the overview we were looking for. We understand much more about how the terrain, and Buford's decisions on the first day of the battle, influenced the outcome at Gettysburg. We stopped at the Lutheran Seminary on the famous Seminary Ridge, and paid (through the nose!) to go up into the attic of the original building and into the cupola on top, where Buford supposedly viewed the surroundings and obtained information about the Confederate troops and location. That was neat. A day filled with history. Gettysburg is such a well-preserved battlefield. It's huge and things look much as they did in the 1860s, except for the hundreds of monuments everywhere. Apparently it's the "most monumented" National Park and that's easy to believe. We paid our respects at various monuments, including the statue of General Buford and the monument to the First West Virginia Cavalry.
General Buford and Private Alexander Swaney (?) (carrying the Union Flag)
General Buford, John Kreps (Guide - left) and Jack (right)
General Reynolds Memorial - He was killed shortly after he arrived. with his infantry
Cupola where General Buford surveyed the land before the battle.
View from the Cupola looking northwest where General Buford made his stand.
We camped at a nearby KOA Monday night, and our good friends Dick and Rita Parady, former fellow Oriskany Strings band members, came over for supper (they brought some yummy food from Panera) and a great visit. They have retired to PA, not too far from Gettysburg. It was great to catch up. Always lots of good stories with those two!
Tuesday the plan was to drive to Carlisle, to visit the Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, PA. Gen. Buford was stationed at Carlisle Barracks for awhile, and Jack wanted to do some research in their archives. This place is an overdelivery. It has an impressive museum and a lot of great military material in the archives, and helpful people to assist in accessing it. We spent an educational afternoon there.
Now we're back at the KOA for one more night. Tomorrow we're touring Altoona, to see the Horseshoe Bend in the Pennsylvania Railroad, and then to Johnstown, site of a devastating flood way back when...
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