TRAVELS-PENNSYLVANIA

Biking the Battlefields of Gettysburg

Celebrating Memorial Day and biking month

A cannon overlooks the peach orchard area. Photo by author

It’s Memorial Day, and a perfect day to share the historic battlefields of Gettysburg National Park on a bike. Biking allows visitors to take their time and actually examine the battlefields to understand what a bloodbath Americans endured during this three-day July battle in the American Civil War.

While visiting, don’t miss going up on Little Roundtop to see the battlefield below. This lesson on taking the higher ground is something you just can’t experience by reading history books.

The Confederates were exhausted after walking 20 miles in the heat of the July sun, they were out of water and were soon stuck at the lower field of Little Roundtop. Union Forces held the hill, and with it, had the advantage of height and gravity; eventually running down in a bayonet charge. The Confederates had nowhere to go.

The battle of Little Roundtop had 565 Union casualties but Confederate losses were twice the number at 1,185.

The view of Little Roundtop from below at Devil’s Den. Photo credit Wikipedia