"High Tide At Gettysburg" 150 years later

[TonyW]

Will Henry Thompson is the author of this poem. He took part in Pickett’s Charge on July 3, 1863. He also served in the Fourth Georgia. His poem, " The High Tide at Gettysburg," describes the battle at Gettysburg from the perspective of a Southerner.

Yesterday I walked the 150th anniversary of Pickett's charge with thousands of people.  

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Will Thompson:

"Will was born in Missouri and taken to Calhoun, Georgia with his brother, by his parents, Grigg and Diantha, Will Henry Thompson grew up in the foothills of the Cherokee Valley, living beside the "beautiful and scenic Coosawattee River." Both Will and his older brother Maurice learnt to hunt and fish, and eventually learned to use a longbow, thus leading to their toxophilitic nature (lovers of the bow and the art of archery). They both had a classical education, taught by their mother and live-in tutors, and both enjoyed reading and writing.

They lived a content, carefree existence, hunting, fishing, and "galloping around the country," but there easy, hard working life was not to last. The threat of this new war loomed and Maurice, at 17, joined the army of the Confederacy, followed by his father and lastly, his brother Will Henry. Thompson served in the 4th Georgian Infantry, and served in the Confederate army throughout the War."

I was wearing one of John Kabisa's Bear Archery of Detroit shirts, and struck up conversations with several re-enactors from Michigan. I chose to commemorate the occasion with members of Kemper's brigade, and we met up with the Vermont and New York "soldiers" at the end of the "charge."

After walking the footsteps of Will Thompson that day, it made me reflect on why the Thompson brothers chose to "smelt the guns" and pick up the bow.

[alaskabowhunter]

Very cool way to spend the 4th. The "Witchery of Archery" was the first book on the history of archery that I ever read. What a life...

[shick]

Tony, I'm sure that was an awesome feeling retracing those steps. Gettysburg is very humbling.  Good deal.
Shick

[Blackhawk]

Good for you.  My wife and I were commenting on that event at Gettysburg and would have loved to participate in the walk.  

BTW, I heard a Ranger warning folks who made the walk to check themselves for ticks since the fields there are badly infested with them.

[TonyW]

The rangers estimated 10,000 people participated, either walking across the fields or waiting on the ridge.

We overwhelmed the ticks!

The most impressive thing was the terrain. From on top of Cemetary Ridge it looks almost level across the Emmitsburg Road to the Confederate lines. This is an optical illusion. When thousands of us assembled in 6 brigades, we were hidden behind a rise. We could only see the top of a flagpole on Cemetary Ridge.

At 3 o'clock, when the cannons signaled the charge, we only popped into view for the "Yankees"  after charging across the field for a couple hundred yards. The other surprise was learning that 150 years ago, 75 Confederate cannons had hiding right beside us, in the depression below the road.  In other words, if the fuses had not been defective on the timed charges that overshot the Union line, and the fence line on Emmitsburg Road had not hindered the charge, the Virginians, North Carolinians, Georgians, and supporting brigades would have made it.

[ksbowman]

Just walking the battle field is very humbling. To know how many brave Americans died on that field both Blue and Grey is saddening. Those that choose not to recognize our brothers that wore the grey is both frightening as well as aggregating. We are all Americans and to hide any one part of our heritage is a sin.

[Lucas K]

The thing I remember most about that area of the battlefield was that Pickett's men had to charge uphill with zero cover, those men had to know what was coming...