pendennis

As you cite, the rifles of the era were very accurate at long ranges. The British Enfields were favored by marksmen on both sides, as well as the Springfields, Sharps (hence Sharpshooter). There is the story of General John Sedgwick at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, in 1864. He admonished his staff for seeking cover from Confederate rifle fire at long range (est. 1000 yds). He stated, "They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance", and was instantly killed by a bullet to the eye.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

I’ve been there twice as an adult, both times with a film camera - lot of slides. Just a driving tour will give lots of ‘photo ops’.

rwoodvira

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Too bad “Devil’s Den” is closed; I got several good shot’s there.

BobSchwabk Loc: Roanoke Virginia area

Watch the movie "Gettysburg" before going, it will provide some background on the battle.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Yes, the movie is a good introduction. However, like all cinematic historical dramas, it has inaccuracies, a condensed timeline,and leaves most of what happened in those 3 days out in order to fit the content into a reasonable length film. It also puts words in the mouths of actual historical figures who probably never uttered them. Don't get me wrong, it is a terrific film, but the battle of Gettysburg was so much more.

therwol Loc: USA

I once read an article about a Confederate sniper rifle. This was perhaps 60 years ago when I was still a kid. It had a long telescopic sight, and from memory, the snipers would try shots at up to a mile.

But even for the average soldier, the long sight radius of those rifles made accurate aiming pretty easy. I know because I've shot a replica and found it so. (I mean with actual replica miniballs. The rifle's owner casted them himself.)

One more thing I want to mention is that the trees all around where that battle took place probably have a lot of miniballs buried in their wood. Someone whose family homesteaded on the site of a less important battle in the South showed me how to find them and dig them out.

WhoIsJohnGault Loc: Santa Clarita CA

As a Civil War buff, I would heartily recommend learning more about that wars' decisive battle before you go. You can't go wrong with "Getteysburg" by Stephen Sears

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

On one our visits there, the docent said that the kitchens of most homes in the area were used as ‘hospitals’ {basically where amputations were performed}, had blood-covered floors after the battle, and it took many years for families that lived in the area to recover.

Stephan G

Since you will have a group of youngsters, I would like to suggest for them to get a few names from their histories, personal or other sources, to look up on the monuments about. I will give one, "Aaron Cathcart" on the Pennsylvania Monument. The "wife's grandfather's grandfather." See how many can they find by looking at the monument listings.

keeth Loc: Maryland

I really enjoy going there, I live about 45 min. away. One place you might like to eat is at the Dobbin House. It was used in the under ground rail road. Upstairs they have a canopy over some of the tables. Very nice, call ahead and get reservations. The Farnsworth is a cool place to check out and then bar food at Sweenys. They have a beer garden, but it might be too cold by then. When my kids were young we went on a couple ghost tours. You may not see a ghost but the tour guide has a lot of history to share.
There is also the Rupp house, take a tour through it. Pretty awesome, they have some hands on stuff you can touch. If you want to take a break for ice cream, stand in line for Mr. G`s. Best soft serve in my opionion. This was years ago, but there was a stable offering horse back rides through the battlefield. We had headsets and a guide was decribing the battle as we rode. Great memories for me and the kids. If you have time, Burnside Bridge in Antietam is cool to walk across. Not much to see except for the bridge, but the battle on both sides of it must have been bruttle. There is Antietam Winery not far from them. Good tasting too. I did the drive tour through Gettysburg with the audio. Then all the cool tourist shops to spend your money in.
Plan your visit and have fun

Bill_de Loc: US

Unfortunately I will only have one day to see what I can see.

I have a feeling that after see the place for one day, I might be planning a longer stay.

Thanks everyone for all the comments and info!

---

niteman3d Loc: South Central Pennsylvania, USA

I checked the visitor center hours and it says they open at 08:00, so that would be the place to start and plan the remainder of the day. I've been going there on and off for over seventy years and always find something interesting. I have an old box of black & white photos of myself and other kids playing on the cannons when I was about five years old or so. Enjoy!

coolhanduke Loc: Redondo Beach, CA

I sent you a PM with suggestions but if you only have one day, that will probably be about enough to get the buggy ride in and then have some dinner.