Beginning on Tuesday, October 17, we spent three nights at the Hershey High Meadow Campground.  On Friday morning, October 20, we moved just south of town to the Hershey Conewago Campground.  We did this because High Meadow was booked for the weekend and we didn�t have a reservation.

On Thursday, October 19, we made a day trip to Gettysburg, thinking we could see it all in one afternoon - HA!  We ended up touring until dark then returning on Friday to finish.  We began our Gettysburg experience with an �electric map� presentation of the 3-day battle fought here July 1-3, 1863.  It was interesting to follow the strategy and movement of both the Yanks and the Rebs over this 3-day period.  We then joined a walking tour through the National Cemetery with a Park Ranger.  We always love to participate in these presentations as the Rangers are generally very knowledgeable and bring life to the story.  Ranger Chuck was no exception.  It was fascinating to follow in the footsteps of the soldiers who are buried here and of President Lincoln who came here to dedicate this cemetery and present what would become one of the most poignant speeches in American history.  We were reminded that Lincoln was not the keynote speaker on November 19, 1863.  Rather, he followed a famous orator named Edward Everett who talked for 2 hours!  However, Lincoln�s speech, which contained only 272 words and took about 2 minutes to deliver, is considered a masterpiece of the English language.  It transformed Gettysburg from a scene of carnage into a symbol, giving meaning to the sacrifice of the dead and inspiration to the living.

Contrary to popular belief, Lincoln did not write his speech on the back of an envelope during the train trip to Gettysburg, but took great pains in its formulation.  There were two drafts.  The second draft is the one that was delivered at the cemetery dedication except for the words �under God� which were added during his delivery.  The cemetery is now full of grand old trees.  But we learned that only one tree in the cemetery bore witness to Lincoln�s address.  It is a beautiful tree - oh, if it could talk!

We purchased an audio driving tour and set out to see the battlefield.  First of all, I must tell you that the battlefield stretched over 25 square miles so it is huge.  Secondly, this battle marked the turning of the war as Lee�s attempt to break through the Federal lines and seize northern territory failed.

To summarize what happened here, the Union boys were positioned just north and west of the town of Gettysburg, prior to Lee�s arrival.  As Lee�s main body of troops approached from the northwest, the Federal troops fell back and consolidated their positions on the high ground south of town, including Cemetery Ridge, Little Round Top, and Big Round Top.  When Lee�s favorite General, James Longstreet, arrived and surveyed the situation, he recommended that the Southern troops move on and �fight another day�.  He didn�t like the situation because the Feds occupied the higher ground with an advantageous �fish-hook� defense around the perimeter of Gettysburg.  Lee did not take Longstreet�s advice and the battle became a turning point in the war.  It was the highwater mark for the Confederates and their last foray into northern territory.

North Carolina suffered more casualties at Gettysburg than any other southern state.  One in every four casualties was from North Carolina.  Ironically, they were the last state to secede.  We discovered that one of Jerry�s ancestors, Jacob Linebarger, fought with the North Carolina Infantry and died here.  Jerry�s family came from North Carolina.

We were particularly interested in seeing where the Arkansas boys fought and learned that it was at Devil�s Den, an outcropping of large boulders.  There, along with the 1st Texas Infantry, they assisted in taking Devil�s Den and Rocky Ridge and captured a number of prisoners and 3 guns of the 4th New York Battery. With the 1st Texas, they began the battle with 1,100 soldiers but ended with only 560, so it was a costly one.

An area between Little Round Top and Devil�s Den became known as the Slaughter Pen, where some of the Alabama Infantry tried to overtake Little Round Top and failed.

93,000 Federal troops and 75,000 Confederates fought at Gettysburg.  Of the 168,000 men who fought on this 6,000 acre battlefield, 10,000 died as a result of this battle.  Dead, missing and wounded totaled 25,000 for the Yanks and 28,000 for the Rebs.  Throughout the driving tour, we saw hundreds of monuments that have been erected to honor and memorialize the soldiers who fought here.  Every state, represented on this battlefield, has at least one monument. They are lasting reminders of the enormous impact the Civil War, and this battle in particular, had on families throughout our country.

As we toured the battlefield, we found it hard to believe that 143 years ago, on this ground, that there was such mass carnage.  Today, it is hauntingly quiet, serene, and beautiful.

Also located at Gettysburg is the retirement home of Dwight D. Eisenhower, our 34^th President.  He and Mamie bought the 189-acre farm in 1950 in anticipation of their retirement.  They had hoped to remodel an existing farmhouse but, when the work began, a 200-year-old log cabin was discovered beneath the brick veneer.  The house could not be saved.  But Mamie was determined to salvage what she could so builders retained part of the brickwork and the summer kitchen fireplace with a bake oven and built the new house around these features.  They donated the farm to the Federal government in 1967 with the agreement that they could live there for the rest of their lives.  Congress designated the property as Eisenhower National Historic Site.  Mamie later explained why this property was so important to them � it was their only home in all their years of marriage.  With Dwight�s military and political career, they had never purchased a home of their own.  The house, property, and furnishings remain largely unchanged today.  It�s not a fancy house � rather warm and cozy � and unassuming.  The enclosed back porch was their favorite room and Eisenhower loved to entertain dignitaries there.  It was an incredibly eerie feeling to be in a room where the Shah of Iran and Nikita Kruschev were guests of Ike.  The views from there and from the front entrance are spectacular.

One fact about Ike that we didn�t know . . . he began painting in 1948 and several of his works hang in the home.  Some of them were quite nice.  And one fact about Mamie � early photos of her, before she donned those awful bangs, show her to be a really beautiful woman.  She regularly appeared on Most Admired Women and Best Dressed lists.  Here�s the kicker  - those awful, tightly curled bangs were styled by Elizabeth Arden.  Go figure.

Why Gettysburg, you ask?  Well, after Eisenhower�s graduation from West Point, he was stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas where he met Denver socialite Mamie Doud. Mamie agreed to marry him though it meant giving up the opulent life her millionaire father had provided for her . . . what love will make us do!

When the US entered World War I, Ike wanted to go.  But, instead, he was appointed commander at Camp Colt, an Army Tank Corps training center in Gettysburg.  Ike was an avid student of military strategy and loved what he found at Gettysburg.  It was one of the reasons he and Mamie chose to purchase this farm and retire here.  Never mind the beautiful setting!

This was actually a working farm, where Eisenhower and his farm staff grew crops and raised cattle.  In fact, Eisenhower maintained a successful cattle enterprise, Eisenhower Farms, for 15 years.  His show cattle rapidly gained recognition in the Angus-raising community, winning grand championships throughout the state and across the country.  There are a number of buildings on the grounds, including the herdsman�s home, the maternity barn, loafing shed, breeding shed and show barn.  One of the barns on the property dates back to 1887 and is five stories tall.

There are also two greenhouses where the Eisenhowers grew vegetables and plants for their own use.  There is a Secret Service Office used from 1955 � 1961.  Interestingly, Eisenhower didn�t have protection after retirement.  No former president had protection until after JFK�s assassination in 1963.  At that point, the Secret Service returned to the Eisenhower farm and every living former President since then has SS protection until his death.

On Sunday, we drove to Lancaster and Intercourse, in the heart of the Amish country.  Unfortunately, we found most of the shops and restaurants closed.  We had lunch at Amish Village Restaurant and saw a short film about the Amish way of life.  Since we spent quite a bit of time studying the Amish in Iowa, we didn�t spend much time here.  We did take a nice drive through the countryside admiring the beautiful farms.  We saw many Amish children outside playing and many families out for afternoon buggy rides.

We wanted to visit a special place in Lancaster County, the Hans Herr House.  Our former neighbor and good friend, Helen Herr, is a direct descendent of Hans.  The house was built in 1719 and is still standing!  Wow!  That�s BEFORE the Revolutionary War!  Tours are normally available but, unfortunately, they were not open on Sunday.  But we got some great photos of this landmark.  We learned that the Herr name is pretty important in this part of the world and Herr chips and snacks are all the rage.  We always knew Helen came from good stock!

On Monday, October 23, we moved to Timberlane Campground in Clarksboro, New Jersey, just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia.  On Tuesday we would begin our exploration of historical Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love.

After crossing the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, we drove around for quite a while in downtown Philadelphia looking for a place to park.  We finally found one, at a cost of $15 for the day, in Chinatown.  After about a 10-block walk, we arrived at the Visitor Center for the Independence National Historical Park, located right in the middle of what is commonly referred to as �America�s most historical square mile�.  We learned that since 9/11, there is increased security at Independence Hall and at the Liberty Bell Center.  We had to make a reservation to see Independence Hall and show up 30 minutes early to go through security screening.  My, how times have changed . . . and NOT for the better.

Independence Hall is as impressive as both Jerry and I remember from our visits there as teenagers.  These walls heard it all:  the bold proclamation of freedom, the doubts, fears and, finally, the hope for the future.  It was in this building that our incredibly brave forefathers boldly declared their independence and 11 years later, established a radical constitutional form of government.  The building was built between 1732 and 1756 and was originally the State House for the colony of Pennsylvania.  Here, two great historical documents were formed and adopted - the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 and the US Constitution, adopted in 1787.  And, by the way, our Constitution is the oldest written constitution in the world!  Thomas Jefferson, as we know, drafted the Declaration of Independence and John Adams worked tirelessly for its approval.  Ben Franklin, Adams and Congress made some 80 changes to the original draft but the Declaration�s enduring words we owe to Jefferson.

We then visited Congress Hall, the nation�s capitol from 1790 � 1800.  It originally housed the county offices for Philadelphia but was loaned to the new federal government for 10 years until Washington, DC could be finished.  It was in the Senate Chamber, upstairs, that George Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the United States.  Eight years later, in the House Chamber downstairs, John Adams was sworn in as the second President.  This was a revolutionary happening � the transfer of power without bloodshed or turmoil.  And we�ve been doing it ever since!  What a country . .

Next came the Liberty Bell . . . that enduring symbol of freedom.  It seems that the Pennsylvania (spelled Pensylvania then) Assembly ordered the bell in 1751 from England to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of William Penn�s 1701 Charter of Privileges.  It was to be placed atop the State House (now Independence Hall) and was to read, �Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof�, from Leviticus 25:10.  That verse seemed particularly apt as the line in the Bible immediately preceding �proclaim liberty� is, �And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year.�  What better way to pay homage to Penn and hallow the 50th year than with a bell proclaiming liberty?

Well, it took several tries to get a bell that sounded good and wouldn�t crack.  The first bell from England was hung in 1753 and cracked upon testing.  Two Philadelphia foundry workers named John Pass and John Stow melted the bell down and recast it, adding a little copper to make it less brittle.  The citizens were very displeased with the tone of the bell so Pass and Stow tried again.  They broke up the bell and recast it - this was the third casting.  It was rehung atop the State House but the Assembly was still displeased with the sound.  They requested that the original company in England cast another.  When the new bell arrived, it was agreed that it sounded no better than the Pass and Snow bell.  So the �Liberty Bell� remained where it was in the steeple, and the new bell from England was placed in the cupola on the State House roof and attached to the clock to sound the hours.

The Liberty Bell was rung to call the Assembly together and to summon people together for special announcements and events so it tolled frequently.  Purportedly, its most resonant tolling was on July 8, 1776, when it summoned the citizenry for the reading of the Declaration of Independence produced by the Second Continental Congress.

During the Revolutionary War, all bells were removed from the city for fear that they would be melted down and used for cannon by the Brits.  The Liberty Bell was hidden under the floorboards of the Zion Reformed Church in Allentown.  It was rehung in 1790.

There is widespread disagreement about when the first crack appeared on the Bell.  However, it is agreed that the final expansion of the crack, rendering the Bell unringable, was on George Washington�s birthday in 1846.

Throughout the years, the Bell has traveled to cities throughout our country �proclaiming liberty� and inspiring the cause of freedom.  The bell, with its crack, has come to represent a country that, though not perfect, still offers �liberty and justice for all�.  On every 4th of July, at 2pm Eastern time, children who are descendants of signers of the Declaration of Independence symbolically tap the Liberty Bell 13 times while bells across the nation also ring 13 times in honor of the patriots from the original 13 states.  Interesting fact: The Liberty Bell is owned by the City of Philadelphia - not the National Park Service.  What a country . . .

Back in 1964, when Jerry first saw the Liberty Bell, and in 1969, when Ann first saw it, there was no security.  We both remember standing right next to it and touching it.  The Bell is now in a building that requires security screening to enter.  It is roped off and can no longer be reached for touching.  What a shame that our world has come to this.  But I still wouldn�t want to live anywhere else!