It rained on July 4th.

And while the rain was a welcome relief to the retreating soldiers, as well as the victorious ones, it was not welcomed by the local residents of the little Pennsylvania town.  It came down in sheets, soaking the unburied bodies still on the field – some with hands folded, and others with clenched fists; it inhibited the Army of Northern Virginia’s retreat across the Potomac; it unearthed men buried in shallow graves and horses buried in a hasty retreat; and it spread blood and disease throughout the country side.

Gettysburg was uninhabitable; the smell unimaginable.

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For many, visiting a battlefield is a passive experience – a means to visit the battlefield and to maybe read a few plaques and such along the way.  For me, though, it’s much different.

As I stood in front of Spangler’s Woods, and stared across the field where Pickett’s Charge took place, I could hear the crunch of earth beneath my feet.  I could see the smoke covering the field – a product of the morning’s intense artillery blasts from both sides.  I could feel the weight of my rifle, and the adrenaline and terror shooting through my veins with each step.  I could hear and see the muskets being fired near the copse of trees, and could sense the presence of men firing from near The Angle.

On Little Round Top, as I looked out toward Devil’s Den past the monument to the 16th Michigan, I could almost see the Texans and Alabamans making their way towards the summit.  I could feel the heat and humidity, and hear the sharpshooter’s bullets piercing the air as they passed within range.  I could feel the pressure mounting as I began to run low on ammunition, and could feel the immediate despair when I knew the position might not be able to be held.

In the Soldiers National Cemetery, standing near the Soldiers National Monument, I could faintly hear the words:  “Four score and seven years ago………….we cannot dedicate – we cannot consecrate – we cannot hallow this ground……that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, for the people, by the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

It was an amazing experience – a life changing experience.

Visiting the Gettysburg battlefield was better than any of my expectations.  Being able to walk and stand on the ground where such an important battle in our nation’s history took place – and, even more importantly, stand in the area where Lincoln delivered his immortal words – in order to set a people free – was incredible.

The entire town has an amazing feel to it, and definitely was witness to a pivotal moment in the survival of our nation as we know it today.  If the Gettysburg battle had not turned out the way that it did, our country could be much different – much, much different.

I am a different person after being able to stand on such hallowed ground – and I am very grateful to all of those men – Confederate and Union – who fought and who gave their lives in order to define and shape a country into what it is today.

Standing on such hallowed ground helps us to not forget – and may we never do so.

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As I do from time to time, a few days ago I was talking a trip down memory lane and reading some of my old blog posts.  During my excursion back through the older posts, I came across a post from January of this year that outlined my outdoor goals for 2009.  After looking at the goals I set for myself for this year, and reflecting on the year thus far, I think I’m doing pretty well.

Below you’ll see a list of the outdoor goals I set for 2009; and beside them you’ll see how I did when it came to that particular goal:

1.  Kill my First Turkey – I can scratch that one off the list.  In case any of you missed it, at the end of April I killed my first turkey – a jake.  He wasn’t a longbeard, and he wasn’t huge, but he tasted great – and the video proves that I was pretty excited no matter kind of turkey it was.

2.  Shoot a Deer with my Bow – I can scratch that one off the list as well, because on October 1st – my birthday, and Michigan’s Archery Season Opener - I killed a nice healthy doe.  I still have the backstraps and tenderloins left in the freezer calling my name.  We’ve put a hurting on the venison burger, but have yet to dig into the real good stuff yet.

3.  Fish…..a lot! – We did a ton of fishing this year.  We fished our local favorite fishing hole, fished for some smallies at a local river; fished the heck out of my Father-in-Law’s pond; bowfished for the first time;  fished the Steelhead run – even though it didn’t produce a lot of fish – and managed to fish a couple new lakes as well.  I guess I can cross that one off the list, too.

4.  Appreciate All Outdoor Activities to the Fullest – We all know that our outdoor pursuits can be frustrating at times, and I experience that frustration from time to time as well.  But overall I think we did a heck of a lot of outdoor stuff this year – new and old – and I believe I appreciated it to the fullest.  From riding quads, to fishing, to hunting, and everything in between – even with a bit of frustration involved at times – I’ve still loved every bit of it, especially shooting the doe with my bow and killing my first thunder chicken.

5.  Visit Gettysburg – Regretfully, I didn’t achieve this goal.  After buying the new quads, and all the camping trips we took, we couldn’t work in the Gettysburg trip this year.  It is in the works for next year, though, and I’ve been educating myself for the trip regularly.

6.  Get Abby outside whenever Possible – We can cross this one off the list as well.  I’m proud to say that in Abby’s first year she went camping multiple times – and had a blast doing it I might add; we had her out and about any chance we could; and she even ate a caterpillar.  Well, she tried to eat a caterpillar.  Thankfully I realized what was in her mouth before she started to chew.  What could be more outdoorsy then that?

Overall 2009 has been an excellent year for my outdoor pursuits.  And the good part is that there is still some of 2009 left; not only does that mean there is still hunting season to enjoy this year, but it also gives me a few opportunities to exceed the outdoor goals I set for myself.

Hopefully I can ring in the New Year, while at the same time having to worry about my taxidermy bill; it could happen.

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Pittsburgh Landing, Tennessee.

In the late 1850′s, and into the early part of the 1860′s this particular spot was only noticeable to steamboat captains; it was an excellent rural refueling point for the steamboats of the time, and was one of the only places in the area that had an open piece of ground that enabled the refueling to take place.

1862 changed all that.

After the confederates lost Fort Donelson and Henry they amassed all of their troops to the south – at Corinth, Mississippi.  With Corinth being a major rail center, it was only logical for Halleck’s Union troops – partially lead by Grant – to start centralizing in an area not far from Corinth.  And since the Tennessee River was available, and provided a means for faster troop transport, this quiet rural steamboat refueling point became an area where many of the Union trips would disembark in preparation for an attack on Corinth.

Little did they know, that this refueling point – this troop drop-off site – would also become a safe haven for the many men who would flee from the carnage brought on by the confederate surprise attack on April 6th, 1862.

When William “Bull” Nelson and his troops arrived on the opposite side of the Tennessee, on the evening of the 6th, they were shocked to see thousands and thousands of Union soldiers huddled against the shelter of the hillside – blocking the way for newly-arriving Union troops.  As a matter of fact, he was so taken aback by what he saw, that he instructed his troops – if one of the cowards held them up – to run their sabor through ‘em.

As the evening of April 6th wore on this quiet refueling point turned into a shelter for the scared, scarred, broken, and injured men.  A quiet rocky hillside had turned into an area of complete chaos.

And it was not over.

As the night rolled on, reinforcements crossed the river, and entered the battle at Pittsburgh Landing; they mixed in with the stragglers huddled there and proceeded to prepare themselves for a counter-attack the next day.  Pittsburgh landing, once a refueling point; once a location for the scared and injured to hide,  had now become the backdrop for Grant’s last stand, and provided an area for fresh troops to join in the eventual Union counter-attack and victory.

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It’s hard for me to imagine the actual scene the night of the 6th, considering that – in order for visitors to appreciate this particular place – there is a concrete path that leads to the location.  If you stand down on the landing, however, and look back up the road it becomes more clear just what this hillside would’ve looked like on April 6th;  it is easy to understand how this point became a place for troop disembark, and also a place where they would seek shelter from the onslaught they were facing.  The ironry of the whole thing, though, is that the very reasons that troops sought refuge here, were the very same reasons that it became an excellent place to assemble the counter-offensive.

Pittsburgh Landing was the first thing we visited during our Shiloh trip, and I remember it well.  Trying to imagine steamboats anchored there – for refueling, or for troop deployment – is a hard thing to do.  Looking around, though, it becomes clear to the eye that this was one of the only places along the Tennessee that would allow for such activities.

I can’t begin to imagine what it would’ve felt like to be on the Landing that night;  to have been one of the soldiers seeking shelter here  knowing that just over the hill was pure carnage; or to be a soldier of Bull Nelson’s arriving at the landing during the death and destruction, and seeing first hand what could be waiting for you at the crest of the hill; being able to see the sure terror in many of the soldiers’ eyes.

It is now a quiet and solemn place – right next to the cemetery – but at one point was a thoroughfare of death, destruction, and then, ultimately, a place for jubilation after the Union victory.

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I think anyone who writes a blog, or writes anything, goes through this from time to time.  You write something, and your immediate fear is that no one will see it; no one will read it.  Or you set out to write about something you’re very passionate about, and feel like nothing is coming back to you in return.

Honestly, for me anyway, I’m happy if only one person reads a posts I write.  Now I realize that I’m generating a little more traffic then that, but I am honestly happy with only one person reading something I write.  As long as what I write reaches one more person, I figure I’ve accomplished my mission.

With those points in mind, I have had two comments on this site that astounded me.  Awhile back I wrote a post about Albert Sydney Johnston.  General Johnston was killed at Shiloh, and because of my visit there, I wrote a post about him.  Imagine my surprise, when I had comments left by two of his relatives:  A Great Great Grandson from Wisconsin, and a Great Grand Nephew from Gloucestershire, England.

The firt comment was left months ago, and surprised the heck out of me.  The second comment surprised me even more, though.  Mr Johnston, the Great Great Nephew of General Johnston left me his comment just a few days ago.  He discovered my post while he was doing some research on antler art.  Apparently antler art is much more of an American craft, so not much information is available in England.  If I would have thought about it,  I would have directed him to Rick;  he’s the expert in antler art.  But anyway, an antler art search led him to our site, and in the process he discovered my General Johnston post.  As he said in his email to me “the odds of  finding your post were about 80 billion to one.”  Apparently, it was just meant to be.

Mr. Johnston left me a very nice comment about my post, and we have also conversed back and forth through email as well.  (He’ s a hunter too!).  I can’t tell you how much it means to me that these two gentleman, not only left the comments, but also truly appreciated my post.

I thank both of them for stopping by, and I encourage them to stop back anytime they wish.  It definitely feels good to write about something your passionate about, and get feedback as to what kind of an impact it had on someone.

I hope it’s a trend that continues.

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