GDG- Best Time to Visit
Heller, Todd
theller at mercercounty.org
Fri Jul 20 12:28:31 CDT 2007
Greetings Members:
Any time you visit Gettysburg is a good time. Depending upon what time of year you go will give you a different perspective about the battle. In the fall and winter you get to see the battlefield as more barren without the trees and leaves in bloom. In the Spring and Summer you get a better feeling of what things looked like 144 years ago. Especially temperature wise.
AS far as motel/hotel costs are concerned, if you plan your trips enough ahead of time you can get some really great deals. I have booked a room for next years 145th at just 68.00 a night at the quality Inn on steinwehr. Other people will end up paying 150 + for he same location. The Holiday Inn on Baltimore is usually 75.00 or less during winter months and the Travelodge is 50.00. It just takes some planning. The hardest time to get a room is for Anniversary weekend in November.
If you really want to treat yourself to a nice hotel, stay at the Wyndham. Top notch staff and reasonable rates in the winter. Under 80.00.
One way to stop worrying when the best time to visit is to do what I plan to do. I plan on moving to Gettysburg from New jersey within the next couple of years. I already spend on average 30+ days a year there anyway.
If any of you GDGers live in the NJ area there will be a re-enactment at the Veteran Park in Hamilton Township (mercer county0 on Saturday and Sunday and it is free to the public. Generally between 400-1000 re-enactors 3every year. A very nice event, especially if you have young children.
Everyone have a great weekend,
Todd Heller
Ewing , N.J.
theller at mercercounty.org
-----Original Message-----
From: gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com [mailto:gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com] On Behalf Of gettysburg-request at arthes.com
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2007 1:01 PM
To: gettysburg at arthes.com
Subject: Gettysburg Digest, Vol 38, Issue 27
Send Gettysburg mailing list submissions to
gettysburg at arthes.com
To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
http://mailman.arthes.com/mailman/listinfo/gettysburg
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
gettysburg-request at arthes.com
You can reach the person managing the list at
gettysburg-owner at arthes.com
When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of Gettysburg digest..."
Today's Topics:
1. Re: When is the best time to visit? (Peggy Rock)
2. Re: Maps of Gettysburg (Molly and Walter Wells)
3. RE: Gettysburg Compiler - July 2, 1913 (Bob Huddleston)
4. Re: Gettysburg Compiler - July 2, 1913 (AWard61890 at aol.com)
5. RE: Gettysburg Compiler - July 2, 1913 (Bob Huddleston)
6. Re: When is the best time to visit? (Chris Rastyk)
7. Re: When is the best time to visit? (Ron Chaplin)
8. Maps of Gettysburg (Bob Huddleston)
9. RE: When is the best time to visit? (Robert Davis)
10. Re: Weapon Trajectory (cameron2 at optonline.net)
11. Re: When is the best time to visit? (Chet Diestel)
12. Re: Weapon Trajectory (cameron2 at optonline.net)
13. trajectory (Steven Floyd)
14. Re: Weapon Trajectory (Batrinque at aol.com)
15. Re: When is the best time to visit? (Margaret D. Blough)
16. RE: When is the best time to visit? (Bob Huddleston)
17. Re: When is the best time to visit? (Chet Diestel)
18. RE: Maps of Gettysburg - Buford and Iverson (Bob Huddleston)
19. New Gottfried Book (NPeters102 at aol.com)
20. Trajectory Info (Hugh F. Regan)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 12:43:51 -0400
From: "Peggy Rock" <mrock at embarqmail.com>
Subject: Re: GDG- When is the best time to visit?
To: "GDG" <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Message-ID: <000a01c7ca23$fd471a30$6801a8c0 at buddy>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="Windows-1252";
reply-type=original
Alan,
I am sure you will have many varied responses to your post. I will just say
that 2008 should be a big year for Gettysburg. The "soft" opening of the
new visitor center is projected for April. This year was the first year I
have ever been in Gettysburg for the anniversary and it's only because I
live here now. When visiting, I avoided it. If you want quality "history"
time and field time, I would suggest not coming in July. If you want more
of the celebration/festival type experience, the anniversary is a good time.
Personally I think the Fall 2008 will be the time to be here if you want to
experience the new Visitor Center and the restored Wills House Lincoln
Museum.
Regards,
M. Rock
----- Original Message -----
From: "Alan Curragh" <alan_curragh at hotmail.com>
To: <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 11:10 AM
Subject: GDG- When is the best time to visit?
Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
Can I please ask a few questions regarding a trip to Gettysburg I am
considering for next year.
I live in England and spent a week in Gettysburg in 2000, round the time of
the anniversary. I'm now thinking of doing the same thing next year but am
wondering whether the anniversary is the best time to do it.
Am I correct in saying that the Greystone bookshop is no longer there? I
recall attending quite a few author talks at their marquee - if the shop has
closed, does that sort of event still happen at anniversary time? I recall
also the ranger guided walks - very enjoyable and interesting, but very very
popular. Is that still the case? If so, perhaps avoiding the anniversary is
better. I believe too that battlefield guides can now be pre-booked rather
than the first-come first-served system of the past?
I'm not too worried about any re-enactment - they're fun, but I much prefer
exploring the field.
I suppose ultimately the question is - are the advantages of being there
for the anniversary outweighed by the extra crowds? Any thoughts welcome...
Kind regards
Alan Curragh
_________________________________________________________________
Feel like a local wherever you go with BackOfMyHand.com
http://www.backofmyhand.com ----------------------------------------------------------------
You may unsubscribe by going to
http://mailman.arthes.com/mailman/listinfo/gettysburg
You can add yourself to the GDG map at:
http://www.frappr.com/gettysburgdiscussiongroup
View archived posts from May 2004 - present at
http://mailman.arthes.com/pipermail/gettysburg/
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:12:49 -0400 (GMT-04:00)
From: Molly and Walter Wells <waltermolly at earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: GDG- Maps of Gettysburg
To: GDG <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Message-ID:
<17712040.1184865169244.JavaMail.root at elwamui-rubis.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Would that then verify the forming of the hollow squares on Day 1? :^)
Walter
-----Original Message-----
>From: Batrinque at aol.com
>Sent: Jul 19, 2007 6:59 AM
>To: gettysburg at arthes.com
>Subject: Re: GDG- Maps of Gettysburg
>
>Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
>
>
>
>In a message dated 7/18/2007 10:53:40 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
>huddleston.r at comcast.net writes:
>
>My pro-Yankee bias :>) does note that the maps are pro-Rebel -- white for
>the ANV, black for the AoP. Should be the other way around.....
>
>
>
>
>Not at all, not at all. Those black rectangles represent solidity while the
>white are the hollow Rebs.
>
>
>Bruce Trinque
>Amston, CT
>
>
>
>
>
>************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at
>http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
>You may unsubscribe by going to http://mailman.arthes.com/mailman/listinfo/gettysburg
>
>You can add yourself to the GDG map at: http://www.frappr.com/gettysburgdiscussiongroup
>
>View archived posts from May 2004 - present at http://mailman.arthes.com/pipermail/gettysburg/
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:12:58 -0600
From: "Bob Huddleston" <huddleston.r at comcast.net>
Subject: RE: GDG- Gettysburg Compiler - July 2, 1913
To: "'GDG'" <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Message-ID: <20070719171418.CA54B46A84 at roundtop.arthes.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Boy, the Licensed Guides started ripping people off very early! :>)
Seriously, when did the Guides start?
Take care,
Bob
Judy and Bob Huddleston
10643 Sperry Street
Northglenn, CO 80234-3612
303.451.6376 Huddleston.r at comcast.net
"The rule is perfect: in all matters of opinion our adversaries are insane."
---Mark Twain, 1907
-----Original Message-----
From: gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com [mailto:gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com]
On Behalf Of Ginny Gage
Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:44 AM
To: Gettysburg Discussion Group
Subject: GDG- Gettysburg Compiler - July 2, 1913
Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
Gettysburg Compiler
July 2, 1913
Visitors must be on their guard to get the value of their money upon trips
over the battlefield. The Park Commission gives the information that three
complaints were made on Sunday of short automobile rides of 45 minutes for
which $1.00 was charged. There are many automobiles coming into town from
other places and in charge of people knowing nothing about the battlefield.
Visitors should ask where cars go before starting, whether National
Cemetery, Hancock Ave., The Round Tops, Devil¹s Den, and the Confederate
avenues are included, and the First Days fight. A trip by auto over the
field for $1.00 can not be done in forty-five minutes. Between 2 and 3
hours is the quickest it should be attempted if the visitor is to be given
any idea of the battlefield. There are many visitors who give it days and
always find something new and interesting.
---
Notice there¹s no mention of Culp¹s Hill?
Ginny Gage
----------------------------------------------------------------
You may unsubscribe by going to
http://mailman.arthes.com/mailman/listinfo/gettysburg
You can add yourself to the GDG map at:
http://www.frappr.com/gettysburgdiscussiongroup
View archived posts from May 2004 - present at
http://mailman.arthes.com/pipermail/gettysburg/
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:30:16 EDT
From: AWard61890 at aol.com
Subject: Re: GDG- Gettysburg Compiler - July 2, 1913
To: gettysburg at arthes.com
Message-ID: <bc7.160bdfb3.33d0f9a8 at aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
The Park started licensing guide in 1915 because of problems such as those
Ginny posted about.
LBGs don't "Rip people off" .. In my bias opinion there is no better way
for the first time visitor to understand what happened.
I realize that your remark was not a serious one, but A lot of people read
these post who might not realize it and we don't want them to get the wrong
idea.
Andy Ward
************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at
http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:40:34 -0600
From: "Bob Huddleston" <huddleston.r at comcast.net>
Subject: RE: GDG- Gettysburg Compiler - July 2, 1913
To: "'GDG'" <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Message-ID: <20070719174152.88A7A469B9 at roundtop.arthes.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Note my smiley face. And you are correct that people do read too quickly --
I am often guilty of that! :>(
Take care,
Bob
Judy and Bob Huddleston
10643 Sperry Street
Northglenn, CO 80234-3612
303.451.6376 Huddleston.r at comcast.net
"The rule is perfect: in all matters of opinion our adversaries are insane."
---Mark Twain, 1907
-----Original Message-----
From: gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com [mailto:gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com]
On Behalf Of AWard61890 at aol.com
Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 11:30 AM
To: gettysburg at arthes.com
Subject: Re: GDG- Gettysburg Compiler - July 2, 1913
Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
The Park started licensing guide in 1915 because of problems such as those
Ginny posted about.
LBGs don't "Rip people off" .. In my bias opinion there is no better way
for the first time visitor to understand what happened.
I realize that your remark was not a serious one, but A lot of people read
these post who might not realize it and we don't want them to get the wrong
idea.
Andy Ward
************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL
at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
----------------------------------------------------------------
You may unsubscribe by going to
http://mailman.arthes.com/mailman/listinfo/gettysburg
You can add yourself to the GDG map at:
http://www.frappr.com/gettysburgdiscussiongroup
View archived posts from May 2004 - present at
http://mailman.arthes.com/pipermail/gettysburg/
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:42:10 -0400
From: "Chris Rastyk" <rastyk at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: GDG- When is the best time to visit?
To: GDG <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Message-ID:
<a0dd23530707191042m50f8156fh3b8ab6a757d83c87 at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Hi Alan!
My favorite time of the year to go to Gettysburg is the winter, near January
or February. But I like walking around in cold weather, and I'm not a big
fan of crowds so I would expect to be fairly unusual in that I like that
timeframe.
If I had one chance to experience it though (or if I lived far enough away
that I could reasonably expect to go there only a few times), I would
probably go to the anniversary so that I could see that as well, and put up
with the crowds (I don't know how bad they are, not having been there)..
Also, I would certainly check the average temperature as that may influence
your decision (if it's too cold here, etc.)
>>I suppose ultimately the question is - are the advantages of being there
>>for the anniversary outweighed by the extra crowds? Any thoughts welcome.
-Chris
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:44:31 -0400
From: "Ron Chaplin" <ronchaplin at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: GDG- When is the best time to visit?
To: GDG <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Message-ID:
<f65e86bd0707191044i5a134f22nfa0e0f042401074b at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252; format=flowed
Hi, Alan:
I think that experiencing the battlefield at the same time of year that it
occurred would outweigh any difficulties with the increased number of
visitors, especially since changes are being made to it to make it look more
like it did when the battle was fought.
Ron Chaplin
Iselin, New Jersey
On 7/19/07, Alan Curragh <alan_curragh at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
>
>
> Can I please ask a few questions regarding a trip to Gettysburg I am
> considering for next year.
>
> I live in England and spent a week in Gettysburg in 2000, round the time
> of the anniversary. I'm now thinking of doing the same thing next year but
> am wondering whether the anniversary is the best time to do it.
>
> Am I correct in saying that the Greystone bookshop is no longer there? I
> recall attending quite a few author talks at their marquee - if the shop has
> closed, does that sort of event still happen at anniversary time? I recall
> also the ranger guided walks - very enjoyable and interesting, but very very
> popular. Is that still the case? If so, perhaps avoiding the anniversary is
> better. I believe too that battlefield guides can now be pre-booked rather
> than the first-come first-served system of the past?
>
> I'm not too worried about any re-enactment - they're fun, but I much
> prefer exploring the field.
>
> I suppose ultimately the question is - are the advantages of being there
> for the anniversary outweighed by the extra crowds? Any thoughts welcome...
>
> Kind regards
>
> Alan Curragh
> _________________________________________________________________
> Feel like a local wherever you go with BackOfMyHand.com
> http://www.backofmyhand.com
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> You may unsubscribe by going to
> http://mailman.arthes.com/mailman/listinfo/gettysburg
>
> You can add yourself to the GDG map at:
> http://www.frappr.com/gettysburgdiscussiongroup
>
> View archived posts from May 2004 - present at
> http://mailman.arthes.com/pipermail/gettysburg/
>
------------------------------
Message: 8
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 12:02:19 -0600
From: "Bob Huddleston" <huddleston.r at comcast.net>
Subject: GDG- Maps of Gettysburg
To: "'GDG'" <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Message-ID: <20070719180338.CE347469BE at roundtop.arthes.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
There is nothing so frustrating to an author as a review where the reviewer
blasts the book because it did not answer the issues the reviewer thought
more important - after all, why didn't the reviewer write the book!
So I preface my comments with an apology for doing the same.
I am enjoying _Maps of Gettysburg _ very much. I already commented on the
excellent set of "approach" and "retreat" maps. Boy does JEB look lonely out
there in 1.16 through 1.20! The only comparison to these are the ones
Coddington provided and _The Gettysburg Campaign _ has three to Gottfried's
twenty-one!
The inclusion of Second Winchester and Stevenson's Depot was a wonderful
idea. But how about Aldie/Upperville? They were JEB Stuart's finest hour,
carefully shielding and covering the ANV, while giving up ground under the
superior pressure. The Yankees claimed victory because they occupied the
battlefield but the real victory belongs to Stuart and his men. And ditto
with the skirmishes at Hanover that Stuart had with the Yankees as he tried
to clear the flank, while guarding his captured wagon train.
I would also have liked to see a series on the July 1-2 approach of Sickles
and XII Corps, showing how Dan came close to running into the Confederates
and how XII Corps wandered around going to the sound of the guns. I would
have preferred to see 1.20 and 1.21 on a larger scale, showing only Southern
Pennsylvania akin to Coddington's Map 3.
These are minor quibbles! I cannot wait until I can get to Gettysburg and
hold the book in my hand and look out over the tree cleared battlefield! I
suspect my copy will quickly become as dog-eared as my Coddington is!
Take care,
Bob
Judy and Bob Huddleston
10643 Sperry Street
Northglenn, CO 80234-3612
303.451.6376 Huddleston.r at comcast.net
"The rule is perfect: in all matters of opinion our adversaries are insane."
---Mark Twain, 1907
------------------------------
Message: 9
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:25:29 -0700 (PDT)
From: Robert Davis <bdavis506 at yahoo.com>
Subject: RE: GDG- When is the best time to visit?
To: gettysburg at arthes.com
Message-ID: <942996.58408.qm at web60316.mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
One event that I make a point of avoiding is Bike Week. It tends to be as crowded, if not more so, than the anniversary, and it's a lot noisier. I made the mistake of showing up, unknowingly, at the end of bike week a couple of years ago. I now know to look for it on the calendar and plan accordingly. Bike week generally falls a week or so after the anniverary.
I recommend hiring a Licensed Battlefield Guide. I believe there is a move to allow on-line booking, but that is generating some controversy. Some of the LBGs visit this list from time-to-time, and I was able to pre-book LBG tours by e-mail.
Another recommendation would be to plan your visit during the GDG's muster. This year, the muster was on June 1-3, and contained several great tours by noted authors, including Ed Bearss, Dave Wieck and Dave Schulz, Garry Adelman and Tim Smith. .Plus, you get to spend time with us 8^)
Bob Davis
------------------------------
Message: 10
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 19:45:02 +0000 (GMT)
From: cameron2 at optonline.net
Subject: Re: GDG- Weapon Trajectory
To: GDG <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Message-ID: <e36dc89c21256.469fbf3e at optonline.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
<<In a message dated 7/17/2007 4:06:15 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
hfregan at sbcglobal.net writes:
Once again my pursuit of ACW & Gettysburg lore has me puzzled (a chronic
problem with this subject). In reading "The Bloody Crucible of Courage", the
author (Brent Nosworthy) describes the evolution of the Enfield at al, and
mentions that the earlier smooth-bores (Brown Bess etc ) had higher initial
muzzle velocities ("IMV") than later rifled weapons, but did not say why. I
would have thought that the windage of the smooth-bores would result in less IMV
and I'm puzzled why it was higher than the later developments... Is this
something I should just know, or did I miss something?...
I suspect the main reason is the increased friction experienced by the
bullet as it passes up the barrel, this being necessary for the rifling to spin
the bullet. This friction would partly offset the force from the exploding
powder, resulting in a lower acceleration (and velocity).
Bruce Trinque
Amston, CT >>
Projectile weight. An elongated minie ball type projectile is a good deal heavier than a round ball of equal diameter.
------------------------------
Message: 11
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 12:50:12 -0700
From: "Chet Diestel" <chetd1 at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: GDG- When is the best time to visit?
To: "GDG" <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Message-ID: <004201c7ca3e$0773a130$f03fb543 at newone>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="Windows-1252";
reply-type=response
: Re: GDG- When is the best time to visit?
Esteemed GDG Member Ron Chaplin Contributes:
In response to: Alan Curragh
Hi, Alan:
I think that experiencing the battlefield at the same time of year that it
occurred would outweigh any difficulties with the increased number of
visitors, especially since changes are being made to it to make it look more
like it did when the battle was fought.
Ron Chaplin
Iselin, New Jersey
Let me add my greement to Ron's view --- one gets so much more visiting a
battlefield as near as possible to the time of year it was fought. Touring a
battlefield is so much more than monuments, vintage cannons, historic
buildings and a visitor's center.
It is experiencing the battlefield, as closely as possible, to what the
men who fought there experiened in terms of climate, crops in the field,
foliage in the trees etc. Gettysburg in January is not the same ground men
fought and died for during those three days in July 1863.
For example, to understand how the lack of water effected the members of
the 15th Alabama in their assault on Little Round Top against the 20th
Maine, or why there were so many cases of heat prostration and sunstroke
among the force marching Union troops, it helps to experience the hot, humid
summer days of southeast Pennsylvania, where you may have to quickly slip on
the windbreaker to keep relatively dry during a drenching shower from a
summer storm while wandering through The Devil's Den only to find that after
the shower the humidity is even more oppressive.
And this timing rule of thumb holds not for just Gettysburg, but other
battlefields as well. Visit Shiloh in the spring with the trees all in
blossom, retrace Sherman's March to the Sea in late fall with a chill in the
air and an overcast to the sky and not an occasional deluge while trying to
cover 10 or 15 miles a day.
In short, touring Gettysburg in mid-winter is as productive to
understanding how climate played such an important role in the battle (as
well as how the battlefield looked) as touring the Bastogne, and other sites
that figured so prominently during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944,
in mid-summer with the trees all green and the sun shinning and warm. It's
just not the same.
With regards,
Chet
------------------------------
Message: 12
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 19:56:29 +0000 (GMT)
From: cameron2 at optonline.net
Subject: Re: GDG- Weapon Trajectory
To: GDG <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Message-ID: <e34df09f25065.469fc1ed at optonline.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
<<We must, of course, take in consideration the diameters of round shot and
Minie bullets. The typical Civil War round ball was for a smoothbore of .69
and had a nominal weight of 463 grains and was fired with a nominal charge of
110 grains. The typical Minie bullet was for weapons of .58 caliber with a
nominal weight of 500 grains (although actual weights did vary a good deal) and
a 65 grain charge, an amount of powder fixed upon after experimentation with
the new weapon system before the war. Thus, probably the biggest reason for
the slower velocity of the Minie bullet was the size of the propelling
charge, not the weight of the projectile nor the barrel friction.
Bruce Trinque
Amston, CT >>
I've never done any testing myself, and don't have access to any old data. However, it should be kept in mind that round balls were not fired by smoothbore muskets only. Prior to the minie ball, rifles also fired round balls. As an example, the original loading of the Model 1841 Misssisippi Rifle.
One thing to consider, though, is that with a smoothbore in particular, accuracy didn't matter. So, you could stoke up the powder charge to get better velocity. You can't necessarily do with with a muzzle loading rifle. Beyond a certain size charge, while velocity may increase, accuracy will suffer. To heavy a charge behind a minie ball, and you may as well be using a smoothbore, as far as any accuracy goes.
------------------------------
Message: 13
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:56:09 -0700
From: "Steven Floyd" <SFloyd at rapidoffice.com>
Subject: GDG- trajectory
To: "GDG" <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Message-ID: <318080-22007741920569511 at rapidoffice.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
I've never done any testing myself, and don't have access to any old data. However, it should be kept in mind that round balls were not fired by smoothbore muskets only. Prior to the minie ball, rifles also fired round balls. As an example, the original loading of the Model 1841 Misssisippi Rifle.
One thing to consider, though, is that with a smoothbore in particular, accuracy didn't matter. So, you could stoke up the powder charge to get better velocity. You can't necessarily do with with a muzzle loading rifle. Beyond a certain size charge, while velocity may increase, accuracy will suffer. To heavy a charge behind a minie ball, and you may as well be using a smoothbore, as far as any accuracy goes.
Yet didn't the Sharpshooters at times use two or three charges of powder in order to get the distance, without sacrificing accuracy?
Steve Floyd
------------------------------
Message: 14
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:01:57 EDT
From: Batrinque at aol.com
Subject: Re: GDG- Weapon Trajectory
To: gettysburg at arthes.com
Message-ID: <c49.158caad6.33d15575 at aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
In a message dated 7/19/2007 3:47:50 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
cameron2 at optonline.net writes:
Projectile weight. An elongated minie ball type projectile is a good deal
heavier than a round ball of equal diameter.
Actually, the nominal weight of a typical Minie ball was 500 grains, only
about 10 percent above that of the standard round ball for a US Army musket (463
grains, if I remember rightly). The big difference is in the normal powder
charge: 65 grains for a rifle-musket and 110 grains for a smoothbore.
Bruce Trinque
Amston, CT
************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at
http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
------------------------------
Message: 15
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 02:01:07 +0000
From: mdblough1 at comcast.net (Margaret D. Blough)
Subject: Re: GDG- When is the best time to visit?
To: GDG <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Message-ID:
<072020070201.11372.46A017630007C66700002C6C2207020853CE08099A01040D0B03 at comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain
Chet,
I think one of the major reasons that winter was popular among the hard-core before the historic landscape restoration was not primarily avoiding the crowds (even at its busiest, there were a lot of areas of the battlefield that weren't crowded once you got away from the primary tourist stops like the High Water Mark, LRT, and Devil's Den) but the fact that, with the foliage gone, you could see a lot more of the battlefield. As the landscape restoration continues, that will be less and less a factor.
Regards,
Margaret
-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Chet Diestel" <chetd1 at comcast.net>
> Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
>
>
>
> : Re: GDG- When is the best time to visit?
>
>
> Esteemed GDG Member Ron Chaplin Contributes:
>
> In response to: Alan Curragh
>
> Hi, Alan:
>
> I think that experiencing the battlefield at the same time of year that it
> occurred would outweigh any difficulties with the increased number of
> visitors, especially since changes are being made to it to make it look more
> like it did when the battle was fought.
>
> Ron Chaplin
> Iselin, New Jersey
>
>
> Let me add my greement to Ron's view --- one gets so much more visiting a
> battlefield as near as possible to the time of year it was fought. Touring a
> battlefield is so much more than monuments, vintage cannons, historic
> buildings and a visitor's center.
> It is experiencing the battlefield, as closely as possible, to what the
> men who fought there experiened in terms of climate, crops in the field,
> foliage in the trees etc. Gettysburg in January is not the same ground men
> fought and died for during those three days in July 1863.
> For example, to understand how the lack of water effected the members of
> the 15th Alabama in their assault on Little Round Top against the 20th
> Maine, or why there were so many cases of heat prostration and sunstroke
> among the force marching Union troops, it helps to experience the hot, humid
> summer days of southeast Pennsylvania, where you may have to quickly slip on
> the windbreaker to keep relatively dry during a drenching shower from a
> summer storm while wandering through The Devil's Den only to find that after
> the shower the humidity is even more oppressive.
> And this timing rule of thumb holds not for just Gettysburg, but other
> battlefields as well. Visit Shiloh in the spring with the trees all in
> blossom, retrace Sherman's March to the Sea in late fall with a chill in the
> air and an overcast to the sky and not an occasional deluge while trying to
> cover 10 or 15 miles a day.
> In short, touring Gettysburg in mid-winter is as productive to
> understanding how climate played such an important role in the battle (as
> well as how the battlefield looked) as touring the Bastogne, and other sites
> that figured so prominently during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944,
> in mid-summer with the trees all green and the sun shinning and warm. It's
> just not the same.
> With regards,
> Chet
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> You may unsubscribe by going to
> http://mailman.arthes.com/mailman/listinfo/gettysburg
>
> You can add yourself to the GDG map at:
> http://www.frappr.com/gettysburgdiscussiongroup
>
> View archived posts from May 2004 - present at
> http://mailman.arthes.com/pipermail/gettysburg/
------------------------------
Message: 16
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 21:59:25 -0600
From: "Bob Huddleston" <huddleston.r at comcast.net>
Subject: RE: GDG- When is the best time to visit?
To: "'GDG'" <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Message-ID: <20070720040052.8F7C74698C at roundtop.arthes.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
While I would try to stay away during the Anniversary, still, we have been
there then -- just stay away from the High Point! Culp's is deserted! After
all nothing happened there!
Take care,
Bob
Judy and Bob Huddleston
10643 Sperry Street
Northglenn, CO 80234-3612
303.451.6376 Huddleston.r at comcast.net
"The rule is perfect: in all matters of opinion our adversaries are insane."
---Mark Twain, 1907
-----Original Message-----
From: gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com [mailto:gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com]
On Behalf Of Margaret D. Blough
Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 8:01 PM
To: GDG
Subject: Re: GDG- When is the best time to visit?
Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
Chet,
I think one of the major reasons that winter was popular among the hard-core
before the historic landscape restoration was not primarily avoiding the
crowds (even at its busiest, there were a lot of areas of the battlefield
that weren't crowded once you got away from the primary tourist stops like
the High Water Mark, LRT, and Devil's Den) but the fact that, with the
foliage gone, you could see a lot more of the battlefield. As the landscape
restoration continues, that will be less and less a factor.
Regards,
Margaret
-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Chet Diestel" <chetd1 at comcast.net>
> Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
>
>
>
> : Re: GDG- When is the best time to visit?
>
>
> Esteemed GDG Member Ron Chaplin Contributes:
>
> In response to: Alan Curragh
>
> Hi, Alan:
>
> I think that experiencing the battlefield at the same time of year
> that it occurred would outweigh any difficulties with the increased
> number of visitors, especially since changes are being made to it to
> make it look more like it did when the battle was fought.
>
> Ron Chaplin
> Iselin, New Jersey
>
>
> Let me add my greement to Ron's view --- one gets so much more
> visiting a battlefield as near as possible to the time of year it was
> fought. Touring a battlefield is so much more than monuments, vintage
> cannons, historic buildings and a visitor's center.
> It is experiencing the battlefield, as closely as possible, to what
> the men who fought there experiened in terms of climate, crops in the
> field, foliage in the trees etc. Gettysburg in January is not the same
> ground men fought and died for during those three days in July 1863.
> For example, to understand how the lack of water effected the members
> of the 15th Alabama in their assault on Little Round Top against the
> 20th Maine, or why there were so many cases of heat prostration and
> sunstroke among the force marching Union troops, it helps to
> experience the hot, humid summer days of southeast Pennsylvania, where
> you may have to quickly slip on the windbreaker to keep relatively dry
> during a drenching shower from a summer storm while wandering through
> The Devil's Den only to find that after the shower the humidity is even
more oppressive.
> And this timing rule of thumb holds not for just Gettysburg, but other
> battlefields as well. Visit Shiloh in the spring with the trees all in
> blossom, retrace Sherman's March to the Sea in late fall with a chill
> in the air and an overcast to the sky and not an occasional deluge
> while trying to cover 10 or 15 miles a day.
> In short, touring Gettysburg in mid-winter is as productive to
> understanding how climate played such an important role in the battle
> (as well as how the battlefield looked) as touring the Bastogne, and
> other sites that figured so prominently during the Battle of the Bulge
> in December 1944, in mid-summer with the trees all green and the sun
> shinning and warm. It's just not the same.
> With regards,
> Chet
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> You may unsubscribe by going to
> http://mailman.arthes.com/mailman/listinfo/gettysburg
>
> You can add yourself to the GDG map at:
> http://www.frappr.com/gettysburgdiscussiongroup
>
> View archived posts from May 2004 - present at
> http://mailman.arthes.com/pipermail/gettysburg/
----------------------------------------------------------------
You may unsubscribe by going to
http://mailman.arthes.com/mailman/listinfo/gettysburg
You can add yourself to the GDG map at:
http://www.frappr.com/gettysburgdiscussiongroup
View archived posts from May 2004 - present at
http://mailman.arthes.com/pipermail/gettysburg/
------------------------------
Message: 17
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 21:02:40 -0700
From: "Chet Diestel" <chetd1 at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: GDG- When is the best time to visit?
To: "GDG" <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Message-ID: <000e01c7ca82$d12683f0$f03fb543 at newone>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=original
Esteemed GDG Member Margaret D. Blough Contributes:
Chet,
I think one of the major reasons that winter was popular among the
hard-core before the historic landscape restoration was not primarily
avoiding the crowds (even at its busiest, there were a lot of areas of the
battlefield that weren't crowded once you got away from the primary tourist
stops like the High Water Mark, LRT, and Devil's Den) but the fact that,
with the foliage gone, you could see a lot more of the battlefield. As the
landscape restoration continues, that will be less and less a factor.
Regards,
Margaret
Margaret,
There is no disagreement regarding the amount of foliage allowed to grow
to such an extent that it did alter the historic look of the landscape. I am
also agree that the landscape restoration project is something that has been
sorely needed and will give a better visual "feel" to the battlefield.
Yes, in summer the battlefield at Gettysburg is decidedly more crowded, but
my point on timing a visit in the season of the battle (not just Gettysburg)
remains that climate, foliage and crops along with many other "natural"
elements. all played roles, sometimes very vital roles, in how any battle
was fought.
For example, the time consuming daylight hours it took to move
Longstreet's two divisions into attack positions on July 2 by using the
thick woods etc. to mask the march from Union observers is vital to
understanding why, in part, the assault began so late. That understanding is
much more possible in the green-time of summer than the leafless days of
winter. Indeed, it was those same covering woods out beyond the Emmittsburg
Road that caused Warren to have a shell sent over that confirmed the massing
of Southern forces by the glint of their gun barrels when they shifted
positions to watch the shell pass overhead.
Or just drive along the back roads of Southeast Pennsylvania any July and
you can more fully understand the richness of the farms with abundance in
every direction and comprehend why this was such a lure to Lee in a way you
can never in a season when the wind blows, the trees are bare and there is
slush along the sides of the roads.
With regards,
Chet
------------------------------
Message: 18
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:13:42 -0600
From: "Bob Huddleston" <huddleston.r at comcast.net>
Subject: RE: GDG- Maps of Gettysburg - Buford and Iverson
To: "'GDG'" <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Message-ID: <20070720151517.BB3F546984 at roundtop.arthes.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Perhaps a web-page of addenda which readers of the first edition could
download and use to personally correct their copies.
Take care,
Bob
Judy and Bob Huddleston
10643 Sperry Street
Northglenn, CO 80234-3612
303.451.6376 Huddleston.r at comcast.net
"The rule is perfect: in all matters of opinion our adversaries are insane."
---Mark Twain, 1907
-----Original Message-----
From: gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com [mailto:gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com]
On Behalf Of J. David Petruzzi
Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:18 AM
To: GDG
Subject: RE: GDG- Maps of Gettysburg - Buford and Iverson
Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
Hi Tom,
That's correct - when I edited Brad's mss, I corrected one figure to 2700,
but must have missed the other. I believe Ted is going to fix it for the
next printing.
J.D.
J. David Petruzzi
My blog: http://petruzzi.wordpress.com
My book: http://www.stuartsride.com
>>Busey & Martin lists 1600 engaged at Gettysburg for Gamble and 1148
>>for
Deving, total 2748. Merritt's brigade, that was elsewhere for most of the
battle, had 1321 engaged.
Tom>>
----------------------------------------------------------------
You may unsubscribe by going to
http://mailman.arthes.com/mailman/listinfo/gettysburg
You can add yourself to the GDG map at:
http://www.frappr.com/gettysburgdiscussiongroup
View archived posts from May 2004 - present at
http://mailman.arthes.com/pipermail/gettysburg/
------------------------------
Message: 19
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 11:25:54 EDT
From: NPeters102 at aol.com
Subject: GDG- New Gottfried Book
To: gettysburg at arthes.com
Message-ID: <bea.14fc5b23.33d22e02 at aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
I just read that Bradley Gottfried is working on a book titled "The
Artillery of Gettysburg." According to Amazon, it will be released early in 2008.
Respectfully,
Mike Peters
npeters102 at aol.com
************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at
http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
------------------------------
Message: 20
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 09:23:30 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Hugh F. Regan" <hfregan at sbcglobal.net>
Subject: GDG- Trajectory Info
To: GDG-mail <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Message-ID: <802541.84208.qm at web81408.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ascii
Esteemed Colleagues:
Thanx so much for the data on the weapons' trajectory...You guys are awesome.
Hugh (The Black-Belt Lurker)
hfregan at sbcglobal.net
------------------------------
You may unsubscribe at http://mailman.arthes.com/mailman/listinfo/gettysburg
End of Gettysburg Digest, Vol 38, Issue 27
******************************************
More information about the Gettysburg
mailing list