Charge!: Searching for 'Murica (part two)

In the beginning, we hadn't intended on visiting Gettysburg. The plan had been that after taking in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, we would return to Arlington in the same manner as when we had set out back on Wednesday - by eschewing the highways (and any possible tolls that would incur) in search of 'Murica (whatever the hell that actually means). However, seeing as we would have to return to Virginia via Pennsylvania anyway, it was decided (by me) that we might as well tag on a visit to the historic Civil War battlefield before heading home. And so on Saturday we left the idyllic village of Cooperstown in search of bloody battlegrounds...

According to Google Maps, it would've taken more than six hours to get to Gettysburg if we were to avoid the highways, so I reluctantly used the interstates (three of them in total) to reach our destination. It was a tedious, uninteresting drive that still took most of the day, devoid of any of the scenic towns we had driven through back on Wednesday and Thursday. About the only stops we made en route were at a highway rest area or two, and a short detour to a Barnes & Noble on the outskirts of Wilkes-Barre to buy my daughter a copy of Last of the Mohicans. We even had a lunch a busy McDonald's, for chrissakes:

The only "exciting" moment came when I noticed the sign pointing the way to New York City. While asking Amber to take a photo from the front passenger seat, I forgot that we had to head in the direction of Scranton and not NYC, and so drove east instead of south before quickly realizing the mistake:

It was sometime after 1600 hours when we reached the Country Inn, conveniently located at The Outlet Shoppes at Gettysburg. It was clear from the Confederate flags and Trump 2020 posters and shirts being offered for sale at The Civil War Store that we were back in "Pennsyltucky":

As an Asian-American, my daughter took offense at the sign for Chopsticks Express, so much that she refused to pose in front of it, meaning I had to step in. She certainly didn't want to eat there, though that was due more to her aversion to American-style Chinese food:

We ate instead at a TGI Friday's. COVID-19 restrictions and a full interior dining room meant we ended up eating at what was once a parking lot:

After dinner, I took a solitary walk through the now-deserted outlet mall:

We checked out of the hotel on Sunday morning and drove the short distance to the Gettysburg National Military Park. I won't delve into too many details of the battle and its significance in American history - that's what the Internet is for. Suffice it to say it was the turning point of the Civil War, as Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was defeated, ending the Confederate invasion of the North:

Clearing up some of the myths surrounding Abner Doubleday:

Major General George Meade (L) led the Army of the Potomac against Lee (R):

You begin your visit to the museum by watching a short film narrated, of course, by Morgan Freeman. Following that, you're led to a room to experience the famous 360° painting Gettysburg Cyclorama:

Following the cyclorama program, Amber and I checked out the excellent museum, which covers the Civil War as a whole, as well as the Battle of Gettysburg in particular:

The abolitionist John Brown:

Fort Sumter: 

The first national flag of the Confederacy (1861), very different from the sickening Stars & Bars which eventually replaced it (and which can still be seen in the Pennsylvania and Virginia countryside):

The battle between the Merrimac and the Monitor:

Shu-E, Amber and I had previously visited the Antietam battlefield seven years ago:

The Emancipation Proclamation:

The beginning of the end of the Confederacy arguably began with the folly that was Pickett's Charge (though it should be noted Confederate armies had already suffered a series of defeats in the Western theater of the war):

A poignant display of photographs showing some of the casualties of the battle:

My daughter, who has spoken of wanting to go to medical school, was particularly interested in the displays on battlefield medicine:

 

Gettysburg is also famous, of course, for Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, which he gave at the dedication ceremony for the National Cemetery there 4½ months after the battle:

Ulysses S. Grant:

I remember this painting of David Farragut at the Battle of Mobile Bay from a Civil War book I had when I was a kid. "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!":

The family and I visited Ford's Theatre and the Petersen House (where Lincoln died after being shot by John Wilkes Booth) back in January 2013:

After the museum, we headed back to the car to take the self-guided driving tour of the battlefield. We inadvertently started at the end, parking our car near the cemetery and exploring the area on foot where Pickett made his ill-fated frontal assault. A statue of Meade:

The Confederate soldiers emerged from the trees in the distance, crossing open field where they were mauled by Union cannons and guns:

The Pennsylvania Memorial, on the site where Union artillery held the line on Cemetery Ridge:

We returned to the car and decided to follow the rest of the driving course in the correct order, beginning with the Eternal Light Peace Memorial:

Like with many Civil War battlefields, it's difficult to reconcile the carnage of the fighting that took place more than 150 years ago with the bucolic rural scenes that present themselves to the modern-day visitor:

The Virginia Memorial:

The spot where Lee apologized to his troops at the end of the battle for his leadership failures:

Overlooking the Valley of Death:

General George S. Greene:

Time to head home, but not before stopping for lunch in the town itself:

On the way back to Arlington (this time avoiding the highways again), I saw a sign for the "National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes". Having never heard of it, but at the same time intrigued by the name, we followed the signs to an area in the hills behind Mount St. Mary's University. To our surprise, the parking lot was packed, though we were able to find a space without too much effort. We got out to have a look:

The recreation of the cave at Lourdes was crowded with visitors, many of whom were fervently praying. The intensity of it all was unnerving for my daughter, who didn't want to get too close to the action (a smart choice in this ongoing pandemic):

A reminder of Ethiopia. I'm still waiting for the approval to go back to Addis Ababa አዲስ አበባ:

 

At least the view was nice:

Based on the conversation we had in the car afterward, it would appear Amber doesn't care much for organized religion, especially of the Abrahamic/Judeo-Christian variety (though she isn't all that enamored of her grandmother's Taoist/Chinese folk religion beliefs, either). Like father, like daughter:

And so our mini-road trip came to an end late on Sunday afternoon. I enjoyed staying off the freeways (except for Saturday) and driving through countryside and small towns, though the some of the hate I saw (in the form of "Trump 2020" and "Blue Lives Matter" signs, not to mention Confederate flags) was a stark reminder of the fear and ignorance that prevents this society from living up to ideals. I'm not sure what Amber came away with from the trip, though she said she enjoyed it. The best part of it all was the time spent with my daughter, especially as she and her mother will be leaving next week for Taiwan, meaning as a family unit we'll be separated for at least the next few months. 

And to which I say fuck this virus and all that it has wrought...