Troop 8 Visits Historic Town and Battlefield of Gettysburg

This November, my scout troop, Troop 8, traveled to the historic town of Gettysburg to camp there for a couple of days. Gettysburg offered many unique experiences to choose from and we attempted to get a good sampling of all of them. 

First, we set up camp at a campsite in a town 45 minutes away from Gettysburg. After that, we proceeded to the battlefield and were given a guided car tour. It was very interesting and we all learned a lot about the battle, which covered over one square mile. 

The guided tour came to an end and we decided to explore parts of the battlefield on our own. We explored Devil's Den for hours, finding crevices and passageways underneath and between the huge boulders. Devil's Den was the site where a Union commander foolishly placed his men, even though he was commanded to march them to a hill that was only a couple hundred feet away. Since Devil's Den is low ground, his men were slaughtered.

Interestingly, Devil's Den is not named for the conflict that was fought there, but because the locals believed a 40-foot black snake made its home in the rocks.

Devil's Den is covered with enormous boulders and would take years to completely explore, so we then ventured to Little Round Top, the hill that is next to Devil's Den. The hill has many memorials on it, and one looks like a miniature castle. We climbed up its spiral stairs and we were able to see the entire battlefield. It was amazing. 

So, this trip was a blast, and I highly recommend it to any other troops or just anyone looking for a fun and informative time. Be sure to visit it at some time.