Gettysburg or Jim's in Heaven

When we arrived in the Gettysburg area we checked on taking a tour in our own car with an NPS certified battlefield guide and everyone suggested we be at the NPS visitor center at the 8AM door opening to get a slotted time for a guide. We promptly arrived at 1130AM and checked with the guide scheduler. We got an assigned time of 215PM!! So we looked at a few of the museum artifacts, had some lunch and picked up our guide at 215. BTW, did you know there were approximately 7,000,000 rounds expended in just this 3 day battle in July 1863? The museum had on display a pair of bullets that had collided in air and fused together. What are the odds?
Anyway, our 80+ years old guide was born and raised in Gettysburg. He used to pick up battlefield artifacts and sell them for pocket change in the 1920s when the park was under the control of the War department. Some of those items are now in the Gettysburg museum as the collector he sold them to willed the whole works to the NPS. He was also present at the last Civil War Veterans Reunion when FDR dedicated the Eternal Light Peace Memorial.
The driving tour gave us both an excellent overview of how fiercely the opposing armies fought this battle. Lee had never actually lost a fight in the South and he had invaded the North on the heels of his victory at Chancellorsville, expecting to whip the Army of the Potomac again and threaten Baltimore and Washington. He miscalculated the Union soldiers willingness to stand fast and fight to protect his own soil. Because the tour covered so much ground, we didn't stop for photos except this photo of us at the top of Little Round Top, where Joshua Chamberlin earned the Medal of Honor for his actions against Lee's invaders. Our guide was so informative and interesting that we kept him an extra hour. I would highly recommend doing this the first thing if you arrive at Gettysburg.
On the 7th, Jim took another guided tour. This time on horseback to see some of the battlefield from a different perspective. Again, this was just done on a whim on the 6th to see if anything was available and he got on the next days ride. The house in the photo is Spangler's farm. Jim will probably walk as much of the trail and battle areas as he can, photographing along the way.