A Second Look at Gettysburg

[Antilogic]

The Smithsonian magazine online has a map featured that shows the battlefield of Gettysburg, reconstructed 19th century maps and photographs. At decisive moments in the battle, you can go to a panorama view to observe the battlefield from the perspective of the commanding officers on each side. You can see what information the generals acted on--what they could see, and more importantly what they could not see from their positions in the field.

Link here.

 

[Birdjaguar]

That is a cool site. Such views can show just how damn big battlefields are and how limited the views are for commanders.

 

[Mouthwash]

Give me a TW replay or something. Or make a cinematic engine for these purposes if you're into realism.

 

[sophie]

Give me a TW replay or something. Or make a cinematic engine for these purposes if you're into realism.

Ok...shall I just nip off to the coding lab and render it up for you?

 

[Dachs]

Give me a TW replay or something.

I agree. We should only be able to see four thousand soldiers instead of a hundred forty thousand. That ought to cut down on the amount of things to keep track of.

 

[Wrymouth3]

Give me a TW replay or something. Or make a cinematic engine for these purposes if you're into realism.

Here you go:
Link to video.

 

[Lord Baal]

I agree. We should only be able to see four thousand soldiers instead of a hundred forty thousand. That ought to cut down on the amount of things to keep track of.

Around 4,863 is where I always start to lose track myself.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

These views are pretty good, but nothing beats standing there on the field yourself.

 

[Dachs]

These views are pretty good, but nothing beats standing there on the field yourself.

Especially since they've been clearing the forested areas to better resemble the coverage from 1863.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Especially since they've been clearing the forested areas to better resemble the coverage from 1863.

Have they? I haven't been in a few years. It's very powerful to stand at the Angle and imagine the North Carolinians being pounded with point-blank grapeshot, or to look down at the Devil's Den from the Round Top, where Hood's three divisions stormed up the mountain. It really gives you a feel for what the men there were up against on both sides. Round Top is a steep hill, and the field around the copse makes one feel extremely vulnerable and very much alone (we're expected to hold this? Against that?). I've never done the Charge though.

 

[Dachs]

The Charge is kinda tough, because there are an awful lot of tiny hidden swales and dips that you don't really notice unless you stand where II Corps' positions were. If you're on Cemetery Hill, you have line-of-sight down the whole thing, but Hancock's troops wouldn't have had the traitors in their sights for more than a few minutes at a time before the final expanse of open ground. The "marching up two miles of gently sloping terrain" is very much an exaggeration.