On Saturday, November 19, Prof. Charles Smith and a group of students from his American Founding Principles class visited Gettysburg National Military Park for a tour of the battlefield and National Cemetery. The class was also joined by IWP alumnus, Larry Cosgriff, his daughter, and father-in-law. The tour is a regular part of the American Founding Principles class, which Prof. Smith uses to demonstrate strategy and leadership at the Battle of Gettysburg, and to commemorate Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (which was given by Lincoln on Nov. 19, 1863, four months after the battle).
Student Lauren Tarnoski commented that, “Reading about Gettysburg is one thing; walking the field yourself grants an entirely new context to the events over those three days,” while Michelle Roscitt and Anna Akopyan were struck by the “enormity of the battlefield” and the “countless statues and monuments.” Nate Anderson summed up his experience this way: “Proving Lincoln wrong, we noted what the dead did and remembered what he said. Proving Lincoln right, I think we all walked away with increased devotion.” This was alumnus Larry Cosgriff’s second trip to Gettysburg with IWP: “The Gettysburg battlefield tour with Prof. Smith was one of the highlights of my studies at IWP, and I highly recommend it to students.”
Cannons and the 15th New York Battery Monument near the Peach Orchard.
Tour guide Bruce Rice discusses the Union and Confederate lines prior to Pickett’s Charge.
The stone wall near The Angle.
President Lincoln poses for a photo.
Prof. Smith recites the Gettysburg Address in the National Cemetery.
The last full measure of devotion.
The group gathers for a final photo.