Crazies on the battlefield

I met this guy a while back who claimed to be an "expert" on the Battle of Gettysburg. Ok....I know quite a bit (although I would NEVER call myself an expert) so I started to talk to him. I always figure that once you start talking to someone, you can figure out just what they really know. So we got to talking about the battle. That was when I realized that this guy had a few screws loose. Why am I writing about him? Because for some reason these conversations that I had with him (which took place over the course of a couple of months) truly were starting to get more and more bizarre and these people truly exist out there. So whatever you do, whether you are at Gettysburg or another battlefield, if you run into someone who wants to "educate" you on the battle, listen, but then go with your instincts. If something just doesn't sound right, then something ISN'T right. Go investigate.

This guy happened to be a security guard at my place of employment. And with me working the overnight shift, we had plenty of time to talk. And talk he did. This guy didn't shut up for hours. First thing he told me was that the Park Service forced the park rangers and the Licensed Battlefield Guides to lie to all the visitors about what really happened on that battlefield. He stated that if you read the O.R.'s (which I've been tackling for a few years now) you would understand the whole picture of what really took place. Ok....give me some examples. Well....did you know that there is NOT ONE monument or marker letting the visitors know that the Confederates were on the west side of the Emmitsburg Road? Really????? I just drove down West Confederate Avenue (which runs parallel to Emmitsburg Road) and saw MANY monuments and markers to the Confederates. Oh....but that's not the point. The Confederates CROSSED Emmitsburg Road....so the monuments should be there. Huh????? If we put monuments and markers at every spot someone walked across, there would be NO open space. When the monuments were being put up, there were rules which needed to be followed in order to keep things fair for everyone and not have a ton of arguing (which didn't prevent any of that). One of the things that they had to do was place their regimental or state or whatever monuments at the place where they were originally placed (the men, that is), not where they might have gone later. So placing the monuments on West Confederate Avenue was the appropriate place because that is where Pickett's Charge took off from.

He also had many problems with the gun laws on the battlefield. Why can't he camp out on the field with his guns? What is wrong with him placing a tent in the middle of Pickett's Charge and shooting animals that come near him? Well, my only thoughts are this: who wants to look out over the fields of Pickett's Charge and see a thousand campsites? And what if you are walking around out there at some point during the evening or night and he gets a little "nervous" and shoots you? And those poor wild animals....we are invading THEIR home. This is all stuff that could and probably would happen. Besides, camping out in the middle of the battlefield can't be allowed because the battlefield closes at 10pm. Then what???? But he really had issues with the gun laws. Who is to stop him from carrying HIS gun on that field? If I want to shoot, I will shoot, he told me. Well, I worry about children and dogs and innocent bystanders when they get in the way of his shooting.

He couldn't understand how people could mistake his gray pants and blue coat. Why would people come up to him as he was dressed in period clothes and ask which side he was on? I'm no expert on the soldiers uniforms, but when I saw pictures, I was confused. Gray/blue....North/South???? I just wasn't sure. It wasn't until a few weeks later that he told me that he reenacts a Virginia Regiment. Ok....so now we know he was a Confederate.

The conversations I had with him just got more and more bizarre....but he was the kind of guy who would talk and talk and talk and not let you answer him. I tried to have a conversation with him, but it was impossible. I still think this guy was a lunatic. He also tried to convince me that he was the spitting image of Winfield Scott Hancock. Now....if there is one area that I AM an expert on, its Hancock. I just didn't see any resemblance. He had dark hair....that was it.

My point in all this is that we need to be careful who we listen to. At Gettysburg (and I know Antietam has them, too but I'm not sure if other battlefields have them) the Licensed Battlefield Guides cannot say anything that they cannot back up. Meaning, if they say something that seems a bit controversial, then they need to be able to state exactly where they got the information from. And they can. These guys and girls are extremely knowledgeable about the battle and what took place here. If you can't believe what they say, then you can't believe anything anyone says. The Park Rangers are usually very good at giving the correct information (although I was on a tour with one ranger that I had to leave because it was obvious she had no clue what she was talking about and I was extremely embarrassed). If we have questions about what people tell us, we need to investigate it for ourselves. Look into the books that experts have written (but don't just take them at their word.....check their references). Look at letters, journals, official reports, anything that the actual participants have written....they were here, they experienced the fight, they should know. Crazy people are the hardest people to believe and then to get away from. Although this guy no longer works for the security company, I do run into him from time to time (oh the joys of living in a small town) and he just can't forget me. Just be warned they are out there. Do your homework and you will be fine!