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After my trip to Gettysburg, I came away with a much better understanding of what the Battle of Gettysburg was actually like. Before visiting, I had pictured the battlefield differently. I expected to see more buildings and structures, but much of the battlefield was made up of large, open fields. Seeing it in person made it easier to understand how exposed the soldiers were during the fighting.

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Our guide helped bring the battlefield to life by explaining what happened in different areas. One thing that stood out to me was learning about the large number of fences that crossed the fields. Soldiers had to climb over or move through these fences while fighting, which made it harder for them to move and also left them more exposed.

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Elisha Hunt Rhodes and his regiment were not involved in every major part of the fighting at Gettysburg, but it was still interesting to stand in the same places where he had fought. Knowing that he was there, experienced the battle, and survived it made the history feel much more real. It is difficult to imagine being in his position, fighting in the middle of a battle while constant gunfire was coming from all around you.

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Overall, I found the experience very interesting and meaningful. Our guide did a great job answering my questions and explaining the battle in a way that helped me understand it beyond what I had read in books. Visiting Gettysburg gave me a much better sense of both the battle itself and what life may have been like for a Civil War soldier such as Elisha Hunt Rhodes.