Cushing to get medal of hnor
 

http://news.msn.com/us/obama-to-awar...il-war-soldier

As he should. Glad its being given, Cushing's actions were simply incredible. Back in late march, standing at the high water mark....just so hard to describe the feeling of standing there and imagining all that happened.

That's really neat. I did a self-walking tour of the battlefield years and years ago, but I can't remember if he was mentioned. I'll have to go back next time I visit the parents and see if he is mentioned now (they've done a lot of renovations since last time I was there).

i think they bring it up during the audio tour-but i just remember his story from other books i've read over the years.
shelby foote, james mcpherson-and i'm pretty sure he's included in 'the killer angels'.
i hadn't been there since i was probably around 12 years old. we stood on the side (well, i did, i think tony stayed in the car) where the south started their doomed 'pickets charge'. i thought ya gotta be kidding me. it was suicide.
and then to stand on the other side....the bloody angle (several battlefields had a spot so named) is just chilling to stand and contemplate.
another touching story was of lew armistead. he was a good friend of winfield scott hancock and served with him in california. when war broke out, they separated with armistead going to join the south. he was shot coming over the wall at the angle on that third day. he died a couple days later; he had a soldier carry his effects to hancock, who had also been wounded.
fathers and sons fought each other, cousins, brothers, friends...just sad. and all for such a bad cause.

oh, and a neat tidbit of trivia....
ben hur, written by lew wallace, a northern general.

Great story..only been to Gettysburg once, on a trip to Ellenville,NY to visit old AF bud..only spent an hour or so, quite an experience..also stopped in Hershey,Pa for some chocolate..Bud was a banker and also worked nights at Monticello race track in the money room:)..

we were supposed to head up north this december. were going to stay in williamsburg, va...hit petersburg, appamattox, etc in that area and finish off my list of major battlefields. we were going to the winter classic, and i was finally going to go up the washington monument.
well, change of plans.
tony couldn't get off work in november to go to calif, so now we're doing all that in december.
no winter classic... :(

but, i'm sure the weather will be much nicer in san diego and the surrounding areas!

oh, as for gettysburg and odd stories.

dan sickles joined the army to polish his reputation, which had been hit a bit when he shot and killed his wife's lover-the son of francis scott key no less! he was found not guilty due to temporary insanity...
well, he's the moron who moved his troops forward to another hill rather than stay where he'd been told, thus putting his men and the whole northern cause at risk. no telling how many troops were lost due to his idiocy.
he was struck in the leg, and they had to amputate. he requested they save the leg. he donated it to a museum, and actually would go and visit the broken limb!

weird.

it's still on display.