May 2013

Editor's Letter
May is here, and is heartily welcome in historic Gettysburg! As the apple blossoms abound and the battlefield and town swell with visitors, we at The Gettysburg Experience offer up an array of historic articles, delicious recipes, and our updated Calendar of Events – from May's 58th annual Apple Blossom Festival to Gettysburg's time-honored Memorial Day parade. There are myriad activities, many of them free and for the entire family. The Calendar begins on page 11 of this issue.
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New Oxford Coffee Company: Giving Back
When businessman Paul Dukehart stopped for coffee last year in New Oxford, he learned that the business was being sold. The Adams County resident already had many successful enterprises in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and he didn't need another. "I heard the words come out of my mouth, saying 'I'll buy it!' I thought, why did I say that?" He soon realized the reason. The New Oxford Coffee Company, located at 16 Center Square in New Oxford, has become a popular place for gathering and enjoying good food in pleasant and comfortable surroundings.
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A Civil War Historian's View of Gettysburg
In his latest book, Confrontation at Gettysburg, historian John Hoptak offers a down-to-earth, easily accessible overview of the battle. He shares his unique perspective on Gettysburg – and explains what makes a lifelong Civil War enthusiast tick.
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Another Cost of War
The Civil War cost hundreds of thousands of American lives and cut a swath of destruction from Gettysburg through Virginia, reaching into Texas and the Arizona territory. There is another cost of war, however, that is mentioned far less often – the staggering inflation that resulted in food and commodities becoming costlier and much more difficult to obtain, especially in the South. Food shortages and high prices caused a riot in Richmond in April 1863. People in the country had to make do with even less, and had to be creative to keep from starving.
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Four Men With Canteens
By the morning of July 2, 1863, most of the Army of the Potomac had arrived in Gettysburg. The exception was the Union 6th Corps – Meade's largest with about 15,000 men. Knowing that the Confederates were also arriving from many angles, Meade sent word to General Henry Slocum, commander of the Union's 12th Corps, to discover if any of Lee's men were amassing from the east, where the Union's right flank was still in need of preparation for defense. In addition to the importance of anchoring and preserving the flank, Meade was anxious for another reason: the Baltimore Pike was an essential artery for his army.
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One Pine Coffin
Traveling over the battlefield at Gettysburg, it does not appear at all that the most horrific battle ever fought on American soil occurred there. The fields of unraveling green, mottled by giant boulders and veins of runs and creeks brimming with clear water, seem untouched by the centuries. The fertile Pennsylvania sod, however, still conceals history. In addition to the countless debris of battle – now considered priceless artifacts – are even more accumulations that were, to their families, even more precious.
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May 1863: What Will the Country Say?
Abraham Lincoln had been uneasy with General Hooker's swaggering confidence as the Army of the Potomac – under Hooker's leadership – prepared to give battle once again to the intrepid Robert E. Lee and his divided army of veteran Confederates.
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Recipes, Yesterday, & Today >