Boy Scouts of Troop 20 recently spent a weekend hiking the Gettysburg National Historic Trail.
The Scouts spent three days hiking over the trails and in the footsteps of both Northern and Southern troops as they fought this nation’s greatest battle.
The GNHT is divided into five segments: Billy Yank, Johnny Reb, National Cemetery and Museum, the town of Gettysburg and the Eisenhower Farm. Troop 20 completed three of the five segments, the longest of the five – Billy Yank, Johnny Reb and the Cemetery/Museum hikes.
They arrived on Friday, set up camp at a Scout Camp in Dillsburg and then began their tour with the Electric Map presentation, outlining all of the major events of the three-day battle.
Following this, they then went to the Cyclorma to witness the drama of the battle and a tour of the National Cemetery, where President Lincoln delivered the “Gettysburg Address.”
Later that evening, the Scouts returned to Gettysburg where they took the “Ghosts of Gettysburg” tour, including as much history as tales of the supernatural.
On Saturday, the boys awoke early to begin their hike over the battlefield, following the course of events as they unfolded over those three, fateful days. The boys visited hundreds of monuments and wayside description signs as they followed their guidebook through the 12 miles they walked over the battlefield.
The guidebooks provided directions, historical background, maps and questions to be completed as they progressed through the day.
The third and final day took the Scouts over the Johnny Reb Trail, following the course of the battle as seen through the eyes of the Confederate Army as they overwhelmed the Union Army in opening day of battle.
Each of the participating boys will be given three patches, one for each of the segments they completed.
Troop 20 is expecting to complete the final two segments next fall.
Participating scouts included Vincent Gray, Jonathan Hampton, Jon Hoffman, Clayton Hoover, Ethan Janiello, Bradley McNeal, Michael McNeal, Dudley McNitt, Michael Moore, Tyke Pavlic, Nick Teeters and Dustin Weaver. The leaders were Dale Frye, Willie Hampton and Cummins McNitt. Troop 20 is sponsored by the Church of the Good Shepherd.
