Hanover and Gettysburg

This morning Caroline called the Snyder's Pretzel Factory to schedule a tour, only to learn that they weren't giving tours this week. Katherine, not to be denied, called back, and after explaining to three people that we were from Utah, and our son had won a contest in which he submitted a recipe that used Snyder's Pretzels, and he really, really, really, wanted us to visit the Snyder's Pretzel Factory, she succeeded in arranging a tour for 2 o'clock. Leaving Caroline's at an early 11:30 a.m., we stopped at the Library, then drove to Hanover, west and south of Hershey. In Hanover, we found the Snyder's Pretzel Factory, home of the famous Snyder's Pretzels.

We were early, so we spent a half an hour shopping in the Factory Store, where we bought an assortment of pretzels, chips, and candies. We'll bring some home. We were able to view the factory from a glassed hallway above the factory floor. They wouldn't let us see where the dough is made, citing proprietary secrets, but we saw the huge ovens where the pretzels are baked, and then dried. Then we saw the machines that package, and the people that box them. In another side of the factory, potatoes are peeled by a scrubber, sliced, cooked in oil, dried, and packaged. The boxes are sorted, and shipped in an automated warehouse. It was really cool, and I overdosed on Jalepeno pretzel chips.















From Hanover, we drove west to Gettysburg. Below is a picture of the Lutheran Seminary where John Buford of the Union Army, climbed the cupola and watched his Cavalry hold off the Confederate troops until help arrived from General Reynolds. The Union troops were eventually overrun by the confederates, but the Union soldiers were able to retreat to the south and west, and position themselves on...

Culp's hill. From here the Union Army formed defenses along the ridge extending several miles to the south, and eventually ending at...

Little Round Top. Here the Union held against repeated Confederate attacks. The far Left flank of the Union Army was...

in these woods, just south of Little Round Top. Here the 20th Maine held the ground, despite losing half their men, and running out of ammunition. When their commander, Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was told that they were out of ammunition, he ordered his men to "Fix Bayonets". He then ordered a charge, that drove the Confederates back down the hill, where they captured the attacking troops.

This monument honors the men of the Twentieth Maine.
There were many mistakes made by the Confederates, who had hardly lost any battles up to this point of the war. Although we feel a little sorry for the Rebels, who lost the battle of Gettysburg, their cause was not just. And as Lincoln said, "This land was not meant to harbor slavery."