WAR OF 1812

Welcome to the picture history page.  This page is full of my adventures at various historical sites.  It covers from the War of 1812 all the way to WWII.  Enjoy!

There she is.  The replica of the Star Spangled Banner, flying high over Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Maryland.  Ft. McHenry has to be one of the most enjoyable stop and most patriotic of my life.

Here's another view, including the main gate into the fort.  This is the BIGGEST flag I have ever seen, except for maybe the flag in the hangar of the USS Yorktown.

CIVIL WAR

Although it's not very bright, this is me and my dad standing by the entrance of Fort Moultrie.  Ft. Moultrie has stood watch over Charleston, SC harbor from the Revolutionary War until the 1950's.  Quite a piece of history, if only these walls could talk.

Welcome to the dock outside Fort Sumter, in the middle of Charleston harbor in South Carolina.  She's of course famous for being the first battle of the Civil War, and also the key to the Charleston defenses.

I'm standing in front of the monument dedicated to the 70 Union soldiers who held the fort during the Confederate shelling.  Surprisingly, no one died as a result of the battle, on either side.  But a Union soldier did die from a powder explosion caused by a misfired cannon during a salute to the flag as the defenders were leaving.

Welcome to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the turning point of the Civil War. This particular monument is the Pennsylvania Monument.  The state spared no expense to honor it's fighting men; including one in my own famil, Corporal Charles Bicehouse of the 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. They put the name of every PA soldier, no matter if a private or Major General George Meade, commander of the Army of the Potomac, whos family lived in PA.

This is the marker of the Second Brigade, First Division, V Corps, Army of the Potomac.  This particular brigade was the one which the 62nd Pennsylvania Infantry was assigned.

This is the official monument of the 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry at Gettysburg.  This is located down just south of the Wheatfield, and the unit actually was nearly destroyed being surrounded on three sides.  They went into Gettysburg with close to 400 men, and retreated from the Wheatfield with just under 200 men.  They had a high loss of life in the overall comparison of other Union units.

The Peach Orchard was the anchor of Dan Sickles' line.  Here (would be off on the right side of the picture) you go to the Wheatfield, or (to the left) up to Cemetary Ridge, the backbone of the Union's defense.  This picture actually comes from Seminary Ridge, the Confederate line.

WORLD WAR II

This is me and my dad on the walk to the USS Yorktown at Charleston, South Carolina's Patriot's Point.  They have four awesome ships who all served in WWII.

This is a shot of the Yorktown from the harbor view.  It's crooked because I didn't crop it right. SO SUE ME!

"GENERAL QUARTERS! GENERAL QUARTERS! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!  BATTLE STATIONS AIR!  THIS IS NOT A DRILL!"  Here's me manning a 40mm anti-aircraft gun, and lookin' to shoot down a few Zeros.  BRING 'EM ON!

Here's the afterdeck of the battleship USS North Carolina at Wilmington, NC.  These are the big 16" guns that hurled huge one/two ton shells at enemy targets.  Behind us is one of four US Navy Kingfisher float planes left in existance.  These planes were the backbone of the US Navy on board battleships and cruisers to provide gunnery support or search and rescue.

Here's the "focsle" of the North Carolina.  "Focsle" is slang for forecastle, but its just the where they keep the anchor (as you can see) and also you see the 16" guns on the bow.
 

This is a wide shot of the North Carolina.  She is one of the prettiest ships I have ever been on.  Her lines are pretty enough, considering she's a ship of war and not some wussie yacht.  I'll take the Carolina over almost any little small craft.

NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM

This is me at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.  I'm in front of the backbone of the US's fighter command in WWII, the P-51 Mustang, "Cadilac of the Sky."  She's a sweet aircraft.  And don't make her mad.

And this bird is the backbone of the Japanese Navy air wings, the A6M Zero.  She's armed to the teeth, maneuverable, and lethal.  But she has her weaknesses.

Here's the first combat jet fighter in the world, the Messcherschmitt Me-262.  She's armed with six 30mm cannons and can outrun any fighter in the allies arsenol.  Again, this bird is up in the Air and Space Museum in D.C.

Sweet.  Glad you stopped by and saw my big history adventures.  If you came from the WWII page, go back via here.  If you came from the Civil War page, go back via here.