Battle of Gettysburg: West of Willoughby's Run

Thank you to our members who supported the land preservation at Willoughby's Run! In our gratitude for your support, we are sharing this special resource only with you.

This "podcast," created with an AI tool by Google called NotebookLM, is based on original text by Bob Zeller titled "West of Willoughby's Run." You may download the complete text here or just press play below to listen to the podcast.

Bob Zeller's piece chronicles the pivotal but often overlooked, events of the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, focusing specifically on the fighting that occurred west of Willoughby's Run. It uses the perspective of a local resident, Amelia Harmon, to personalize the chaos and intensity of the initial clashes, highlighting the Union and Confederate troop movements, charges, and casualties in this area. The text also discusses the later history of this battlefield land, detailing its transformation into a resort hotel and then the Gettysburg Country Club, where President Eisenhower played golf, and emphasizes the importance of acquiring and preserving the remaining privately-owned tract to fully interpret the historical significance of the opening stages of the battle.

The audio describes the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg on the area west of Willoughby's Run, highlighting its initial intensity and significance despite being often overshadowed by later events of the battle. It emphasizes the area's history after the time of the battle, including the Katalysine Springs Hotel and the Gettysburg Country Club, where President Eisenhower played golf. It also underscores the ongoing efforts and importance of preserving a key tract of land to fully interpret this layered historical landscape and the opening actions of the battle.