Most tours of the Gettysburg National Military Park end at the High Water Mark, or the area where Pickett’s Charge was decided on July 3, 1863. Visitors tour the battlefield in a variety of ways, on their own, with a tape tour, with a Licensed Battlefield Guide, with a National Park Service Ranger, or an unlicensed guide. This tour at the monument to the 72nd Pennsylvania by the stone wall is an illegal, unlicensed tour. This view was taken from the north facing south at approximately 4:30 PM on Wednesday, June 25, 2008.
Late in the afternoon, the area at the High Water Mark on Cemetery Ridge begins to be crowded. The tours that visitors are taking, whether they be on their own, with a tape tour, with a Licensed Battlefield Guide, a National Park Service Ranger, or an unlicensed guide usually end at the High Water Mark. This is the area where Pickett’s Charge or Longstreet’s Assault culminated on July 3, 1863. The Gettysburg Daily visited this area Wednesday afternoon to take photographs of the different tours in the area.
Here is the bus for the illegal group. They do not have a permit displayed in their window which gives them a right to temporarily give a tour on the battlefield. This view was taken from the northwest facing southeast at approximately 4:30 PM on Wednesday, June 25, 2008.
Here is a group at the Copse of Trees that has an unlicensed guide. They are legal because they have a temporary guiding permit. Unfortunately, their leader is reading to them instead of showing them the field. This view was taken from the north facing south at approximately 4:30 PM on Wednesday, June 25, 2008.
Here is the bus for the unlicensed, but legal group. They display a yellow permit in their window issued to them by the National Park Service. This view was taken from the northwest facing southeast at approximately 4:30 PM on Wednesday, June 25, 2008.
Here is a ranger-led, National Park Service, free tour. The group is at the outer angle of the stone wall. This view was taken from the southeast facing northwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Wednesday, June 25, 2008.
Licensed Battlefield Guides at the High Water Mark at this time include Bob Frank with his visitors at the other monument to the 72nd Pennsylvania… This view was taken from the southwest facing northeast at approximately 4:30 PM on Wednesday, June 25, 2008.
…Tony Nicastro with his visitor at Armistead’s marker… This view was taken from the southwest facing northeast at approximately 4:30 PM on Wednesday, June 25, 2008.
… and Barry Adams’ distracted group at the 1st Delaware Monument. This view was taken from the north facing south at approximately 4:30 PM on Wednesday, June 25, 2008.