Right Wing Nut House

I thought it would be appropriate to republish my “Liveblogging Gettysburg” series that not only was the most fun I ever had writing, but is also some of the most viewed posts on this site via search engines.

The genesis of the idea occurred to me while reading about Walter Cronkite’s  fabulous series “You Are There,” broadcast by CBS in the 1950’s and rebroadcast on Saturday mornings in the early 1970’s. Every week, CBS reporters would visit an historical event and cover it as if it were a modern news story. It was very entertaining to see CBS news reporters dressed in modern clothing interviewing George Washington or General Lee.

The series also featured various key events in American and World history, portrayed in dramatic recreations. Additionally, CBS News reporters, in modern-day suits, would report on the action and interview the protagonists of each of the historical episodes. Each episode would begin with the characters setting the scene. Cronkite, from his anchor desk in New York, would give a few words on what was about to happen. An announcer would then give the date and the event, followed by a loud and boldly spoken “You Are There!”

Cronkite would then return to describe the event and its characters more in detail, before shifting the attention to the event itself, saying, “All things are as they were then, except… You Are There.”

At the end of the program, after Cronkite summarizes what happened in the preceding event, he reminded viewers, “What sort of day was it? A day like all days, filled with those events that alter and illuminate our times… and you were there.”

I thought to myself, why not update the concept to include the internet? From there, it was fairly easy to invent sources, and utilize the telegraph to report on the battle.

Today, I am republishing posts that cover the battle on July 1 and 2. Tomorrow, I’ll republish July 3 and the Epilogue I wrote in 2005.

I hope you enjoy it.