On this day in 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg began.
I wish I were a Civil War buff. Although I live practically smack dab between Gettysburg and Antietam, I’ve never cared much about the American Civil War. Not really.
It seems like a terrible waste. Living where I do and having no interest in the Civil War is like living on Guam and having no interest in SCUBA diving or deep-sea fishing.
I’ve often wondered if it’s because I was born and raised in Southern California. I don’t think it’s that because my dad’s friend who lived across the street was a huge Civil War buff.
It’s not that I’m not a follower of military history. I am. I’ve always had a keen interest in World War Two. As a kid, I was into reading about the Vietnam conflict. I think it was because I didn’t understand it.
I still don’t.
Being a Civil War buff seems like an old-man thing. The older I get, the more I hope that a switch will flip in my brain and suddenly, I will have an interest in the Civil War.
Lord knows I have tried. I’ve read books about it. I even researched an ancestor who served in the 21st Maine Infantry Regiment.
No matter what I do, none of it has ever really made me a Civil War buff.
The truth of the matter is that the only real interest I have in going to Gettysburg is to shop at the outlet mall or attend the Gettysburg card show. The outlet mall, like all outlet malls, is on the verge of death.
I do have a birthday coming up. Perhaps I’ll wake up on my birthday and suddenly have an interest in the War Between the States.
Maybe, but I doubt it.