The vigorous response to the Lowell Sun’s two-part article on Adelbert Ames and to Marie’s related post suggest that many of our readers have an interest in U.S. History, particularly the Civil War period.  If you’re one of them, you should check out this story in yesterday’s New York Times about the five-year effort by the National Park Service to refurbish the Cyclorama at Gettysburg which is set to reopen on September 26.  The Cyclorama is an oil painting of the battle of Gettysburg by French painter Paul Philippoteaux.  What makes the painting truly unique is its size – it’s 42 feet high and 377 feet long – and its presentation –which is circular with the viewer standing in the middle.  The Cyclorama had always been their at Gettysburg but had developed a reputation as a third-rate tourist attraction.   This refurbishment will give it a whole new life.