My problem with Gettysburg does largely stem from the fact that, after Schaffer's endless interviews about being such a Civil War expert, that it was pretty much a soundtrack to the movie. Musically, I can't really put my finger on what doesn't work, other than the fact that the orchestrations, to me at least, don't sound like an orchestra-Michael Romeo's orchestral keyboard parts for Symphony X sound better than the orchestra here. Maybe it's time for a revisit.
I will also admit that, the failings of the Something Wicked albums to me beside, Iced Earth is better when they're tackling fantastic or horror related themes than they are at the real world. I was listening to Horror Show last night and loving the hell out of it until Ghost of Freedom showed up and brought me out of the album with a dull thud. Jon's approach to real life issues, to me, comes off as either heavy handed or cheesy...which WORKS for horror or fantasy themes, but not the real world. YMMV of course.