Gettysburg is the site of the most studied and the
most visited battleground in America. The turning point in the Civil War, the
south-central Pennsylvania town is now a national military park. People visit
not only for its rich civil war history, but for the scenic countryside and the
many activities in the area.
The Battle of Gettysburg was one of the most decisive
battles in history. Through it did not end the war it marked its turning point.
Seventy-five thousand Confederate troops, led by General Robert E. Lee, fought
General George G. Meade’s Northern army numbering eighty-eight thousand. More
men died from July first through the third, 1863 than in any other battle in
the war. Lee lost twenty-eight thousand men, while Meade lost twenty-three
thousand. Though devastating for both sides, the battle marked the beginning of
the end for the Confederacy.
On November 19, 1863, Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg
Address, when he was invited to attend ceremonies which dedicated the
battlefield as a national cemetery for the soldiers who were killed there. The
speech, which begins with the words “Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers
brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and
dedicated to the proposition that all man are created equal, “came to be
regarded as one of the world’s greatest statements of democracy.
The battlefield can be explored with a guided tour or
alone, by car, bus, bicycle, or on foot. The entire field is marked to indicate
the detailed course of the battle, and observatories have been built to
provide, views of the entire area. Other historic landmarks include the
equestrian statue of General Robert E. Lee, the Eternal Light Peace Memorial,
containing an eternal flame, and the Pennsylvania Memorial in honor of the Pennsylvanians
of the battle. Numerous museums housing civil war effects are located in the
area.
Gettysburg’s rich American Civil War history and its
moving monuments and memorials make the Pennsylvania town a special place. The
Gettysburg National Military Park stands as the largest battlefield shrine in
America, with over 1,000 monuments and cannons over a forty-mile area. Visit this hallowed ground and learn why it
is the site of the greatest battle eve fought on the continent.
