I recently visited my first historical site of the 1861-1865 war between the United States and the Confederate States. During junior high I had memorized Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, and we briefly read about other battles of the Civil War. Unfortunately, however, I forgot much of the information in a fairly short time.
We visited Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on Friday, April 28, 2017. The National Military Park covers about 6000 acres—nearly 10 square miles. After visiting the museum and visitor center, we inserted a tour CD into the player in our car and spent most of the day visiting the locations of major events of the Battle of Gettysburg.
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| At the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center |
Modern-day Gettysburg is the seat of Adams County, Pennsylvania. In the 2010 census it had a population of 7,620. (
Read more about the borough on Wikipedia.)
The Battle of Gettysburg lasted from July 1 to July 3, 1963. It was one of the largest battles of the Civil War, and the turning point of that war. More than 27,000 Confederate and 23,000 Union soldiers (totaling more than 50,000) lost their lives in that battle.
Here are a few of the photos we took:
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| Barbara sitting next to Abraham Lincoln. (The sun was very bright.) |
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| General Robert E. Lee equestrian statue atop the Virginia Memorial |
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| The Virginia Memorial was dedicated June 6, 1917 |
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| View from a bluff at Gettysburg |
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| Actors representing Union soldiers at Gettysburg |
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| Rugged terrain at Gettysburg |
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| Monument to the 4th New York Independent Battery (Smith's) Artillery Brigade 3rd Corps. They fought July 2, 1863 from 2 until 5 pm. |
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| One more view of Gettysburg before returning to Maryland |
It was a day well-spent.
