The Battle of Gettysburg lasted three days, from July 1-3, 1863. Unintentional and unplanned, it cost Confederate troops their momentum and afforded the Union a decisive victory. Both sides suffered heavy casualties, with the caravan of Confederate wounded stretching on for 17 miles.
Cannons face south towards the site of Pickett's Charge. Widely considered to be the turning point in the American Civil War, Pickett's Charge resulted in massive casualties for the Confederates and consequently, the loss of the Battle of Gettysburg.
A winged figure stands atop the memorial to those fallen from the state of Pennsylvania. This is the largest memorial on the battlefield and includes an observation tower accessible to guests.
The Confederate Army travelled into Pennsylvania using the northernmost reaches of the Blue Ridge Mountains as a screen.
Culp's Hill was the site of the Union's defensive line to the southeast. A cannon stands next to a memorial and in the background is a cemetery for the town's alms house.
A fence runs the length of the field near where Confederate troops had assembled for Pickett's Charge. The field is approximately a mile across.
The Virginia Memorial pays tribute to Virginians who served in battle here. This memorial honors the variety of working men who came to serve under General Robert E. Lee.
The Devil's Den formation is composed of a soft, easily eroded rock. All of the bullet marks have washed away over the years.
Violets bloom in spring on Round Top where soldiers attempted to hold their positions. Some fell to the bullets of sharp shooters.
Devil's Den, a rock formation in the battlefield, where Confederate snipers found easy hiding spots among the rocks and used their position to fire upon Union troops on Little Round Top and Round Top.
Little Round Top was held by Union forces. Soldiers had a commanding view of the battlefield from its heights but had to be aware of sniper fire from nearby Devil's Den.
More Union casualties came from New York State than from any other state. A large number of Irish fought and earned respect in the Civil War.
View from the Northern vantage point by Cemetery Ridge. This field was the site of Pickett's Charge.
Cannons stand silent in the woods on the Confederate side.
During the battle, the amount of smoke and noise created much confusion on the battlefield. Confederate troops overestimated the distance their cannons needed to fire on the third day, thus allowing the Union troops to be relatively unscathed by the ferocious volley.
The cannons seen on the battlefield today are Civil War cannons, but not necessarily original to the Battle of Gettysburg.
An eagle perches atop the memorial to those from New York State.
Field where Union troops led by General George G. Meade defeated the Confederates on the third day of fighting.
Sach's Bridge was used by Confederate troops to traverse the stream during their retreat from Gettysburg.
The battlefield has hundreds of memorials. After the war, different army units paid to place monuments here to honor those lost from their ranks during the battle.
Cannon fire often struck buildings or homes. There was only one civilian casualty during this battle. Jennie Wade was baking bread in her sister's kitchen and was struck in the back by a stray bullet.
Round top features cavernous rocks interspersed among the trees. During the war, there was little cover to be had in the hills, since the trees had been cleared of the undergrowth.
Cemetery Ridge overlooks much of the battlefield. It is difficult to imagine the losses suffered during this three day battle. The townspeople were left to contend with thousands of dead and wounded soldiers.
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Comments
I have been to Antietam, Vicksburg, Manassas, and a few other sites in Virginia, but incredibly, not to Gettysburg. I really need to correct that.
this was a great tour of one of or most sacred sites.
My husband recently shot a show there ---one of those ghost hunter things. It is reported that it is the most haunted place in America, because so many died so violently inso short a time. He is not easily persuaded in the existence of ghosts---though he does not dismiss it out of hand, either. He was in several of the historic buildings---sometimes n places that the general public is not allowed. His comment..."There was a definite feeling of unease in the atmosphere." He also experienced an event, a tray of silverware falling to the floor during one of the meal breaks---except no one was near the tray when it "fell" off the counter.
BBE, that's impressive. Thumbs up to you, too.
Thank you, designanator. What a beautiful place to grow up.
Thanks, nanatehay. The guide said they were picky about allowing movies and such to go on there.
Thank you, bbd.
Thanks, Procopious. We brought our son to Gettysburg because he gets into history. He's been to Chancelorsville with me and I've been to Manassas. Gettysburg is the best maintained park I've seen so far.
Thanks for commenting, Larry. The horror that went on there is truly unfathomable.
Thanks, Gary.
Thanks for your comment, m.a.h., it's funny because my son asked the guide about ghosts and the answer was a short and clipped, "No!". He seemed to have a grudge against the people claiming there's ghosts. We didn't see anything unusual, but the air definitely feels different there.
Two things I was really struck by on our visits were 1) the proximity of the units fighting each other. It is almost incomprehensible to consider how closely fought the battle was. 2) A park ranger explained that there were so many bodies and that, because of the extreme heat, they decomposed rapidly. In a large number of cases, the only way any identification at all could be completed was by the buttons on their uniforms, which were unique to a unit. Almost 50,000 Americans were lost in those few days.