Gettysburg Campground - Gettysburg, PA
Gettysburg National Cemetery
Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty....
Casualties were high with many losses on both sides – over 27,000 Confederate and 23,000 Union soldiers lost their lives during the infamous 3 day battle. The residents of Gettysburg were left to care for the wounded and bury the dead following the Confederate retreat. Approximately 8,000 men and 3,000 horses lay under the summer sun. The soldiers' bodies were gradually reinterred in what is today known as Gettysburg National Cemetery, where, on November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln attended a ceremony to officially consecrate the grounds and deliver his Gettysburg Address.
John Fulton Reynolds was a career United States Army officer and a general in the American Civil War. One of the Union Army's most respected senior commanders, he played a key role in committing the Army of the Potomac to the Battle of Gettysburg and was killed at the start of the battle.
Although difficult to see from the ground, the statue is weeping for the roughly 6,700 members of New York units who became casualties during the three days of Gettysburg. The monument was dedicated on July 2, 1893.
The Soldiers' National Monument is a Gettysburg Battlefield memorial which is located at the central point of Gettysburg National Cemetery. It honors the battle's soldiers and tells an allegory of "peace and plenty under freedom … following a heroic struggle."
The sculpture depicts Bingham at the side of Armistead and has a plaque on the reverse with information regarding the dedication: "This monument is presented by the Right Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania and dedicated as a memorial to the Freemasons of the Union and the Confederacy. Their unique bonds of friendship enabled them to remain a brotherhood undivided, even as they fought in a divided nation, faithfully supporting the respective governments under which they lived."
Lisa is getting chummy with Abe Lincoln in the park.
Lisa met Dwight Eisenhower at his farm in Gettysburg.
I always believed Abner Doubleday was the Father of Baseball. Apparently, that is a myth.
Gettysburg Cyclorama
A cyclorama is a panoramic image on the inside of a cylindrical platform,
designed to give viewers standing in the middle of the cylinder a 360° view,
and also a building designed to show a panoramic image. The intended effect is
to make viewers, surrounded by the panoramic image, feel as if they were
standing in the midst of the place depicted in the image.
The cyclorama was completed in 1883.
The Battle at Little Round Top is depicted in this scene.
The Battle at the Wheat Field is another battle depicted in the cyclorama.
The Battle at Cemetery Ridge is pictured here.
Battle of Culps Hill is another scene.
This is the cannon that fired the first shot of the Battle of Gettysburg. We found it intriguing that they knew which cannon was fired first. They apparently kept very detailed records during the war. Even more impressive was the fact these cannons were all stamped with serial numbers which were still visible.
This is a memorial to Union General Oliver O. Howard in this equestrian monument. Ironically, he lost his right arm in this battle. I guess this would be the "before" image since he has both arms in the statue.
The Winfield S. Hancock equestrian monument is in honor of the Union General's leadership in the Battle of Gettysburg. He served in the army for over 40 years and even ran for president in 1880.
General John F. Reynolds was one of the Union army's most respected leaders. Unfortunately, he was killed at the start of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Monument for Lysander Cutler's Brigade who comprised the famous Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac.
The Eternal Light Peace Memorial is a 1938 Gettysburg Battlefield monument commemorating the 1913 Gettysburg reunion for
the 50th anniversary of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1913. The natural gas flame in
a one-ton bronze urn is atop a tower on a stone pedestrian terrace continues to burn. The flame is
visible from 20 miles away. It was dedicated by President Franklin D
Roosevelt, with 250,000 in attendance. It was estimated that 1,000 veterans from the Gettysburg Battle attended, with the oldest being William Barnes at the age of 112.
The Pennsylvania Monument was built to honor the soldiers from PA. Many of the states contributed memorials in honor of their soldiers. This one is HUGE! PA lost approximately 27,000 soldiers in the Civil War.
The memorial features a square, granite pedestal (terrace) – 100
feet on each side – with bronze tablets on its exterior face that list the
names of the 34,530 Pennsylvania soldiers who fought in the battle.
A bronze Nike goddess figure, the Goddess of Victory
and Peace, crowns the podium atop the dome. She holds a sword in one hand
and a palm branch, a symbol of victory through peace, in the other. In a
gesture to the Biblical passage "they shall beat their swords into
plowshares," the bronze used to cast the Nike came from melted-down
cannons.
The Vermont State Monument at Gettysburg National Military Park was the first of the large state monuments to be erected on the battlefield. It was dedicated on October 9, 1889 in honor of the 4,000 soldiers from Vermont who died during the Civil War.
The monument to the United States Regulars, which only comprised about three percent of the Union soldiers during the Civil War, was dedicated in 1909. The remaining 97% were volunteers.
The monument is a bronze statue of the Delaware Indian Chief Tammany standing in front of a teepee. Tammany was a friend to colonists in the early days of America and became the symbol for the powerful New York City political hall that raised the regiment.
Union General Alexander Stewart Webb received the Medal of Honor for gallantry at the Battle of Gettysburg.
This memorial is in honor of the Pennsylvania First Division Calvary.
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The Virginia Monument is a Battle of Gettysburg memorial to the commonwealth's "Sons at Gettysburg" (Battlefield) with a bronze statue of Robert E. Lee on his horse Traveler and a "bronze group of figures representing the Artillery, Infantry, and Cavalry of the Confederate Army".
I guess if you run out of ammo, you just whack them with your rifle....
The Battle of
Gettysburg had the most casualties of any Civil War battle but was also considered the turning point in the war, leading to the Union's ultimate victory.
Between July 1 and 3, 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg, one
of the bloodiest battles during the American Civil War, was fought across
the fields and heights in the vicinity of the town. It is estimated between 46,000 and 51,000 soldiers lost their lives during this 3 day battle.
The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, under the
command of Robert E Lee, experienced success in the early stages of the
battle but was ultimately defeated by the Army of the Potomac, commanded
by George G. Meade. Lee executed an orderly withdrawal and escaped across
the Potomac River without being drawn into another battle. Meade was
heavily criticized by President Abraham Lincoln for his cautious
pursuit and failure to destroy Lee's retreating army.
This is a monument to the high water mark that the Confederates reached during the Battle at Gettysburg. Granite rock near the surface prevented this ground from being placed in cultivation, and in 1863, a clump of bushes and small trees grew here. In the planning for Pickett’s Charge on July 3, the clump, later dubbed the Copse of Trees, was designated as a landmark to guide the attacking troops. In 1887, the iron fence was built to protect the trees from souvenir hunters. None of the trees inside the fence today date to 1863. The High Water Mark of the Rebellion Monument was erected in 1892 to honor the commands of both armies that participated in the July 3 “Longstreet’s Assault,” which today is more popularly known as Pickett’s Charge.
Jennie Wade was the only civilian killed during the Battle of Gettysburg.
Dwight D. Eisenhower's relationship with Gettysburg began in 1915 when he was an Army Cadet and lasted until his death in 1969. He and Mamie owned a 189 acre farm that adjoined the battlefield. The farm was the only home they ever owned. Cattle was raised on the working farm. Eisenhower apparently loved to barbecue beef from his stock. One day, he made the mistake of announcing which cow he was cooking. That cow happened to be his granddaughter's favorite cow and she was brought to tears. When Mamie died in 1979, the farm was donated to the National Park Service. The site was opened as a museum in 1980.
These pictures are only a small sampling of the 1328 monuments at Gettysburg. These pictures only account for a small fraction of the things we saw. Every American should add seeing Gettysburg to their bucket list of things to see/do in their lifetime.
Another highlight of this portion of our trip was spending time with my friends, Gretchen and Ryan. They met us there and toured with us for a few days as a continuation of our visit with them at Gretchen's home. Unfortunately, we realized too late that we did not take a single picture of them. We had not seen them since our wedding when they flew down to be with us for our big day.
