Gettysburg National Military Park

​Located in the southern central region of Pennsylvania Gettysburg PA is an easy drive from areas like Philadephia, New York City, Washington DC, Baltimore, and Pittsburg.

It's chief attractions include Gettysburg National Military Park and Soldiers' National Cemetery. Both parks and the surrounding town are a rich blend of historical preservation and inspiring works of art.

Artists of any kind have got to make this a bucket list trip. The art here is the type of art that can only be born from such an epic clash of opposing wills. It's inspiring and unique like nothing you've ever seen before. 

Gettysburg was a simple farming town when it accidentally became the epicenter of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. General Robert E. Lee had marched his Army of Northern Virginia into Pennsylvania in late June of 1863 with his sights set on winning the war. General George G. Meade and the Union's Army of the Potomac met Lee at the crossroads town of Gettysburg and the three-day Battle of Gettysburg began, July 1, 1863.

In that three day period the Confererate and Union armies amassed a casualty toll of over 45,000. ​

"​The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War, the Union victory that ended General Robert E. Lee's second and most ambitious invasion of the North. Often referred to as the "High Water Mark of the Rebellion", Gettysburg was the Civil War's bloodiest battle and was also the inspiration for President Abraham Lincoln's immortal "Gettysburg Address"."  - Excerpt from the NPS website.

President Abraham Lincoln sits in the morning fog to welcome visitors to the Gettysburg NPS Visitors Center. 

​This full-size bronze work was designed by Ivan Schwartz of New York and depicts President Lincoln on the day of his famous speech at the dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery in 1863.

​The sculpture and nearby landscaping were provided by Robert H. Smith

Lincoln statue at Gettysburg Visitor Center

In 1864, a group of concerned citizens established the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association to preserve portions of the battlefield as a memorial. They transferred their land holdings to the Federal government in 1895 and that same year Gettysburg National Military Park was established.

Originally a federally-appointed commission of Civil War veterans oversaw the park's development as a memorial to both armies by identifying and marking the lines of battle. Then in 1933 administration of the park was transferred to the Department of the Interior's National Park Service who maintains it to this day.

Early morning was my time to wander the park trails and take in the natural beauty. 

This field is in an area between The Lydia Leister farm (General Meade's headquarters) and Brian Farm. Gettysburg was farming country at the time of the battle and "worm fences" were commonly used to divide fields and woodlots. 

It is my understanding that the National Park Service and volunteer organizations have restored and maintained the fences in Gettysburg with historical accurancy when possible.

Worm Fence at Gettysburg National Military Park

Bring good shoes and give yourself plenty of time to explore because there is plenty to see on 6,000 acres of land with more than 1,300 monuments, 400 cannons, 31 miles of historic avenues, and 147 historic buildings.

The 400 Canons are found at historically accurate areas throughout the battlegrounds and the cemetery. 

According to a Behind the Scenes at Gettysburg blog post: "The majority of the cannon tubes are original but the carriages were wooden during the Civil War and in order to withstand time, early park managers had cast iron carriages created to closely resemble what the artillery units used at Gettysburg..." Read more about that here

A canon at Gettysburg National Military Park

Little Round Top is the second highest point on the battlefield and was one of the most strategic locations. There are quite a few Union monuments here but it was fairly crowded so I did not see the majority of them.

This is a video view of the battlegrounds from the top of the 12th and 44th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiments monument. This ‘castle’ was designed by Daniel Butterfield and Dedicated in 1893. 

Panoramic view from Little Round Top

The 1,300 monuments and markers tell the story of this event with the help of historians and artists who used stone, bronze, and iron to express the voices of the people who lived it. 

There are monuments representing individuals, regiments, and states. 157 years later they still inspire visitors to leave flowers as offerings to the dead. 

Learn more about them here

A visitor leaves a flower at the Louisiana Memorial

Soldiers' National Cemetery was dedicated on November 19, 1863, which was the same day that President Lincoln gave his “Gettysburg Address."

​Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin and Adams County citizens established this special cemetery for the overwhelming amount of bodies that lay scattered throughout Gettysburg’s farmlands.

​Since 1865, this cemetery has been a burial ground for soldiers from all of America’s wars.

Learn more about that here

Dawn breaks behind Soldiers' National Monument

Find more photography from this trip in my Gettysburg Collection at the Gift Shop

Blog readers can enjoy special savings on one Gettysburg print: ​Worm Fence in Gettysburg Canvas Print 
Offer expired ​until December 23, 2020 at 5:00pm

Learn more about the history of this park on their National Park Service Website