It was at his downtown home that Lincoln stayed the night before delivering the Gettysburg Address, and where he prepared that famous speech. It was dedicated in 1938 by more than 1,800 Civil War veterans of both armies to "Peace Eternal in a Nation United" on the 75th anniversary of the battle.įollowing the battle, Gettysburg lawyer David Wills was active in local work to care for the wounded and bury the dead, and he led efforts to create a National Cemetery as a burial place for Union soldiers killed in battle or who died later of their wounds. On Oak Ridge, the site of the opening day's battle before the Union army fell back to Cemetery Hill, is the Eternal Light Peace Memorial. Lee on his horse Traveler, cast in bronze by Louis Tiffany & Sons.įacing them on Cemetery Ridge, held by the Union lines for the final two days of battle, is the Pennsylvania Memorial, the largest and most complex of the park's monuments and the only memorial recording the names of all the soldiers from the state who fought here, engraved on 90 bronze tablets at its base. Above them, as though still commanding the ridge, is General Robert E. On Seminary Ridge, the primary Confederate position on the west, one of the most prominent is the North Carolina Memorial, depicting five soldiers advancing in Pickett's Charge.Ītop the ridge stands the Virginia State Memorial, with a young bugler and color bearer surrounded by five fellow soldiers. Highlights among the monuments mark the prominent positions and battles at Seminary Ridge, Cemetery Ridge, and Oak Ridge. It was not until 1886 that the bitterness of the war had subsided enough for Confederate memorials to be accepted, and the first was erected at Culp's Hill commemorating the 2nd Maryland Infantry. While today's monuments commemorate both armies, at the beginning, Union veterans objected to any recognizing of the South. Most of these monuments stand where the particular units fought, with small square stones indicating the lines of the unit's formation. Nearly 1,400 monuments and statues are placed across the huge battlefield, making it one of the largest collections of outdoor sculpture in the world. Note: Some businesses may be temporarily closed due to recent global health and safety issues.
For ideas on the best places to visit, see our list of the top attractions and things to do in Gettysburg.
The best time to visit is spring or fall, when the weather is mild enough to enjoy walking outdoors, but without the summer vacation crowds.
GETTYSBURG BATTLEFIELD FREE
And a trip to Gettysburg can be an economical one for a family: along with Battlefield Park, the historic Rupp House and the Gettysburg Museum of History are among the free things to do in Gettysburg. Eisenhower.Īlthough a battlefield might not seem like a place to take kids while you're on vacation, several of the attractions are designed to interest young tourists and bring this momentous event in our history to life. Considered the turning point in the Civil War, Gettysburg is also famous as the scene of President Abraham Lincoln's best-known speech, the Gettysburg Address.Īmong the many things to see and do as you visit this historic national park are museums in the visitor center and elsewhere, a tour of the battlefields, and the "Summer White House" of President Dwight D. Gettysburg Battlefield in Pennsylvania, where a three-day Civil War battle shaped the course of America’s history, is now the Gettysburg National Military Park. We may earn a commission from affiliate links ( )
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