The Ghosts of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg is perhaps the most well-known and iconic of the American Civil War, immortalized in films such as Maxwell's Gettysburg and commemorated in hundreds of monuments dotted throughout the grounds of the national park.  No matter your opinion or stance on the politics or motivating ideology of the war itself, this battlefield will move you to a somber silence.  At the end of the three day battle in July 1863, between 46,000 to 51,000 men were dead, wounded, or missing, contributing towards making it the largest battle ever fought on American soil.  As General Robert E. Lee stated, "It is well that war is so terrible.  We should grow too fond of it."

We have visited Gettysburg three times in the last four years, feeling drawn back to the fields of Pickett's charge, the rocky slopes of Little Round Top, and the buildings preserved in honor of the men who fought and died there.  It feels wrong to call a certain battlefield a "favorite," but Gettysburg draws us back and quiets us in a manner no other American battlefield has thus far.

Below is a compilation of 10 photos from our three visits:

The Virginia Memorial (September 2010)

The long, hot route of Pickett's Charge (September 2010)

Lieutenant General James Longstreet, CSA (September 2010)

What haunted souls linger on Little Round Top?  We did not stage this photo to make Danny look like an amputee, but close observation of the photo shows little sign of his left leg.  Although the logical explanation is that his shorts must've been baggy enough to stretch out as his leg was held back, this picture still fascinates us with its supernatural possibilities.  (September 2010)

The Angle - "High Water Mark" of the Civil War (July 2013 for the 150th anniversary)

A romanticized depiction of war (July 2013)

Snow-covered battlefields looking from the Union line towards the Confederate line (November 2014)

(November 2014)

(November 2014)

General George Meade, USA (September 2010)

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Have you visited Gettysburg National Military Park?  Don't forget you can track your visits to the U.S. National Parks with their Passport Program!

Linking up with Bonnie, Courtney, Cynthia, and Yalanda for #TravelTuesday!