If you are at all interested in either Pennsylvania or American history, you will surely have heard of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and the historic activities that took place there during the American Civil War. The three day long battle that took place there in July 1863 was harsh and bloody, but was claimed as a victory for the Unionist North.
However, one glance in the Union Army burial ground in the Gettysburg National Cemetery on Cemetery Hill will convince you that the victory came at a very high price. The cost in human life and human suffering was enormous on both sides. Later in the same year, Abraham Lincoln gave a discourse which was to become renowned throughout the world as the Gettysburg Address.
These days, the Gettysburg National Military Park is a tranquil place, but it acts as a moving reminder of the battle that was fought, the strategies employed, the heroism of the combatants and the readiness of military leaders to sacrifice the common soldier for political objectives.
If you go to the Gettysburg National Military Park, you would do well to begin your trip in the visitors' centre. There you will be able to pick up books, pamphlets and leaflets to help you orient yourself when you are on the battleground, even if you are familiar with how and where the actual battle was fought.
If you feel that it would be too much for you to work things out for yourself or if you do not have a lot of time, you could join one of the frequent guided tours. If you are somewhere in between these two positions, you could first watch a film in the Cycloarma Center, where there are also historical objects recovered from the battleground on the many excavations that have taken place over the nearly 150 years since the battle at Gettysburg took place. If you do not look around the museum before you go on to the battleground, you should look later.
If you are going to Gettysburg to enlighten your children about that most important era of American history, you should first check out the special interest programmes available to 7-12 year olds in the warmer summer months. One programme allows children to enlist in the army of 1863 for an hour in order to get a sense for what it was like for soldiers of the day and what it was like for the children that helped them go into battle.
Another programme consists of a story-teller recounting stories of what it was like to be a child in the days of the Civil War and the role that children played both in the war and in civilian life back then.
Gettysburg is a fascinating place to go to whether your family was involved in the battle there or not. Many of the combatants' names and place names like Devil's Den and Cemetery Hill may already be known to you and a visit to the Gettysburg National Military Park will bring them back to life for you.
However, one glance in the Union Army burial ground in the Gettysburg National Cemetery on Cemetery Hill will convince you that the victory came at a very high price. The cost in human life and human suffering was enormous on both sides. Later in the same year, Abraham Lincoln gave a discourse which was to become renowned throughout the world as the Gettysburg Address.
These days, the Gettysburg National Military Park is a tranquil place, but it acts as a moving reminder of the battle that was fought, the strategies employed, the heroism of the combatants and the readiness of military leaders to sacrifice the common soldier for political objectives.
If you go to the Gettysburg National Military Park, you would do well to begin your trip in the visitors' centre. There you will be able to pick up books, pamphlets and leaflets to help you orient yourself when you are on the battleground, even if you are familiar with how and where the actual battle was fought.
If you feel that it would be too much for you to work things out for yourself or if you do not have a lot of time, you could join one of the frequent guided tours. If you are somewhere in between these two positions, you could first watch a film in the Cycloarma Center, where there are also historical objects recovered from the battleground on the many excavations that have taken place over the nearly 150 years since the battle at Gettysburg took place. If you do not look around the museum before you go on to the battleground, you should look later.
If you are going to Gettysburg to enlighten your children about that most important era of American history, you should first check out the special interest programmes available to 7-12 year olds in the warmer summer months. One programme allows children to enlist in the army of 1863 for an hour in order to get a sense for what it was like for soldiers of the day and what it was like for the children that helped them go into battle.
Another programme consists of a story-teller recounting stories of what it was like to be a child in the days of the Civil War and the role that children played both in the war and in civilian life back then.
Gettysburg is a fascinating place to go to whether your family was involved in the battle there or not. Many of the combatants' names and place names like Devil's Den and Cemetery Hill may already be known to you and a visit to the Gettysburg National Military Park will bring them back to life for you.
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on many subjects, but is at present involved with thinking about the Poconos International Raceway in Pennsylvania. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Poconos Vacations.