Why do you come to Gettysburg?

[princess22]

I am currently researching for an upcoming book that I am writing about Gettysburg. I have been browsing through the forums and noticed that Gettysburg is very much an emotional experience. I have read numerous accounts of visitors being able to contemplate the battle and envision what happened that day. My questions are...

1) why do you sit and stare at the fields, envisioning the battle coming to life?
2) why do you come to Gettysburg over all other civil war battlefields?
3) Do you stay within the battlefield boundaries or do you incoporate the town of Gettysburg as well?

Thank you for taking the time, I will make sure to credit every individual who helps in response to this research.

-Susanna

[Rad2duhbone53]

Gettysburg is not the only battle; its the most talked about.Some cannot fathom the United States going to war with itself.Its not just the battlefield, its the town that survived from it. (2400 residents suddenly have over 100,000 visitors in three days) The enormous care of the wounded resting upon the citizens of Gettysburg. The damage of the town from shells and bullets. What some would call the absurdity of 15,000 troops marching directly into oblivion. To see where it happened might help those that can't comprehend. General Lee couldn't have said it better...." It is well that war be so terrible....lest we grow too fond of it" (paraphrasing).The magnitude of this war over 140 years ago has left many puzzled about its complexity. Because Gettysburg has been given so much publicity all these years its the one everyone gages on the fascination and the horror of war.

[gary]

1) The King of Battlefield Tours, National Park Service Ranger-Historian Emeritus, Ed Bearss, once said that to understand a battlefield, you must see the terrain and appreciate its influence on the battle. For myself it is not an emotional experience inasmuch as it is a struggle (I'm not the sharpest stick in the pile) to understand what happened and how it happened - something that is argued today.

2) BTW, I have visited most battlefields in the East but spent about 5 days at Gettysburg. It's that large and there's a lot to take in on that battlefield. Not to brag but I've been to Manassas, Alexandria (and saw the site of the hotel where Elmer Ellsworth was killed) Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania Court House, Leesburg (Balls Bluff), Petersburg, Five Forks, Appomattox, Richmond (Tredegar Iron Works, Belle Isle, Museum of the Confederacy, Chimborazo), Drewry's Bluff, Yorktown, Williamsburg, Seven Pines (Fair Oaks), Malvern Hill, Gaines Mill, Cold Harbor and all the other battlefields of the Seven Days Battle. I've been to Antietam/Sharpsburg, Fortress Monroe, Charleston (and Fort Moultrie & Fort Sumter, The Battery), James Island (where Seccessionville is), Chickamauga, Kennesaw, Picketts Mill, New Hope Church, Marietta, Murfreesboro, Lookout Mountain, Fort Donelson, Nashville, Bowling Green (KY), Richmond (KY), Shiloh, Knoxville, New Market, Lexington, Staunton, Antietam, Monocacy (and Frederick), Atlanta (Historical Center), Franklin (TN), etc.

3) I also spent time in the town because there was a lot of fighting between the Confederates in Gettysburg and the Union soldiers posted atop of Cemetery Hill. Thus, the town of Gettysburg is an inherent part of the battle and cannot be left out by anyone who studies that battle. Too bad the trees are so overgrown such that you can't really see as much today between Cemetery Hill and Gettysburg as could the belligerents.

BTW, are you the one who is writing some novel that will become some film?

[hoosier]

1. My great-grandfather participated in the battle. It was the only major battle in which he personally participated, so that makes Gettysburg more special to me than any of the other Civil War battlefields.

2. Part of the reason why I come there is for the same reason I mentioned in number one. The other part is because I live only about 25 miles away, so it is closer to me than any other Civil War battlefield. (Actually, "closer to me than any other Civil War battlefield" probably applies to a great many of those who live north of the Mason-Dixon line.)

3. Yes, I certainly do visit other parts of Gettysburg. Gettysburg is, of course, the county seat of Adams County, and it is closer to where I live than my own county seat, so I go to Gettysburg when it is time to get my driver's license renewed. I imagine any Civil War buff would get a little extra charge out of being able to say that he got his license renewed there.

[Blockaderunner]

Gettysburg is an excellent starting point for anyone developing an interest in the war. On my first visit to the US back in 1998, I stayed in Gettysburg for a couple of days. The exhibits in the visitor centre are probably unequalled anywhere. The various driving, walking and guided tours are also so well developed through time that even a 'novice' to the Civil War is given a clear picture.

[gary]

Oh yes, the Electric Map (and then the Cyclorama). Must sees along with their excellent gun collection.

[debski]

We went to Gettysburg because my son is a Civil War "buff" he has studied a great deal about it. So when Make-A-Wish granted him a wish he immediately wanted to go to Civil War sites. He was 13 at the time and he loves to study the War as much as ever.

[unicornforge]

Since I live near Gettysburg, it is only natural that I visit there fairly frequently. In my humble opinion, the battlefield includes the town because the fighting started at one end of town, the Union forces were chased through town, with the final battles being fought on the other side of town.

I am concerned and horrified by reports that the Park Service has allowed large amounts of relics to rot in Gettysburg buildings without not only climate control, but also lacking damp proofing.

[memphis]

Is the only way I can describe my relationship with some of the battlefields. I've been to quite a few myself and had the pleasure of working at Fredricksburg, Spotsylvania, Chancellorsville and the Wilderness in my youth.

I go to the battlefields and can literally envison the event before me. I find the war extemely fascinating. Forget the causes, slavery etc. I just marvel at one thing: That Americans could tear each other's hearts out one moment then smoke or drink coffee with your enemy the next. As much as we want to think that Johnny Reb and Billy Yank were different, they were in fact very much alike. I visit battlefields early in the morning before the onrush of tourists hit and think about the soldiers and what went through their minds that day. And particularly, I think this war says alot about America, because the soldiers knew they were a lot alike. During the war there was an anecdote, apocryphal or not, I don't know. But, it involved a a reb and a yank jawing and they both had the same conclusion. If the war was left to them, they'd be home in a week, the thing settled!! It is the politicians that screw everything up. As it remains today.

One time, I went to Appomattox Court House. I stood on the spot where Chamberlain stood to accept the surrender. It was raining lightly that day. All of a sudden, I just blanked out then I saw them breaking came and marching toward me crossing the Appomattox River to lay down their arms for the last time. I was completely lost in the moment. Then through it all, I suddenly heard my wife yelling at me to get out of the rain, Did I want to catch pneumonia, yada, yada, yada! It was quite an experience. Just a day dream i'm sure but I could have sworn I traveled back in time and saw the whole thing.

Think about it for a minute. In what other country could there be the carnage that we experienced for four long years, then nearly at the drop of a hat stop fighting, shake hands and go home to start a new life.

I need to understand the private soldier and why he did what he did. Going to places like Gettysburg in the quiet of the morning or late evening, helps me along the journey.

Bill

[30th_il]

It seems to me that it should be, "Why do you go to any civil war battlefield" Although Gettysburg is magnificent, I much prefer the battlefield of Shiloh. It is much less busy and serene. In the east, Antietam has my vote.