Modern day visitors to any Civil War battlefield will only get a utopian view of a "pristine" battlefield. It is impossible to replicate the Battle damage and carnage that occurred there. We are fortunate to have several post battle photos of the Gettysburg battlefield to remind us of what really happened there. But all we ask of the NPS is to give us the opportunity to see the battlefield in a pristine condition as it was immediately before the battle.
We are forced to use those few historic "then" photos to give us a brief glimpse of post battle damage.
Mike's original post in this thread gives us different views of the battlefield and points out what details can be seen with no foliage on the plant's and trees. I strongly believe that it is important for battle aficionados to see the battlefield in the different seasons. I belong to most of the Gettysburg Facebook groups. There are many members of those groups and they post Gettysburg battlefield photos daily. The vast majority of those photos are taken in the summer. I am afraid that too many people don't know what they are missing by not making year round visits to Gettysburg (or any battlefield).
@pamc153PA, What is your thoughts on the importance of visiting battlefields year round? For those that don't know, Pam is a very frequent contributor in Gattysburg photography both here and on Facebook. She is a heck of a photographer too and she visits the field frequently year round.
Despite being a huge Gettysburg fan, I am not into the blood and gore that a war leaves in its wake. I would much rather see this.
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Than this.
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