Gettysburg National Military Park

Three Days in July On June 3, 1863, a month after his dramatic victory at Chancel- wounded, and turned the base of into a lorsville, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee began marching his shambles. Farther north, Richard S. Ewell's evening attack on Army of Northern Virginia westward from its camps around the Federal right at East and Culp's Hill, though Fredericksburg, Va. As the Southerners trudged northward momentarily successful, could not be exploited to Confederate into Maryland and , they were followed by the advantage. of the Potomac under Gen. . On July 3 Lee's artillery opened a 2-hour bombardment that The two armies touched by chance at Gettysburg on June for a time engaged the massed guns of both sides in a thunder­ 30. The main battle opened on July 1 with Confederates ing duel for supremacy, but did little to soften up the Union attacking Union troops on McPherson Ridge west of town. lines on Cemetery Ridge. Then, in a desperate attempt to Though outnumbered, the Federal forces (now commanded recapture the partial success of the previous day, some 12,000 by Gen. George G. Meade) held their position until afternoon, Confederates under Longstreet's command advanced across when they were finally overpowered and driven back to Ceme­ the open fields toward the Federal center. Only one Southerner tery Hill south of town. The Northerners labored long into the in three retired to safety. night over their defenses while the bulk of Meade's army With the repulse of this assault, the arrived and took up positions. was over. The Confederate army that staggered back into On July 2 the battlelines were drawn up in two sweeping Virginia was physically and spiritually exhausted. Never again arcs. The main portions of both armies were nearly 1.6 kil­ would Lee attempt an offensive operation of such magnitude. ometers (1 mile) apart on parallel ridges: Union forces on And Meade, though criticized for not pursuing Lee's troops, Cemetery Ridge, Confederate forces on to would forever be remembered as the man who won the battle the west. Lee ordered an attack against both Union flanks. that has come to be known as the "High Water Mark of the 's thrust on the Federal left overran the Confederacy." Peach Orchard, left the Wheatfield strewn with dead and

Gettysburg National Military Park encompasses more than 25 square miles in and around the town of Gettysburg. The fighting of 119 years ago is now history. Upon these peaceful, tilled Pennsylvania fields more men fell than in any other battle fought in North America before or since. Many of the Union soldiers who died here are buried in the National Cemetery where delivered that simple, poignant statement of purpose—the Gettys­ burg Address. Parts of the battlefield look much the same George Gordon Meade today as they did at the time of the battle. Fences, rocks, Union commander at hills, cannon, and even the monuments (which were not Gettysburg. here then, of course) offer the imaginative visitor the opportunity to ponder and try to understand what happened here.

Robert E. Lee Confederate commander.

How to See the Battlefie' The most tangible link to those three days in July is still For a longer hike, inquire about the 16-kilometer (10- the battlefield itself. You are encouraged to begin your mile) Compass Hike used by the Boy Scouts of America as tour of the park at the Visitor Center. If you have come to part of their Heritage Trails Program. Gettysburg in your car, by following the Auto Tour on the other side of this folder, you can easily drive around the Besides these trails, there are paths to Devil's Den and to battlefield in 2-3 hours. At most of the numbered stops, the Point of Woods near the Virginia Memorial where markers describe significant action during the 3 days of General Lee spoke to his defeated men, and a self-guided battle. tour through the National Cemetery. Auto tours conducted for a fee ($10) by licensed battlefield The best way to sense the land and the slower pace of guides begin at the visitor center. The fee for conducted Gettysburg's past is to walk the battlefield as thousands of bus tours is $20. Groups arriving by bus may make soldiers once did. The High Water Mark Trail, about 1.6 advance reservations. Reservations also can be made for kilometers (1 mile) long, begins at the Cyclorama Center. organized youth group camping, available from mid-April You will see regimental monuments, part of an artillery to mid-October (no charge). Inquiries should be made to battery, the land defended by Union soldiers in repulsing Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, PA 17325. Pickett's charge, and General Meade's headquarters. Please state the day and hours of your visit. The Loop Trail reveals something of the plants, animals, and rocks of the Pennsylvania hardwood forest. Stone breastworks built by the armies are visible along the way. The 1.6-kilometer (1-mile) trail takes about an hour to walk and starts just beyond Auto Tour Stop 3. Visiting the Park Park rangers lead walks, give talks, and present programs at program are presented regularly; admission is charged various locations on the battlefield to help visitors visualize only for the Cyclorama program. the personal impact of past events. The Visitor Center has orientation displays, Civil War exhibits, current sched­ For information about motel accommodations, restaurants, ules of ranger-conducted programs, and the Electric Map privately owned campgrounds, museums, and other facili­ presentation that shows, through the use of colored ties in the community, please check at the visitor center lights, troop movement during the battle. Admission is with a representative of the Gettysburg Travel Council or charged for the map program. write them at Gettysburg, PA 17325 The Cyclorama Center has exhibits, a 10-minute film, "From Gettysburg National Military Park is administered by the These Honored Dead," and the , , U.S. Department of the Interior. a spectacular painting by Paul Philippoteaux of Pickett's A superintendent, whose address is Gettysburg, PA 17325, charge displayed with a sound-and-light program inside is in charge. a large circular auditorium. Both the film and the Cyclorama

Gettysburg National Cemetery The When the armies marched away from Gettysburg on July 5, After Abraham Lincoln completed his "few appropriate 1863, they left behind a community in shambles and remarks" at the dedication of Gettysburg National Cemetery, more than 51,000 casualties. Wounded and dying were he turned to his friend Ward Lamon and remarked: "Lamon, crowded into nearly'every building. Most of the dead lay in that speech won't scour. It is a flat failure." The world hasty and inadequate graves; some had not been buried has not affirmed that judgment and, instead, considers it at all. one of the supreme masterpieces of eloquence in the English language. This situation so distressed Pennsylvania's Gov. Andrew Curtin that he commissioned a local attorney, David Wills, The Gettysburg Address contains 272 words and took about to purchase land for a proper burial ground for the Union two minutes to deliver. Contrary to popular belief, Lincoln dead. Within 6 weeks of the battle, reinterment began did not write the speech on the back of an envelope on 6.9 hectares (17 acres) that became Gettysburg National on the way to Gettysburg. Actually he took great pains in Cemetery. its formulation. He wrote the first draft in Washington shortly before November 18 and revised it at the home of The cemetery was dedicated on November 19, 1863. The David Wills in Gettysburg sometime before the dedication. principal speaker, Edward Everett, delivered a well-received 2-hour oration rich in historical detail and classical allu­ The second draft, written entirely in ink on two pages of the sion. He was followed by President Abraham Lincoln, same paper used for part of the first draft, reflects Lincoln's whose 2-minute address transformed Gettysburg from a first revision of the address and, except for the words scene of carnage into a symbol, giving meaning to the "under God," constitutes the text of the speech he delivered sacrifice of the dead and inspiration to the living. at the dedication ceremony. Although the exact origin of this draft cannot be determined, evidence suggests that Lincoln wrote it shortly after his return to Washington.

Eisenhower National Historic Site Located adjacent to the battlefield is the farm and retire­ ment home of Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower. Due to critical space limitations in the Eisenhower home and the lack of onsite parking, all visits to the site are conducted through a reservation/shuttlebus system and begin at the Tour Information Center at the lower end of Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center. Only a limited num­ ber of tours are available each day and tickets are distributed on a first-come first-served basis. Tickets are free but there is a small fee for the concession-operated shuttlebus. Eisenhower National Historic Site is administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Address all inquiries to the Superintendent, Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, PA 17325.

Published by Eastern National Park and Monument Association in 1 cooperation with the National Park Service. Use extreme caution right with the flow of traf­ into the visitor center or All historic sites, Regulations driving the park roads, fic Park in designated Cyclorama Center or structures, and exhibits, especially where they areas or on the avenues, crowded areas. as well as all plants, and Safety Tips intersect with heavily not on the grass. Do not animals, and minerals, traveled highways climb on cannon and Running and climbing must be left undisturbed. Please obey the posted monuments. youngsters frequently Relic collecting or pos­ speed limits and be fall and injure them­ session of metal detec­ cautious at blind curves Pets must be leashed and selves, so parents are tors within the park is not and on one-way roads attended at all times urged to closely super­ allowed. Please picnic Gettysburg Bikers should keeptothe They may not be taken vise their children. in designated areas.

Touring the Park An absorbing historical Q) sion on this hill at 1 p.m. fy National Cemetery experience awaits those On July 2 Gen. Daniel on July 1 threatened Fed­ Soldiers' National Monu­ who want to tour the Sickles' Union salient eral forces west and ment, commemorating battlefield at their own extended from Devil's north of Gettysburg. Union dead who fell here, pace. The following nar­ Den to here, then angled stands near the spot rative describes stops on northward on the Em- ( Oak Ridge where President Lincoln the auto tour, which be­ mitsburg Road Federal Union troops here held delivered his Gettysburg gins at the visitor center. batteries from this high stubbornly against Address. (For walking tours of the ground bombarded Con­ Rodes' advance from park, see the section federates to the south Oak Hill to the north on This concludes the auto "How to See the Battle­ and west before Long- the afternoon of July 1. tour except for the East field" on the other side street's attack shattered Cavalry Battlefield Site, of the folder.) their line. ( Barlow Knoll 5 kilometers (3 miles) When 's Con­ east of Gettysburg on Pa. I High Water Mark Q( Pitzer Woods federates smashed 116. Here Union cavalry Here at the Copse of After a skirmish at noon Union defenders hereon under Gen. D. M. Gregg Trees and The Angle, on July 2, the Confed­ the afternoon of July 1, intercepted and defeated Pickett's charge was erates occupied these the Federal line north of J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry. halted on July 3. This woods. Four hours later Gettysburg collapsed. was the climax at they attacked and Note: Bikers are wel­ Gettysburg. smashed Sickles' line From Barlow Knoll, take come on all park roads, along the road .5 kilo­ U.S. 15 toward Gettys­ but the less-traveled I Pennsylvania Memorial meter (.3 mile) to the burg to the point where roads are best for bi­ On a field noted for its east. it curves right. Just past cycle-riding. The Bike monuments, this one is the curve, turn left on Tours shown on the map outstanding Statues of QI Virginia Memorial Stratton Street Continue are recommended. The officers and bronze General Lee watched the to East Middle Street, park also has a 13-kilo­ nameplates call the roll gallant charge of July 3 then turn left and drive meter (8-mile) Bridle of nearly 35,000 Penn- from here. And when it east one block to East Trail for those with sylvanians who fought failed, he rode forward Confederate Avenue horses. It begins at here. to the fields in front of you (Liberty Street). Turn McMillan Woods and and rallied his men. right on East Confed­ passes through much of I Little Round Top erate Avenue and pro­ the second- and third-day Quick action by Meade's Q) North Carolina Memorial ceed to Culp's Hill View. battle areas. chief engineer, Gen. Along and in front of this Gouverneur Warren, ridge, Lee marshaled ( Culp's Hill View alerted Union com­ his forces, among them At dusk on July 2 Gen. manders to the impend­ thousands of North Caro 's Con­ ing Confederate attack linians, for the supreme federates unsuccessfully here on July 2 and foiled effort on July 3. attacked Union troops on southern hopes for early Culp's Hill (ahead), ad­ victory. v^ IwI McPherson Ridge vancing over the fields to Just beyond McPher- your left. I Devil's Den ^N, son's barn, the Battle of Longstreet's J uly 2 attack Gettysburg began early ( Spangler's Spring cleared Union troops on July 1. Gen. John F. Though repulsed at from these boulders. Reynolds, whose Union Culp's Hill, the Confed­ Confederate sharp­ infantry held this line, erates seized this spring shooters, one of whose was killed in the woods and the Union earth­ barricades can still be to the left. ^v works north of it, only to seen, fired on Little lose them the next Round Top from here. QI Eternal Light Peace morning. Memorial I The Wheatfield This memorial was ded- ( Cemetery Hill Clash after clash of icated in 1938, on the Here Union troops rallied troops on July 2 left 75th anniversary of the late on'July 1. The next these fields blood- battle, to "Peace Eternal evening they repelled a soaked but resulted in in a Nation United.'' The Confederate assault that little significant gain for arrival of Gen. Robert reached the crest of the either side. Rodes' Confederate divi- hill east of this road.