The small town of
GETTYSBURG
, thirty miles south of Harrisburg near the Maryland border, gained tragic notoriety in July 1863 for the cataclysmic
Civil War
battle in which fifty thousand men died. There were more casualties during these three days than in any American battle before or since - a full third of those who fought were killed or wounded - and entire regiments were wiped out when the tide finally turned against the South.
Four months later, on November 19, Abraham Lincoln delivered his
Gettysburg Address
at the dedication of the National Cemetery. His two-minute speech, in memory of all the soldiers who died, is acknowledged as one of the most powerful orations in American history. Lincoln himself was convinced that it was a "flat failure," and prefaced his remarks with the words "the world will little note nor long remember what we say here ?"; you'll be muttering it in your sleep by the time you leave.
Gettysburg, by far the most baldly commercialized of all the Civil War sites, is overwhelmingly geared toward
tourism
, relentlessly replaying the most minute details of the battle. Fortunately, it is perfectly feasible to avoid the crowds and commercial overkill and explore for yourself the rolling hills of the battlefield (now a national park) and the tidy town streets with their shuttered historic houses.
The Town
Pick just a couple of the numerous museums in town and follow the Travel Council's fourteen-block downtown walking tour for a sense of the history of the place. The
National Civil War Wax Museum
, 297 Steinwehr Ave (summer daily 9am-8.15pm;...
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The battleground
It takes most of a day to see the 3500-acre
Gettysburg National Military Park
, which surrounds the town (daily 6am-10pm; free). The
visitor center
on Taneytown Road (daily: summer 8am-6pm, rest of year 8am-5pm; tel 717/334-1124)...
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