Gettysburg Civil War Heritage Days

Gettysburg Civil War Heritage Days

First week in July

The Battle of Gettysburg on July 1-3, 1863, marked a turning point in the American Civil War. It was here that General Robert E. Lee's Confederate army of 75,000 men and the 97,000-man Northern army of General George G. Meade met by chance when a Confederate brigade sent there for supplies observed a forward column of Meade's cavalry. The ensuing battle did not end the war, nor did it attain any major military goals for either the North or the South. But the Confederate army was turned back, and it never recovered from its losses. With 51,000 casualties and 5,000 dead horses, the Battle of Gettysburg ranks as the bloodiest battle in American history.
Every year since 1983 the anniversary of the battle has been commemorated at the Gettysburg National Military Park. Civil War reenactment groups in authentic uniforms, carrying 19th-century weapons of the type used in the battle, demonstrate infantry tactics and drill, cavalry drill, and soldiers' occupations and pastimes. There are also band concerts, a Civil War battle reenactment, lectures by nationally known historians, and a Civil War collectors' show featuring antique arms and uniforms, documents, books, photographs, and personal effects from pre-1865 American military history.

CONTACTS:
Gettysburg National Military Park
1195 Baltimore Pike, Ste. 100
Gettysburg, PA 17325
717-334-1124; fax: 717-334-1891
www.nps.gov
Gettysburg Official Web Site
89 Steinwehr Ave.
Gettysburg, PA 17325
717-334-2100; fax: 717-334-6905
www.gettysburg.com

Celebration days:
2011: Jul 3 - Jul 9
2012: Jul 1 - Jul 7
2013: Jul 7 - Jul 13
2014: Jul 6 - Jul 12
2015: Jul 5 - Jul 11