Gettysburg National Military Park protects the grounds of one of the most decisive battles of the Civil War. Fought in July of 1863, Gettysburg is often viewed as the turning point of the war, where Union General George Meade defeated Confederate General Robert E. Lee, halting his ill-fated invasion of the North. From here, Lee was kept on the defensive until the war’s end at Appomattox in 1865. Of course, Gettysburg is also noted for Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, delivered in November of 1863 at the dedication of the national cemetery there. Today, a driving (or cycling) tour allows you to see all parts of the battlefield, and the Park Service has provided much information at each site. Monuments for the men who fought for both sides prominently jut above the landscape. Gettysburg is a sacred place where you can palpably feel the emotion and violence scarred upon the land.
