This past September I had the pleasure of visiting Gettysburg, PA. When it was decided that a trip to Gettysburg would be a nice weekend getaway, I was not aware that this Gettysburg was the same Gettysburg were Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg address.
How stupid am I?
Yes, I knew the civil war was fought in Gettysburg and I knew President Lincoln gave his address there but what I never knew was that Gettysburg was located in Pennsylvania. So close to New York.
It was a great weekend. I learned so much about this famous battle and the Civil War.
Here is the actual battlefield. Here the north and the south came together as Americans at war with each other.
Seeing the actual grounds of the battle just gave me an eerie sensation. 
On top of high ground the Union soldiers were able to hold back the Confederate army. Had the Confederate army taken over these grounds the battle of Gettysburg could have had a different ending.
Our guide explained to us every detail of the battles and how the artillery were used.
The cannons would blast canisters tin can which were filled with iron balls, the iron balls would then be sprayed all over the landscape. Let me tell you loading and firing one of these weapons could not have been easy.
“The cannon became a huge sawed-off shotgun, and at ranges of 250 yards or less it was in the highest degree murderous.”
New York provided 400,000-460,000 men during the war, nearly 21% of all the men in the state and more than half of those under the age of 30. More American lives were lost during the Civil War than all the wars after it.
The battle of Gettysburg was just the beginning of the battles that comprised the Civil War. The war lasted 7 years and took 600,000 American lives.
When I see pictures of President Lincoln I understand why he always seemed to look so sad. President Lincoln believed what the founding fathers believed,
“All men are created equal.”
“That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
I pray that this still holds true today!
mb