Picture of the Day - 8/9/2010

Killing Fields - We visited the battlefield around the small Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg today. All is calm and the air is warm and humid today, but almost exactly 147 years ago, this was the site of one of the most savage battles of the American Civil War. In three days (July 1-3, 1863) over 50,000 American soldiers died. General Lee, who headed up the rebel forces, made several poor strategic decisions which ultimately changed the course of the war. General Mead, who headed the union forces, had managed to establish a stronghold on high ground around Cemetery Ridge, south of town, which was able to withstand wave after wave of rebel forces. Today, there remains hundreds of lonely cannons and howitzers, as well as uncounted monuments of various kinds. The well-equiped visitor center has auto tour guides, which explain the various points of interest. This reference has a good explanation of the battle details. http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/battle.htm