And while the rain was a welcome relief to the retreating soldiers, as well as the victorious ones, it was not welcomed by the local residents of the little Pennsylvania town.  It came down in sheets, soaking the unburied bodies still on the field – some with hands folded, and others with clenched fists; it inhibited the Army of Northern Virginia’s retreat across the Potomac; it unearthed men buried in shallow graves and horses buried in a hasty retreat; and it spread blood and disease throughout the country side.

Gettysburg was uninhabitable; the smell unimaginable.

This small Pennsylvania town had been turned into a very bad dream – a town turned upside down by two opposing armies, yet left to fend for itself once the great battle was over; except, of course, for the wounded on both sides whom, if they were fortunate enough, were already an inhabitant of a local “hospital” – which could be anything from a private residence to a shady spot underneath a few trees.

The town and surrounding areas were littered with the aftermath of a battle.  Sgt. Thomas Marbaker of the 11th New Jersey described it this way.

”Upon the open fields, like sheaves bound by the reaper, in crevices of the rocks, behind fences, trees and buildings; in thickets, where they had crept for safety only to die in agony; by stream or wall or hedge, wherever the battle had raged or their weakened steps could carry them, lay the dead. Some, with faces bloated and blackened beyond recognition, lay with glassy eyes staring up at the blazing summer sun; others, with faces downward and clenched hands filled with grass or earth, which told of the agony of the last moments.”

Gettysburg was in shambles, and it would be that way for months.

Visiting Gettysburg now, est. population 7490, it is obvious that the town has come a long way since those terrible days after the battle.  Trying to imagine what the town was like in those first few days afterward is hard to imagine for today’s visitor; the town is incredible, and the connection to history is still quite visible, especially with many homes in the city dating to the battle.  But with the only visible evidence of the battle being bullet holes and damage from artillery fire, it is still hard to grasp exactly what the town would have been like after such massive carnage in such a short amount of time.

I’m not sure any of us can grasp what the town went through – but standing there amongst the monuments and structures helps us to try.

And try we must.

As I stood in front of Spangler’s Woods, and stared across the field where Pickett’s Charge took place, I could hear the crunch of earth beneath my feet.  I could see the smoke covering the field – a product of the morning’s intense artillery blasts from both sides.  I could feel the weight of my rifle, and the adrenaline and terror shooting through my veins with each step.  I could hear and see the muskets being fired near the copse of trees, and could sense the presence of men firing from near The Angle.

On Little Round Top, as I looked out toward Devil’s Den past the monument to the 16th Michigan, I could almost see the Texans and Alabamans making their way towards the summit.  I could feel the heat and humidity, and hear the sharpshooter’s bullets piercing the air as they passed within range.  I could feel the pressure mounting as I began to run low on ammunition, and could feel the immediate despair when I knew the position might not be able to be held.

In the Soldiers National Cemetery, standing near the Soldiers National Monument, I could faintly hear the words:  “Four score and seven years ago………….we cannot dedicate – we cannot consecrate – we cannot hallow this ground……that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, for the people, by the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

It was an amazing experience – a life changing experience.

Visiting the Gettysburg battlefield was better than any of my expectations.  Being able to walk and stand on the ground where such an important battle in our nation’s history took place – and, even more importantly, stand in the area where Lincoln delivered his immortal words – in order to set a people free – was incredible.

The entire town has an amazing feel to it, and definitely was witness to a pivotal moment in the survival of our nation as we know it today.  If the Gettysburg battle had not turned out the way that it did, our country could be much different – much, much different.

I am a different person after being able to stand on such hallowed ground – and I am very grateful to all of those men – Confederate and Union – who fought and who gave their lives in order to define and shape a country into what it is today.

Standing on such hallowed ground helps us to not forget – and may we never do so.

Both armies had been at war for several years, and after many hard fought battles in the “south”, the man in charge of the Army of Northern Virginia, Robert E. Lee, decided to take the war to the enemy.  It would allow the South to recuperate from two hard years of war, and it could be the decisive move that would put pressure on Washington, and President Abraham Lincoln.  With a Southern victory in the North, it could play out to be the pivotal battle in the civil war.

While the Army of Northern Virginia moved north into Maryland, and then into Pennsylvania, they hoped that they were moving on their own.  They also hoped that the Army of the Potomac would be complacent about their movements, and thus not be able to defend northern cities such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, or Washington D.C.

They were wrong.

The Army of the Potomac had used their cavalry effectively – for the very first time during the war – and knew that the Army of Northern Virginia was on the move.  They shadowed the Army of Northern Virginia – using South Mountain for cover – and headed north as well.  Both armies would converge on a small town in Pennsylvania; a town where many roads converged together liked spokes on a wheel, and would allow for the spread out Army of Northern Virginia to converge quickly.  A town where Confederate Cavalry General, John Buford, would recognize as a great place to hold off an attack because of the high ground in the vicinity.

That town was Gettysburg.

With my visit to Shiloh last year, and the lasting effect that it has had on me, it was only a matter of time before we visited another Civil War Battlefield.  I picked up Michael Shaara’s “The Killer Angels” late last year, and after reading that, my mind was made up as to what battlefield we would visit next.

I can’t wait for our trip this summer.  I can’t wait to actually see, and walk, on Seminary Ridge and Cemetery Hill.  I can’t wait to walk the Peach Orchard, witness Devil’s Den first hand, and walk Little Round Top, which the 16th Michigan fought valiantly with the 20th Maine, and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, to protect.

It will be just the next step in my civil war travels, and I am looking forward to it.   Another sacred piece of ground that I must walk, and experience first hand.

A trip that will allow me to visit, and see for myself, where a pivotal moment in our nation’s history took place.