This is the place where more than 51,000 men became casualties in the ferocious Battle of Gettysburg. But that is only a part of what makes this place so important to America. Because this is also the place where, with the 272 words of the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln helped to heal a battered nation. It is a place where soldiers from both sides returned not to fight, but to shake hands on the battlefield that changed their lives. Thanks to these veterans and others who insisted that the brave be recognized, nearly 1,400 monuments and memorials have been erected on this land where close to two million visitors pay homage each year.
For a deeper understanding of this place and the events that occurred on here, we invite you to reach about the causes and consequences of the Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg and the war’s aftermath. Learn how the battle helped us come one step closer to completing the unfinished work of the Declaration of Independence, and explore further what Gettysburg means to us today.
