The population of Gettysburg is almost three times bigger than it was in July 1863 when 2,400 lived there and some 100,000 Union troops under the new Army of Potomac commander, General George Meade met the 70,000 of well-respected Confederate General Robert E. Lee who was on quite a winning streak before this battle.
Today, you will find stores selling all sorts of Gettysburg souvenirs along with more than 1,300 monuments and markers in the Gettysburg National Military Park and more than 5,000 buried in the nearby Soldiers National Cemetery (the one where Lincoln spoke).
This year's anniversary commemoration will include re-enactments, guided tours and programs. Gettsburg stands above all other commemorations "not only for the neverending debate over whether it alone was the turning point of the war (I'm sure it wasn't the only turning point) but also because of the scale of the armies, the varied landscape on which they clashed, the leaders who inspired or failed, and the aftermath that turned a bustling county seat into a collage of death, anguish and mercy."
Quite the Battle. --Old Secesh
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