Gettysburg Addressed

In Pennsylvania there is a large plot of land, measuring 11,500 acres; less than half is administered by the National Park Service and owned by the government. The other half is at risk: twice has it fought off attempts at building casinos. Only recently a parcel of land being used as a golf course was bought back and donated to the government. So why is it important? 161 years ago, Gettysburg was the location of the bloodiest battle in US history, where over 50,000 men died in just three days of fighting.

Walking through these hallowed lands is a sombre experience; with the most recent body being found in just 1996, the loss you feel around you is very real. To know that the preservation of this land isn’t a given, and that it still takes dedication from countless volunteers and donations feels scandalous and dishonourable. The United States has more than enough land to extend to the fields where thousands laid down their lives to fight for a better Union a safe existence. 

If you ever get the chance to visit, take it. Scattered around the fields and hills are over 1,300 monuments to mark what happened there all those years ago; a stunning vision of remembrance.  The photos below were taken during a trip we made there in January 2023.

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