On This Day in History

What Can You Expect to See at Gettysburg Battlefield?

A sense of sadness permeates the beauty in these bucolic fields

Carol Labuzzetta, MS
6 min readJul 3, 2024

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Replicated fencing at Gettysburg, © Carol Labuzzetta, 2009

July 3, 1863

In Adams County Pennsylvania, 161 years ago today, a battle raged in these rural fields. It was a bloody mess, pitting brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, and friend against friend.

It was The Battle of Gettysburg. This bloodbath took place July 1st–3rd in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 1863, during the American Civil War.

Have you ever been to Gettysburg?

I’ve been twice. Once with my husband, when we were young. And once, in 2009, when we took our three sons to this historic place in rural Pennsylvania.

If you haven’t been, what can you expect?

If I’m honest, I’ll say that I didn’t know what to expect when I first visited Gettysburg. My husband and I were newly married, living in Maryland or Delaware (I cannot remember which), and looking for a weekend adventure.

It is a somber but informative place to visit.

There are miles and miles of fields and fencing. Cannons dot the landscape with occasional barn…

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Carol Labuzzetta, MS

I write about the environment, education, nature, and travel. Having two master's degrees, in nursing and environmental education, I am a teacher at heart.