Battle of Gettysburg Anniversary Attracts 100,000

By  //  July 5, 2013

400 HORSES, 15,000 RE-ENACTORS

ABOVE VIDEO: The Gettysburg Anniversary Committee is anticipating more than 400 horses and 135 full-size cannon at the event, in addition to the roughly 15,000 re-enactors expected over the course of the reenactment.

GETTYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA – More than 100,000 people are expected to visit this historic town in south-central Pennsylvania over a four day period starting today to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, which took place July 1-3, 1863.

The 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg will take place just outside of Gettysburg over four days, on July 4, 5, 6, and 7. This is an all day family event where those dusty old history books will come alive. There will be spectacular battle reenactments, field demonstrations, a large living history village, living history activities tents, guest speakers and an extensive Sutler area. (GettysburgReenactment.com image)
The 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg will take place just outside of Gettysburg over four days, on July 4, 5, 6, and 7. This is an all day family event where those dusty old history books will come alive. There will be spectacular battle reenactments, field demonstrations, a large living history village, living history activities tents, guest speakers and an extensive Sutler area. (GettysburgReenactment.com image)

“This is the single largest and one of the most pivotal military engagements ever fought on American soil,” said Gettysburg Reenactment.com.

“Our event will take place just outside of Gettysburg over four days, on July 4, 5, 6, and 7. This is an all day family event where those dusty old history books will come alive. There will be spectacular battle reenactments, field demonstrations, a large living history village, living history activities tents, guest speakers and an extensive Sutler area.

Visit the camps, learn about Civil War medicine, music, weapons and daily life during the conflict that defined our nation and saved the Union. (GettysburgReenactment.com image)
Visit the camps, learn about Civil War medicine, music, weapons and daily life during the conflict that defined our nation and saved the Union. (GettysburgReenactment.com image)

“Thousands of reenactors from across the nation and around the world will be staging the battle reenactments for this very special reenactment. Visit the camps, learn about Civil War medicine, music, weapons and daily life during the conflict that defined our nation and saved the Union.”

Over these four days, soldier and civilian re-enactors will re-create the 1860s, through battles, encampments and demonstrations. Visitors can get an up-close look at cavalry, artillery and the lives that soldiers led during the Civil War. In addition to re-enactments and battlefield tours, activities include the National Park Service’s official commemorative ceremony on Sunday night featuring historian Doris Kearns Goodwin.

400 HORSES, 12,000 RE-ENACTORS

The Gettysburg Anniversary Committee is anticipating more than 400 horses and 135 full-size cannon at the event, in addition to the roughly 15,000 re-enactors expected over the course of the reenactment. Over the four days, 100,000 spectators are also expected on the grounds of the Redding Farm, which will host two major battle re-enactments each day.

The Battle of Gettysburg involved the largest number of casualties of the entire war. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade’s Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, ending Lee’s invasion of the North. The two armies suffered between 46,000 and 51,000 casualties, with Union casualties at 23,000, while Confederate casualties are estimated at about 28,000.

These battles include fighting on Little Round Top, East Cemetery Hill, the Wheatfield and Pickett’s Charge. In addition to the two large reenactments, there will be several encampments and battle skirmishes in Gettysburg and the surrounding areas during the commemorative period.

SIGNALED THE BEGINNING OF THE END

The Battle of Gettysburg involved the largest number of casualties of the entire war. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade’s Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, ending Lee’s invasion of the North. The two armies suffered between 46,000 and 51,000 casualties, with Union casualties at 23,000, while Confederate casualties are estimated at about 28,000.

The Union victory at Gettysburg was pivotal, signaling the beginning of the end of the Civil War. Thereafter, the Confederacy would fight a defensive war closing with Lee’s surrender at Appomattox less than two years later. Abraham Lincoln and many northerners believed that the Union’s win was providential, coming as they did around Independence Day. The north’s Pennsylvania battlefield success also gave teeth to Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which was issued in the autumn of 1862 in the wake of the Battle of Antietam.

For more information about the 150th Gettysburg Anniversary National Civil War Battle Reenactment visit GettysburgReenactment.com.

The Battle of Gettysburg involved the largest number of casualties of the entire war. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, ending Lee's invasion of the North. (GettysburgReenactment.com image)
150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg: The Battle of Gettysburg involved the largest number of casualties of the entire war. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade’s Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, ending Lee’s invasion of the North. (GettysburgReenactment.com image)