The American Civil War occurred from 1861 to 1865. It was a conflict between the Union (northern) states of the U.S. and the Confederate (southern) states of the U.S. The issue: slavery and whether it should be allowed to expand into "states" as they became a part of the USA. The Union won the war, and slavery was abolished.

The Civil War was fought mainly in the states east of the Mississippi River, but it expanded into a few states west of the Mississippi, such as Texas, Arkansas and Missouri. Our history includes hundreds upon hundreds of battles during the war, but none was as deadly as the battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was only a three-day battle, from July 1st to July 3rd, 1863, but over that short amount of time, an estimated 7, 058 lives were lost, 33,264 were wounded, and 10,790 were missing or captured.

The Gettysburg battlefield contains some 1,328 monuments, markers and memorials over 6,000 acres that surround the small town of Gettysburg. Most of the monuments are dedicated to Union soldiers, but there are 11 Confederate monuments located on W. Confederate Avenue, each a dedication to its own southern state that fought in the war.

The National Park Service maintains what is officially called the Gettysburg National Military Park. Admission is free to the cemetery and battlefield, but a reasonable fee is required for the museum and cyclorama inside the Visitor Center. They should not be missed.

There are a few ways to visit the battlefield sites. A very organized and well-marked self-guided auto tour allows one to visit the sites at one's own pace. Sixteen major stops are marked as the roads meander through the battlefield. In addition, a shuttle bus hits the more major sites, and private guided tours are available.