The Civil War may be one of the bloodiest, most horrific events in America's history. It is unique in that brother was pitted against brother in combat. The National Military Park is protected and other than paved roads, parking lots, monuments and information centers, it hasn't changed much. The rolling hills scattered with boulders feature countless markers of infantries, memorials, honors and battles. Causalities neared 490,309 for the South and 596,670 for the North, according to civilwar.org. The death totals far surpass that of any other American war. Click Here for More about the U.S. Civil War.
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| photo courtesy of kpbs.org |
The Civil War is seriously historically significant because it shows how a disagreement can go very wrong. As photography played a large part in communication of the war, there are many photos that depict battles, soldiers alive and dead, and the natural landscape of Gettysburg.
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| photo by Cassandra Clarhaut |
When I went to Gettysburg on Saturday evening, in addition to the throngs of visitors I was less than pleased to be greeted by, several reenactment "soldiers" still hung around.
I focused on the Devil's Den, a rock formation soldiers used for cover in the battle of Little Round-Top.
Today, the rock is littered with visitor's garbage. Children climbed over the structure that once hid soldiers from enemies view.
It is easy to say that the landscape of Gettysburg has been negatively altered after the war's end; it's a tourist attraction. However, this is much more appealing then the Gettysburg of 1863, fields strewn with dead and wounded. The battlefields that once saw much bloodshed over the horrors of slavery now stands as a memory of sacrifice for equal rights, and education for our generations today.
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| A dead soldier positioned as the infamous sharpshooter photo courtesy of myloc.gov |
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| Now, the stones that once hid soldiers are cemented in place photo by Cassandra Clarhaut |
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| An early moon appeared photo by Cassandra Clarhaut |
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The Devil's Den and its
visitor's through the clearing
photo by Cassandra Clarhaut
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Very cool. I love this idea! It's so silly because whenever I try to picture things that happened long ago, I envision the images in the quality of photography that existed back then.
ReplyDeleteSeeing your side by side comparison makes it so much easier to visualize and appreciate history!
Awesome post! I have always been fascinated with the history of Gettysburg as well. It's a shame that such landmarks as you discussed are often overlooked and disrespected by visitors by littering their garbage all over the place. I wish people could show more respect for such a historic site that was one of the turning points of modern American history.
ReplyDeleteI am not into history at all, but seeing things like this always intrigues me to know more. Seeing your comparisons of what it used to look like and now was a very cool touch! I need to get to Gettysburg, I've always wanted to go.
ReplyDeleteI've always been equally fascinated by the Gettysburg and Antietam battlefields, located within 45 miles of each other across the Mason-Dixon Line. Each was the site of an important and memorable battle during the Civil War. Yet the towns could not be more different. Gettysburg, though still a small town, is larger and much more commercialized than Sharpsburg, where it's much easier to imagine the town as it was 150 years ago.
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