Defining Moments

Gettysburg was a defining moment for the soldiers who fought there. Preservation of the battlefield began immediately, initially intended as a shrine to the Union cause, and over time it evolved into a memorial to those who fought on both sides. To veterans who fought there, Gettysburg meant many things, including courage, sacrifice, treason, loyalty, freedom, and emancipation. During Blue and Gray reunions in 1887, 1913, and 1938, the Angle and the High Water Mark became the setting for ceremonial handshakes between former enemies. There, American valor, unity, and peace were celebrated, while issues of slavery, African American freedom, and rights gained and lost in subsequent decades went largely ignored by the American public. Although the goodwill between Union and Confederate veterans was often genuine, much still divided them.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania · United States