Gettysburg, the site of the largest battle ever fought on American soil, drew on far more than the resources of a single town. In six counties near Gettysburg, civilians and militia answered the first call to arms and endured relentless threats and the destruction of their property. Women raised funds to support the war and nursed tens of thousands of wounded soldiers left behind from battles fought in orchards and fields. Part of the battlefield was owned by Freeman Abraham Brien. Although a number of Gettysburg-area Black men joined volunteer militias or USCT regiments during the war, no Black veteran was interred in Soldiers' National Cemetery until 1884. Free men and freed men alike enlisted to fight for their own rights, and children sacrificed their security, sometimes their lives. Their combined efforts provided a turning point for the Union cause.
