the soldiers national cemetery at gettysburg

Only because we planned a history trip for two weeks on the east coast and the day after arriving in Washington D.C. the lovely Government decided to shut all parks, museums, monuments, etc. down. Would have loved to spend a couple of days at Gettysburg.A very expensive trip gone south.Also this site won't let me go back to the original month/year

This cemetery is peaceful and serene. I just wish that the masonic memorial was easier to get to from the main cemetery.

we went in February 2015 the whole area was covered in snow, the size of the batterfield is enormous. we drive around in our car and stopped at all the memorials.very good

If you've never been to a national cemetery you need to see one. Gettysburg's is a good one and also is the place of Lincoln's Gettysburg address as well. Many graves from the battle of Gettysburg.

It was buried under snow when we visited, but the 6-year-old wanted to see the cemetery after watching the film at the Visitors' Center. It was still a good learning experience because she asked a lot of questions and had fun trying to brush snow from the in-ground stones so she could read them.

Nice cemetery full of Union graves, tastefully kept and maintained. Historical plaques throughout tell stories of the brave men who gave their lives here.

Walk through this cemetery and you feel the sacrifice these men and boys made for our country. Just walk past the "unknown" grave markers and you feel such awe and sadness. Memorial day weekend, the flags at each marker...powerfull.

This is it, the reason why the most famous speech in U.S. history was given. With rare exception (such as General Collis, who's vicage forever looks toward his relatively close home on South Confederate Avenue) the markers of the men who lost their lives here or fought with those who did and wanted to be buried here are the same size, facing upward with names inscribed, or in all too many cases, shown as "UNKNOWN". The Soldiers National Cemetery, like other National Soldiers Cemeteries throughout the country, also has had burials from military men of all wars and their families. Besides the headstones, there are a handful of battle monuments located here, such as the Soldier's Monument, the Lincoln Gettysburg Address Monument, New York State Monument, Kentucky State Monumnet and one of two monumentsto Major General John Reynolds. It has been determined that Lincoln did not actuyally deliver the address in the Soldiers Cemetery but did so in the adjoining Evergreen Cemetery.

Most of us have read about the Civil War in school, the textbooks do not do justice for what you will see when entering the cemetery, the tombstones/markers go on and on, it does open your eyes to all who served and gave up their lives fighting for what they believed in.

I visit the battlefield every trip I make to Gettysburg. Every American should tour the Battlefield at the site of the battle that saved the Nation.

Stopping at the tombs and reading their names makes you think about what was going on at the time. You can take your time going through the cemetery and trying to see it all in one day is very hard.

We visited after taking a battlefield tour and it was pouring rain but so glad we did it. I think the rain added to the moment. Very somber. So much was gave. A bit of history never to be forgotten.

A very humbling place to visit. It is very well maintained, as it should be, and peaceful. Worth stopping.

Visiting any military cemetery is a moving experience. The manicured lawn and stillness of the scene belies the carnage that occurred in such places. The National Cemetery at Gettysburg fits that description. There are two elements of the story crucial to Getttysburg. First, the absence of Confederate dead. The fervent hope of reconciliation would happen, but much time would pass before wounds would heal. Second, of course, is the presence of Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863. His words would help to bring about a new birth of freedom, and help maintain this fragile experiment in democratic government. Spend some time among the markers, and let it encouge us to keep this experiment going for posterity.

Upon our arrival in Gettysburg, we weren't really sure where to begin. As we drove around, we decided to get oriented at the Cemetery which was a good choice. It introduced us to the solemnity of the area and set the tone for what was to come. Seeing so many graves, Lincoln's monument, monuments to the many groups that fought together, trees that were planted so many years ago when the cemetery was first established - if only they could talk.Moving, emotional, humbling, thought-provoking.