Free Republic

The Gettysburg Address "Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation: conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war. . .testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated. . . can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether...

The 149th Anniversary of Day 3 and Longstreet's Assault. The band Iced Earth wrong a rock song about it (below). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh6M4jBd1O8

Iced Earth's Song, Hold At All Costs, about Day 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsW3i9rY58k

I know that the real focus on Gettysburg will be next year with the 150th anniversary then but I found a Hard Rock band that put together a "Rock Opera" of the battle and figured the 149th was a good enough time to show it. Days 2 and three to follow.

The name might not be recognizable, but you've probably seen a Gadsden flag, typically yellow with a coiled rattlesnake and the warning "Don't tread on me." The flag was flown by colonists rebelling against British rule. And more recently, it's become the adopted symbol of the Tea parties and conservative Republicans, prompting questions as to whether it's an appropriate theme for merchandise sold at the Gettysburg battlefield bookstore. There shoppers will find Gadsden flag shot glasses, mugs, magnets and pins. The souvenirs are the only items representing the Revolutionary War sold in the bookstore, said an employee. Mostly, the store...

It was during the first month of training in 1861 for the new 11th PA Volunteer Infantry Regiment when a stranger from town brought to the captain a puppy, barely four to five weeks old, and presented it to the regiment. She was a pug-nosed brindle bull terrier that soon won the admiration of all the men in the unit. She was cute, and the men named her after one of the local beauties in West Chester, PA, the site of training. In the weeks and months that followed, Sallie could count on the hundreds of uniformed men to play...

Humiston Children Memorial Day had its genesis in the Civil War. First known as Decoration Day, the holiday began by commemorating fallen Union soldiers. The event was inspired by how the Southern States had honored their dead, decorating Confederate graves, usually in the time frame of April through June. The first observance in the North was May 30, 1868 at Arlington National Cemetery as well as other cemeteries in the Northern States. But after World War I, the North and South agreed on the same date (May 30th). And Decoration Day was extended to all men and women, who...

After an hours-long wait for some in Gettysburg, a GOP presidential hopeful took the stage there for a rally just after 9:30 p.m. The line to get into the Gettysburg Hotel on Lincoln Square to see candidate Rick Santorum speak stretched down the street, past the Majestic Theater, around 8 p.m., according to reports. It appeared the crowd was too large for everyone to get inside for the speech, which was to focus on freedom. Mitt Romney beat Santorum handily in Tuesday's Illinois primary. Santorum was set to speak on those results, and in advance of Pennsylvania's upcoming primary in...

GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Bobblehead dolls of the man who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln have been pulled from sale in Gettysburg National Military Park's visitors' center. Dolls of John Wilkes Booth with a handgun were taken off bookstore shelves Saturday, a day after a reporter from Hanover's The Evening Sun newspaper asked about them.

When Robert E. Lee was forced to turn back and retreat from Pennsylvania ending his dream of winning the Civil War by invading the North it quickly became clear that he had thrown his best punch and failed. Lee almost won but didn’t. While the Confederates won some major battles after Gettysburg their will to fight and the appetite for loaning them money was gone. Yesterday the Wisconsin Democrats brought their invasion to Republican held State Senate districts. To turn back the tide of conservatism in Wisconsin the Democrats instigated recall elections of six Republican Senators. They almost won enough...

My wife and I are thinking of an October trip that would include Gettysburg. We want to fly into the area and would probably take a bus or some type of shuttle, not a rental car, into Gettysburg for however many days we need to stay. So I need some advice from knowledgeable FReepers (Is there any other kind of FReeper?): First of all what city should we fly into? Baltimore and Harrisburg look most likely. I know Gettysburg has an airport but it doesn't appear to have major carriers. Does anybody know if bus or shuttle service is available...

Five re-enactors were injured by lightning early Sunday morning at a campsite near Gettysburg and taken to area hospitals, and two people remained under observation for burns. The identities were reported as Erich Griffey, 28, and Lou Griffey, 30, of Moon Township, Allegheny County; and Randy Morgan, 61; Marisue Morgan, 45, and Ben Morgan, 11, of Irwin, Pa., near Pittsburgh. Lou Griffey remain hospitalized at York Hospital, as of Sunday evening, and was in stable condition, with relatives and friends reporting that she is six-months pregnant. Marisue Morgan also remained hospitalized in Gettysburg, according to her husband, Randy Morgan. “It...

Fifty years had passed since the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1st- 3rd, 1863.

When I first visited Gettysburg years ago, I was overwhelmed with the sense of sacrifice made to secure our union, but my most recent visit this morning was even more significant as subsequent visits allow reflection on the state of our union today. Striking to me is how ready and willing troops and civilians were in 1863 to lay their lives on the line. Are we as ready and willing to accept the call for sacrifice today in order to keep our union secure? Hopefully the kids on school field trips whom we met this morning grasped the poignant irony...

UPDATE: Former Alaskan Governor and Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin is in Gettsyburg. Her patriotic themed bus is parked outside the Gettysburg Courtyard hotel arriving late Monday afternoon. Palin is not releasing a public schedule, but a crowd is gathering at the battlefield in anticipation she'll make a public appearance Monday evening. Palin is traveling with her husband and daughter on a "One Nation" tour which she began in Washington, D.C.

Rumors continued to circulate Friday about the prospect of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin visiting Gettysburg National Military Park this weekend. The website POLITICO reported Palin will stop at the battlefield as part of a Memorial Day-weekend bus tour to sites of historical and national significance. Walt Tuchalski, communications coordinator for the Adams County Republican Committee, said he's heard speculation of a Sunday visit. "The rumor from reliable sources on the street is that Sarah Palin's campaign has made some inquiries into what's going on in Gettysburg this Sunday," he said. (snip) Still, Tuchalski said he's hopeful for a visit....

My husband and I are traveling to Gettysburg this month and currently are considering where to stay. I am looking at the Fairfield Inn, which is outside Gettysburg in Fairfield and looks lovely, including is from the year 1750s with a gorgeous tavern. But the reviews online are poor. Has anyone stayed there to give me any information? My husband prefers the Gettysburg Hotel, which is right in Gettysburg and has a lot going for it besides location, including a jacuzzi, fireplace and lovely restaurant, but is an old bank converted and to me doesn't seem to have the charm...

One score and four months ago, American voters brought forth in this country a historic presidency, conceived in hope and dedicated to the proposition that yes, we can. Now I am engaged in a great political war, the conditions of which I largely inherited from my predecessor, testing whether this presidency, or indeed any presidency, at least one so crowned in virtue, can long endure.... And from these honored dead I take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion to me. I highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in...

In 2004 a gentleman by the name of John Wega refounded the USCC and at his own expense built an exact replica, as far as Civil War documents could dictate, of one of the chapels in the heart of the city of Gettysburg. The chapel has held services every Sunday from April until the end of November and it is a visitor center as well, open 24/7. Below is a picture of the interior of the rebuilt 480 sq. ft. 40′ x 12′ chapel which was built on a vacant lot with permission, at the time, of the city of...

As the Gettysburg Area Democracy for America met Wednesday night, members joked of the "elephant in the room." And when they asked their panel guests -- political science and economics professors at Gettysburg College -- what happened in Tuesday's election as Republicans gained many U.S. House and Senate seats, the professors said they had no answers. "The world is a confused place," joked moderator Lou Hammann. The group assembled at the Lutheran Seminary threw out ideas and questions as to why this election seemed to be a referendum on President Barack Obama. The one thing they all agreed on was...