I've been there, and have sat on Little Round Top and meditated on the events there on several occassions. I have walked up those slopes as the Alabama Regiment did and tried to imagine Col. Chamberlains bayonet charge. I have seen pictures of what the battle scarred slopes with the tops of all of those trees gone leaving jagged trunks scattered everywhere and the sides of that slope looking like some hellish scene. I also know how many trees are there now, and have enjoyed their shade.
I realize that tourists may not be comfortable in the summer sun if the trees are removed, but the combatants were not comfortable either. I'm all for anything that will add to realism.
But "realism" was not the point of establishing the park.
If you want realism, tear up the paved roads, the public bathrooms, stop cutting the grass, get rid of the visitor center, and get rid of the park service, because they weren't there in 1863.
The park service killed all the deer. The deer were authentic. Plenty of deer were there in 1863.
The park was established to honor the dead, to understand what happened, and for healing and reflection.
When you look at the videos of the old veterans coming back and shaking hands over the stone walls, it is hard to imagine they would have wanted hundred year old trees destroyed.
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Agreed. It's not a theme park, it's an important part of our nation's history.