Last Updated: May 2026
We had wanted to visit Gettysburg since our history lessons in elementary school. It did not disappoint — and it puts the entire Civil War into a context that no textbook quite manages.
Historical records place slavery as far back as 3500 BC — and likely much earlier. It existed in virtually every civilization in some form: punishment for crime, debt bondage, prisoners of war, indentured servitude, child abandonment. The Dutch introduced it to the American colonies in 1619. By the Civil War era, the enslaved population in the United States had grown to four million. Vermont banned slavery in 1777. Britain abolished it in 1807. France declared it illegal in 1794. Portugal banned it in 1624 and Spain in 1542. Ending slavery required a global, centuries-long effort. Even though slavery is illegal worldwide today, human trafficking and bonded labor still exist.
Harriet Beecher Stowe, a Connecticut-born seminary teacher and active abolitionist, wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1852. It depicted the brutal reality of slavery while framing it through Christian redemption. It was the most popular novel of its day. Lincoln supposedly greeted Stowe with: “So this is the little lady who started this great war.”
The Northern states opposed slavery’s expansion into western territories. The newly formed Republican Party opposed it outright, and their candidate Abraham Lincoln won the presidency — but with only 39.8% of the popular vote, winning on electoral votes alone. Eleven southern states seceded in protest against federal legislation limiting slavery’s expansion, arguing it violated the Tenth Amendment and that the federal government had no authority to dictate how they ran their affairs. The Civil War began in 1861. More than 630,000 people died across four years of battles — only 230,000 from bullets. The rest died from disease.
Lincoln did not issue the Emancipation Proclamation — which freed all enslaved people in Confederate states — until January 1, 1863, nearly a year and a half after the war started. His primary goal was to preserve the Union; he issued the proclamation when he believed it would further that objective.
Lincoln was the first American president to be assassinated. He was 56. The assassination came five days after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant. His assassin, John Wilkes Booth, was a proud Confederate sympathizer.
Gettysburg National Cemetery
The final resting place of more than 3,500 Union soldiers killed in the Battle of Gettysburg. Confederate remains were sent to cemeteries in Virginia, Georgia, and the Carolinas — none are buried here.
At the cemetery’s dedication on November 19, 1863, Lincoln delivered his “few appropriate remarks” — the Gettysburg Address. His two-minute speech served as a reminder of the sacrifices of war and the necessity of holding the Union together.
Gettysburg Museum & Visitor Center
A must-see. The museum has numerous short films and extensive artifacts, and presents what appears to be a genuinely unbiased account of the war. Extremely well done.
Cyclorama
French artist Paul Philippoteaux painted the Battle of Gettysburg in the late 1880s. It took a year to complete. The oil painting measures 377 feet in circumference and 42 feet high — an incredible 360-degree view of the battle, painted in a circle. Physical artifacts in the foreground and a sound-and-light show bring the scene to life.
Auto Tour
A well-marked route around the battlefields. We skipped the guidebook and CD — there were personal tour guides leading small groups throughout and we absorbed plenty that way. It’s impossible to take in all 1,300 monuments, memorials, and markers in a single visit. Most roads are one-way with easy pull-offs at each monument.
Gettysburg KOA
Our wooded site was private and peaceful. The park water had to be shut off briefly for a leak repair. Wifi was unusable and Verizon showed only one bar. The park was less than half full, very quiet. We sat outside by the fire listening to the birds — exactly what we needed after a heavy day of history.
Dobbin House Tavern
Built in 1776, it’s one of Gettysburg’s oldest historic buildings. We had a very good early dinner in a rustic, dark, candlelit tavern. Sandy finally got her Maryland crab cakes. Fabulous.
Visitor Information
Gettysburg National Military Park is free to enter; the Museum and Visitor Center charges admission. The Cyclorama is included with museum admission. The auto tour is self-guided and free — a GPS audio guide app is available. Gettysburg National Cemetery is adjacent to the visitor center and free. Dobbin House Tavern is in downtown Gettysburg at 89 Steinwehr Ave — reservations recommended for dinner.
Practical Tips
Budget a full day minimum — two days if you want to do the battlefield auto tour thoroughly plus the museum, cemetery, and town. The museum alone is two to three hours. Go early on weekends; the parking lot and museum entry lines build quickly by late morning. Licensed battlefield guides are available for hire at the visitor center and provide an exceptional experience if history is your main reason for coming. Don’t skip the Cyclorama — it’s unlike anything else we’ve seen and puts the scale of the battle into visceral perspective.
