Fought in the summer of 1863, Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle in U.S. history, and one of the most famous and significant engagements of the Civil War. Gettysburg is open to self-guided tours; however, there is more to embarking on a self-guided excursion than simply paying the admission fee to Gettysburg National Military Park. The sheer scale of the battle demands a certain amount of planning for a successful tour.

Organization

The major points of a self-guided Gettysburg tour fall into three areas: the battlefield park, the town and the cemetery. The battlefield park wraps around Gettysburg town like an elongated crescent, covering the northern, western and southern approaches, plus the site of an often-forgotten cavalry skirmish to the east of Gettysburg. The northern and eastern areas correspond to the first day of the battle, while the southern area marks the positions of the Federal and Confederate armies on the second and third days. The town of Gettysburg contains historical sights, such as the Lutheran Theological Seminary and the David Wills House, which is a museum and part of the national park. Gettysburg National Cemetery, where Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on Nov. 19, 1863, is technically inside the park, but it was built after the battle and is therefore separate from the rest of the battlefield.

Brochures & Audio Tours

Even Civil War buffs need a little help on a self-guided tour of an area as expansive as the Gettysburg battlefield, and one of the more common aids is the self-guided auto tour brochure issued by the park service. The battlefield park has 26 miles of paved road, and the auto tour follows an established route to points where signposts explain the importance of what transpired in places like the Peach Orchard or Little Round Top. The park service also produces a brochure for a walking tour of the cemetery, plus cassette and CD audio tours, which are available for rent at the visitor center. Any of the large number of history and guide books about the Civil War can complement the park's material.

Transportation & Accessibility

Self-guided walking tours of Gettysburg are not feasible for many visitors because of the sheer distances involved. Just covering the sights for days two and three of the battle demand a minimum of eight miles of walking, and doing a thorough job requires more. Many visitors drive from point to point and then get out to explore on foot, while others rent bicycles from vendors such as Gettysbike Tours for their self-guided excursions.

Features

The park has preserved the look and feel of the battle sites, such as the open fields of Pickett's Charge across the Emmitsburg Road or the rocky outcroppings used by sharpshooters at Devil's Den. However, at the same time, the battlefield is littered with monuments to various regiments, brigades and generals, each erected by a state government or veteran's group, so Gettysburg could hardly be described as historically pristine.

Two museums and one building figure prominently as stops in any self-guided tour. The national park has a 22,000-square-foot museum in its visitor center, which shows an educational film and displays many relics of the battle. The Wills House in Gettysburg, also part of the park, has more exhibits, including two rooms restored to their 1863 appearance and the bedroom where Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address. Another sight is the iconic cupola of the Lutheran Theological Seminary, which served as a lookout tower on the first day of the battle. The Seminary is still a working school today, but visitors can still admire the building from the outside.

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