2021 Official Dates and Area Announcement (Updated Dates)
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
August 4-8, 2021
July 11-15, 2021
Our next reunion will take us near the famous Pennsylvanian battlefield of Gettysburg. We’ve also added an additional day so we can take in the sights of the area.
For those interested, we will spend a day learning about the Battle of Gettysburg and the location where the seemingly invincible General Lee was first defeated.
Scroll to the bottom to find the registration link or read on for a brief explanation of why Gettysburg was such an important battle during the American Civil War.
Time for a little history lesson…
The Battle of Gettysburg, fought on July 1–3, 1863, was the turning point of the Civil War for one main reason: Robert E. Lee’s plan to invade the North and force an immediate end to the war failed.
While Lee had been fought to a draw at Antietam, the Union high command had yet to achieve a decisive victory over the Confederate general as the summer of 1863 began. In spite of being outnumbered, Lee had engineered significant victories at Second Bull Run, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville among others.
Meanwhile, Abraham Lincoln relieved a string of Union generals—George McClellan, Ambrose Burnside and Joseph Hooker—of command of the Army of the Potomac due to their failure to stop Lee’s army. Lincoln’s latest choice—General George Meade—had been installed just days before Gettysburg.
Lee’s impeccable record inspired complete trust in his troops and fear in his enemy. The Battle of Gettysburg, however, finally proved the bold general to be fallible.
The clash at Gettysburg was enormous by any standards, and a total of 170,000 Confederate and Union soldiers came together around a town that normally held 2,400 residents.
The total of Union troops was about 95,000, the Confederates about 75,000.
The total casualties for the three days of fighting would be approximately 25,000 for the Union and 28,000 for the Confederates.
Gettysburg was the largest battle ever fought in North America.
Registration Deadline is October 31, 2020!
