Gettysburg

Graduation week continued with a trip to historic Gettysburg. We were fortunate to have Chris' brother Andy along with us, he has been to Gettysburg before, and was able to guide us to some optimal sites. Grandmother and Grandad Cochran, Evan Cochran, Flynn and Jamie Cochran and their son Niko, and Andy, Chris' oldest brother all made the trip out with the girls, Chris and I. It was a hot, humid day, but we had a great time visiting Little Round Top, High Water, and other famous sites. Gettysburg is a huge historical park, so it was nice to know what we should see and what we could pass up for another visit. The Gettysburg battles were the largest of the Civil War, and lasted three days, July 1-3rd 1863. General Lee met defeat here and was forced to retreat and escape to Virginia. The battles here counted the greatest casualties of the war, between 46-51,000. It is said that Gettysburg was the turning point in the war in favor of the Union army. In November of 1863 President Abraham Lincoln would give his famous and poignant Gettysburg address at the nearby National Cemetary during the dedicatory ceremonies.