ADAMS COUNTY, Pa. - The first week of July is busy for Gettysburg National Military Park. Thousands of visitors come to commemorate the 156th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.
A battle fought from July 1st to July 3rd, in 1863.
"You can see here today that there's a lot of people out. They're going through the woods. They're crossing creeks and water and so it's really cool to see all these people out enjoying and learning about the battlefield," said park visitor Steve Phan.
Bearing the face of Major General John Reynolds on his t-shirt, Phan considers himself to be a Civil War enthusiast.
''I am a fan, going back a long long time," said Phan. "And this is where he [General Reynolds] was killed right behind us. Right where the monument is at General Reynolds was killed. He's the highest ranking Federal Officer killed at the Battle of Gettysburg."
Other visitors are attracted to the historic grounds because of family ties to the land.
"In many cases, they would be able to stand where their family members [stood] and be in the same place where their ancestor would have been in July 1863," said Gettysburg National Military Park Visual Information Specialist Jason Martz. "Or walk the same general path into battle or towards engagement of the battle that hits home for many visitors."
“In the aftermath of the battle of Gettysburg, the Fourth of July for the soldiers and especially for the civilians, it was at that point that the civilians could then freely come back out of their homes and begin to access what had happened over the course of three days."
The park offers visitors two types of tours, the Battle Walks and Real-time programs. The reenactments of the Battle of Gettysburg will begin this weekend.
