Gettysburg National Military Park

97 Taneytown Road
Gettysburg, PA 17325-2804
Visitor Information - 717-334-1124

Gettysburg National Military Park is located in Adams County, Pennsylvania. From North or South, follow US 15 to Gettysburg and watch for signs to direct you to the National Park Service Visitor Center. The visitor center is located between Taneytown Road (State Rt. 134) and Steinwehr Avenue (Bus. Rt. 15). From East or West, drive into Gettysburg on US Rt. 30, turn South on Baltimore Street (Rt. 97), and follow signs to Steinwehr Avenue (Bus. 15).

The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War, the Union victory in the summer of 1863 that ended General Robert E. Lee's second and most ambitious invasion of the North. Often referred to as the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy", it was the war's bloodiest battle with 51,000 casualties. It also provided President Abraham Lincoln with the setting for his most famous address.

Fought over the first three days of July 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg was one of the most critical battles of the Civil War having occurred at a time when the fate of the nation hung in the balance- the summer of 1863. Often referred to as the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy", it was the culmination of the second and most ambitious invasion of the North by General Robert E. Lee and the "Army of Northern Virginia". 

The "Army of the Potomac", the Union army that had long been the nemesis of Lee, met the Confederate invasion at the crossroads town of Gettysburg and though it was under a new commander, General George Gordon Meade, the northerners fought with a desperation born of defending their home territory. The Union victory at the Battle of Gettysburg resulted in Lee's retreat to Virginia and an end to the hopes of the Confederacy for independence.

In the aftermath of the battle, every farm field was a graveyard and every church, public building and even private homes were hospitals. Medical staff were strained to treat so many wounded scattered about the county. To meet the demand, Camp Letterman General Hospital was established east of Gettysburg where all of the wounded were eventually taken to before transport to permanent hospitals in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington. Union surgeons worked with members of the U.S. Sanitary Commission and Christian Commission to treat and care for the over 20,000 injured Union and Confederate soldiers that passed through the hospital's wards, housed under large tents. 

By January 1864, the last few remaining patients were gone and so were the surgeons, guards, nurses, tents and cookhouses. Only a temporary cemetery on the hillside remained as a testament to the courageous battle to save lives that took place at Camp Letterman.

There are two picnic areas in the park behind the National Park Service Visitor Center and on South Confederate Avenue. Open fires are not allowed in park picnic sites.

Operating Hours & Seasons

PARK GROUNDS AND ROADS
The park is open daily from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. April 1 to October 31, and 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. November 1 to March 31.

VISITOR CENTER
The park visitor center is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with summer hours from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Years Day.

CYCLORAMA CENTER
The Cyclorama Center is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., April through November 20, 2006. The center will be closed from November 21,2006 through May 1, 2007.