Prelude to Gettysburg - Columbia, PA
N 40° 02.324 W 076° 30.349
18T E 371533 N 4433142
This Sign of History is part of a wonderful interpretive series called Pennsylvania Civil War Trails. This beautiful interpretive is located on the grounds of the Susquehanna Valley Visitor Center.
Waymark Code: WM96YZ
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 07/07/2010
Views: 3
There are a few of these signs in the immediate area, scattered between the Columbia and Wrightsville sides, separated by the old bridge. They are hugely informative, very beautiful and a wonderful attraction to an already historic area.
The sign reads:
Prelude to Gettysburg
One of the greatest debates of our Country's history and legacy is what scholars call "the two Civil Wars": the first a matter of campaigns, generals, and troop movement and the second focusing on the ways that the great conflict affected the daily rhythms of life on farms, and in communities.
Regardless, Gettysburg was the site of the largest battle ever fought on American soil and it involved a great deal more than the resources of one single, famous town.
In six counties near Gettysburg, civilians and militia answered the first call to arms and bravely endured relentless threats and the destruction of their property. Here, women raised funds to support the war and nursed tens of thousands of wounded soldiers left behind from the battles fought in the orchards and fields. Interestingly, part of the battlefield was owned by Freeman, Abraham Brien. Although a number of Gettysburg area Black men joined volunteer militias or USCT regiments during the war, no Black veteran was interred in Soldiers' National Cemetery until 1884. Still, free men and freed men alike enlisted to fight for their own rights, and children sacrificed their security, sometimes their lives. Their combined efforts provided the turning point for the Union cause.
There is one of these same exact markers at 40° 12.103' N, 77° 11.458' W. in Carlisle, PA, Cumberland County. Marker is on High Street (U.S. 11), on the left when traveling east. Marker is in gated area immediately west of 37 W. High St., being a side access to the Cumberland County Historical Society. Marker is at this address: 37 W. High Street, Carlisle PA 17013, United States of America.