Gettysburg Battle Reenactment, 2003. 140th anniversary shapshots

37 photos

Near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania during the first week of July 2013 will be the historic remembrance of a very important battle of the Civil War in the United States. This was the battle of Gettysburg and was pivotal in the turn of war in favor of the Union. While any battle losses sadden us and are regrettable, modern and recent military conflicts pale in comparison to the loss of human life in battles of The War Between the States. Three days of fighting left both sides severely wounded.

Reenactments are entertainment and historically educational events. A few tug at the heart of our humanity. In the case of the 140th anniversary reenactment we attended for three very hot days in 2003 , we were captivated and also very saddened at the conflict depicted by the thousands of actor/soldiers.

In July of 2013, the very historic 150th anniversary of the battle takes place. Other events take place at the actual battlefield park and in the town of Gettysburg, including Lincoln's famous "Gettysburg Address". The battle events take place at a local farm, a temporary home to possibly 15,000 reenactors including military and families campsites true to the mid 1800's.

About the photos: I am a professional photographer and please do not let these images convince you otherwise. (There are many other photos on the Thomas Haynes Photography website to view and enjoy.) During 2003, I worked another profession. Photos were shot with a state of the art digital camera for the time--a Minolta Dimage F1000. Post work then was all jpg images in Paint Shop Pro software. Today, the camera is kept and not used. The old Minolta digital has little capability compared to modern inexpensive point and shoot cameras. These photos are a grade above snapshot yet will convey a sense of the events and a sense of the Battle of Gettysburg that July of 1863..

Photos of cavalry and other events may be added later. An aside: We met a dazed appearing "Union" reenactor. Turns out he worked in a cool meat locker in Ohio and finished a day of marching in the sun soaked fields at 100ºf...heatstroke.

Categories & Keywords

Category:Travel and Places

Subcategory:North America

Subcategory Detail:United States of America

Keywords:1863, Gettysburg battle, Gettysburg battle photos 2003, Lee, Lincolns, Longstreet, Pickett'd charge, address, civil war, miniolta dimage, minolta digital camera, north verses south, reenactment