We arrived at Gettysburg National Military Park just as the visitor's center and museum were opening. The museum itself was housed in a monstrous replica of an octagonal barn -- red, of course :-)
This was way too much to take in for only a few hours this morning, but we were able to get a good feel for the battlefield (not just one area, but surrounding the entire town of Gettysburg at the time). The Gettysburg National Military Cemetery was a tremendous and hallowed place.
We were fortunate to find a place to park where we could stop and walk, seeing monuments, gravestones, and cannons along the way.
Walking up cemetery ridge, you could see why the Union forces chose this area to camp and then push back the Confederate forces. It was a pretty amazing climb and a tremendous sight.
The museum began with a great documentary to help give you an understanding of the battle, battlefield, and history behind it. Of course, this is from a slanted and liberal viewpoint which puts slavery, rather than state's rights, at the center of the war itself.
There were hundreds of artifacts from the time period and various battles.
Authentic flags from the time period, complete with bullet holes.
There were fantastic exhibits of cannons and artillery -- a favorite of Josiah's. 
The wall of soldier's pictures who fought and died is quite sobering.
This was a great place to visit and one that we can hopefully return to someday. It was exciting to hear how much my boys already knew about the war itself and the battles from our past studies of the Civil War.
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