I'm only a bit of a history buff, but my interest in Gettysburg is personal: my great-great grandfather was in the 73rd New York Volunteers, and ended his military career at Gettysburg when he was shot in the foot during Barksdale's Charge. "They got him in the heel, because he was running away!" was my grandfather's punchline whenever my grandmother would reverently tell the tale. The place is as beautiful and peaceful as only acres of meadow grass and flowers can be, though the monuments and guides give visitors a good idea of what it was like 140 years ago. Click the blotchy thumbnail images to see the photographs.