Grave blanket - Gettysburg

A coating of snow, sculpted by wind, hides graves in the Gettysburg National Cemetery. Lt. Frank Haskell wrote of the final resting place of the Gettysburg Union dead: "Another spring shall green these trampled slopes, and flowers, planted by unseen hands, shall bloom upon these graves; another autumn and the yellow harvest shall ripen there—all not in less, but in higher perfection for this poured out blood. In another decade of years, in another century, or age, we hope that the Union, by the same means, may repose in a securer peace and bloom in a higher civilization." (Click image for larger view).

These honored dead - Gettysburg

Work on the National Cemetery was still in progress when President Abraham Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg for its dedication. The fresh graves before him, Lincoln's words took on an importance rivaling that of the battle as he reaffirmed the task facing the Union: "We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." (Click image for larger view).

Minnesota in the National Cemetery - Gettysburg

A memorial urn to the First Minnesota Infantry, the first permanent monument on the battlefield, stands among graves in the National Cemetery at Gettysburg. 52 dead of the First Minnesota rest nearby, part of the 82 percent casualty rate suffered by the regiment in the three days of fighting. (Click image for larger view).

Firepower in the Cemetery - Gettysburg

What is today the peaceful National Cemetery at Gettysburg was crowded with artillery during the battle. Cemetery Hill, prominently situated overlooking Gettysburg, became home to dozens of artillery pieces that anchored the center of the Union line and were splayed in nearly all directions. Among them was Taft's New York battery, outfitted with 20-pounder Parrots, the largest artillery carried in the army. A diminutive rendering of one of the large guns now tops the monument to Taft's men and their Cemetery Hill position. (Click image for larger view).

The Unknowns - Gettysburg

One of several stones marking the unknown burials at Gettysburg National Cemetery marks a large group of anonymous graves. Of the 3512 Union battle dead buried there, nearly one quarter were interred without identification. (Click image for larger view).

New York at Gettysburg

The New York State Monument stands over graves in the National Cemetery at Gettysburg. Only Pennsylvania supplied more troops at the battle, but the New Yorkers suffered the greatest number of casualties: 6,700 killed, wounded or missing out of 23,000 soldiers on hand. (Click image for larger view).

Old Glory over Gettysburg

The US flag flies over the Soldiers' National Cemetery and the New York State Monument at Gettysburg. (Click image for larger view).

Snow in the Cemetery - Gettysburg

The Soldiers National Cemetery rests under a blanket of snow at Gettysburg. The Soldiers National Monument stands as one of the few markers not covered by the light snow - the grave markers of those killed at Gettysburg are flush to the ground in a simple design, radiating in a half circle from the tall monument at its center. (Click image for larger view).

Soldiers' National Monument - Gettysburg

A stone personification of Liberty stands atop the Soldiers' National Monument in the Gettysburg National Cemetery. One of the earliest monuments on the field, its cornerstone was set on July 4, 1865 and it was dedicated, though incomplete, in 1869. (Click image for larger view).

Long Remember

Wind-raked snow blankets grave markers in the Gettysburg National Cemetery. When Robert E. Lee's Confederate army began its retreat 145 years ago today - and the Union army soon followed - not all the soldiers left Gettysburg. Among the dead of both sides, 3512 Union soldiers were eventually buried in the newly created Soldiers National Cemetery. President Abraham Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address Nov. 19, 1863 at the cemetery's dedication, with the reburials of the soldiers from hasty graves on the battlefield not yet complete. (Click image for larger view).