The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point among the series of battles in the American Civil War, which was the most massive and bloodiest war America has experienced. In modern times, reenactments bring to life the Civil War and provide knowledge on the war and how it shaped the country both for audiences and reenactors as well. While Civil War reenactments memorialize the occurrences of the war, pictures of these reenactments help preserve history as well as the tradition of war reenactments, itself.

Here on this page are interesting photos of the reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg along with intriguing information on the battle. If you have a passion for history, then you might want to check out some of the images and read on.

The American Civil War was a four-year-long warfare that lasted from April 12, 1861, to April 9, 1865, between the northern states and southern states of America over the issue of the enslavement of African-Americans. This conflict that caused a divide in America is also sometimes referred to as "The War Between States".

Since the northern and southern states had opposing opinions on slavery, America had been split into two divisions: the slave states, which was in favor of slavery, and the free states, which was against slavery. While the northern states, considered slavery illegal, for the southern states, however, slavery was imperative. As compared to the industrialized northern states, the southern states were more of an agricultural region and relied on the labor of slaves in their plantation system of cotton, tobacco, and etc, which was a major factor in their economy.

The northern states and the southern states had long been in a heated debate regarding slavery and whether it should be allowed in the states that were yet to be created in the west. Both the northern states and southern states urged that the western lands pursue their custom to strengthen their own positions in the government.

When Abrahan Lincoln, a member of the Republican party, which was against slavery, won the presidential election in 1860, the southern states were afraid that it would soon bring cessation to slavery. This led 11 of the southern states to secede from the federal government of America and make another country of their own called the Confederate States of America, also known as the Confederacy, led by Jefferson Davis as the president. This course of action taken by the southern states was for the purpose of gaining more power and the ability to create their own laws and most importantly, for the protection of their right to keep slaves.

While 11 of the southern states rebelled against America by seceding from their country, the remaining 25 states along with the US government, on the other hand, called themselves the Union, which means they wanted America to remain united as one country. Twenty of those states were free states, and five of them are slave states that stuck with the Union.

The war began as the Confederacy began attacking the Union. They started at a Union fort in Fort Sumter located in Charleston, South Carolina, and it led to a series of battles fought in different areas in America. Eventually, the Union triumphed in the war—ultimately abolishing slavery, restoring America as a whole country, and bringing forth radical changes that helped shape America.

The Battle of Gettysburg, which was fought from July 1 to July 3, 1863, was the largest of all battles that occurred during the American Civil War. It's also the largest battle that has ever been fought in North America. It involved 104,256 soldiers under the Union Army headed by Maj. Gen. George E. Meade and 75,000 soldiers under the Confederate Army of Northern Carolina headed by Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Gen. Lee had the intention of defeating the Union once and for all by invading northern Union territory. As Gen. Lee thought that if they won major battles in northern territory, they would be able to pressure the Lincoln administration into a negotiation to put an end to the war. So after their victory in Chancellorsville, Gen. Lee and his Confederate Army of Northern Virginia set off north to battle in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

The Battle of Gettysburg was actually the second invasion of the north by the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. The first was the Battle of Antietam that occurred on September 17, 1862, which was unsuccessful, but Gen. Lee and his Confederate Army grew confident from their recent victories. However, the outcome of the Battle of Gettysburg didn't turn out as Gen. Lee expected.

The Union had gained victory in the battle, and that destroyed Gen. Lee's plan of invading the north. Moreover, this battle had the greatest number of casualties among all the battles in the Civil War: about 28,063 for the Confederate Army and 23,049 for the Union Army. Although the casualties for both sides may be fairly even, for the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, it was a huge loss, as the south was incapable of effectively replacing its dead soldiers.

It is because of those aforementioned reasons that the Battle of Gettysburg became a turning point in the Civil War. After the Battle of Gettysburg, the following battles were fought in the south. If the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia became successful in the Battle of Gettysburg, the Battle of Gettysburg would've been the final battle of the Civil War that was lost to the south, slavery would have not been abolished, and America would have not been restored as a whole.

A cemetery to hold the dead soldiers of the Union Army, named Soldiers' National Cemetery was soon made in Gettysburg, and President Abraham Lincoln had been invited to the cemetery's dedication on November 19, 1863. There, he gave a speech, known as the Gettysburg Address, which was just a short speech of only 271 words but is considered one of the best speeches in the history of America. In his speech, he emphasized how all humans are equal, as stated in the Declaration of Independence, and provided justification to the war, saying that it was not just fought for the Union, rather "a new birth of freedom" that would bring equality for everyone in a united country.

War reenactment, also known as sham battle, mimic battle, and mock battle is a recreation of events that happened in a particular war. It is an activity taken seriously with authenticity as much as possible down to every single detail such as in the manner of dressing, cooking, eating, even in the exchanging of fire in the battlefield, and "dying". Participants in this activity are hobbyists called war reenactors or living historians.

War reenactment is a highly respected tradition in the United States of America and also in other countries as well. Around the world, there are many historical events that are reenacted. For the US, it is the American Civil War reenactment that is the most popular war reenactment, and it is even being reenacted in other countries like Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Sweden, and United Kingdom.

Even before the war was over, reenactors have already been doing Civil War reenactments. They were done for the purpose of recruiting soldiers, entertaining audiences, teaching people what the Civil War was all about, and giving the loved ones of the soldiers back at home a picture of what it's like for the soldiers who are serving in the war.

Many enthusiasts, young and old have gotten into the hobby of reenacting the Civil War. There are many factors that have drawn these hobbyists into reenacting the Civil War such as their passion for history, curiosity whether their ancestry can be traced back to the soldiers of the war, desire for an in-depth understanding of the experiences of the soldiers and civilians during the Civil War era, and the enjoyment of camping with friends and preparing food with open fire. For Civil War veterans, it was also a means for them to remember fallen comrades.

Around the 1980s and 1990s, there came a growth in the popularity of reenacting. A major factor in the increase of reenacting's popularity was the success of the 125th-anniversary reenactment held near the original Manassas battlefield. In the 125th anniversary reenactment, there were more than 6,000 reenactors that attended, and in that same year, the estimated number of reenactors in the US was more than 50,000 reenactors.

But it was the Battle of Gettysburg's 135th-anniversary reenactment in 1998 that was the largest of all reenactments held in the world. Held in the original Gettysburg battlefield, it was participated by 15,000 to 20,000 reenactors and watched by 50,000 spectators.

Civil War reenactments are a creative and entertaining means of commemorating events in the war. Pictures of Civil War reenactments, too, can also be another means of remembering such impactful historical events.

War reenactment photos, although not of the actual Civil War, with the authenticity strived for by the participants captured in the images, evoke the emotion soldiers felt during the war, exhibit the action in the battlefield, and portray the essence of the war. They can be considered as memorabilia of America's history worth treasuring. At www.premierphotographer.com, you can find honorable pictures of Civil War reenactments, particularly that of the Battle of Gettysburg.

From as early as the Civil War era, itself, until the present, Civil War reenactments still happen yearly with thousands participating and viewing. Civil War reenactments give reenactors a realistic experience and audiences a live performance of the war. They bring into our consciousness an important part of American history.

Civil War reenactments are a creative and entertaining means of commemorating events in the war. Pictures of Civil War reenactments, too, can also be another means of remembering such impactful historical events.

Civil War reenactment photos, although not of the actual Civil War, with the authenticity strived for by the participants captured in the images, evoke the emotion soldiers felt during the war, exhibit the action in the battlefield, and portray the essence of the war. They can be considered as memorabilia of America's history worth treasuring. At www.premierphotographer.com, you can find honorable pictures of Civil War reenactments, particularly that of the Battle of Gettysburg.