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History repeats at Gettysburg

July 1, 2013 at 2:46AM

then and now: At top, a sketch by the U.S. Army Signal Corps shows the Union Army galloping into action at Gettysburg in 1863. At bottom, mounted Union re-enactors in a mock battle Sunday. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

On a warm, sticky Sunday afternoon, both North and South went home happy after the Battle of Gettysburg. Thousands of history buffs recreated the Confederate Army's ill-fated Pickett's Charge to end the first of two massive re-enactments held in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War's pivotal conflict. The National Park Service's commemoration Sunday took place just about 100 yards from the actual point in the battlefield where Pickett's Charge was rebuffed; an estimated 11,000 re-enactors and 10,000 spectators attended.

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Pickett’s charge: Hundreds of actors recreated the ill-fated charge on Sunday during activities commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. The battle, fought July 1-3, 1863, was the war’s bloodiest conflict, with about 51,000 casualties on both sides. One re-enactor participating said recreating the charge was “very special. It’s very close to all of us. A lot of casualties … I can’t put it into words, what it is.” (The Minnesota Star Tribune)