葛底斯堡国家军事公园:历史的痕迹

A Visit with History: Gettysburg National Military Park 葛底斯堡国家军事公园:历史的痕迹

This week, we visit a national park that marks one of the most important events in American history.

We are exploring the Gettysburg National Military Park in the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Much of the area around Gettysburg still looks like it did in the 1860s, during the Civil War. The town is in the middle of farm country. All around are fields of wheat, corn and other crops. Cows chew on grass under a warm morning sun.

Roads that pass through Gettysburg lead to Baltimore, Washington and other big cities. But almost 153 years ago, they served another purpose. They brought two opposing armies to Gettysburg.

One was the United States Army of the Potomac, commanded by General George Gordon Meade. The other was the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia led by General Robert E. Lee. His troops had moved north into Pennsylvania from Virginia. There, they had won a series of battles. Now, they were on the move to defeat Meade's army.

Lee believed that a Southern victory on Northern land would force a negotiated¹ settlement of the war. This would mean independence for the Confederate states that were attempting to leave the Union.

The battle of Gettysburg began on July 1, 1863. More than 170,000 soldiers fought for three days. It was the largest battle ever fought in North America.

When it ended on July 3, more than 50,000 soldiers were dead, wounded or missing. Many more would die later from their wounds. In the end, General Lee’s army lost the battle. The Civil War, though, continued for two more years. But Confederate hopes for independence were never again as high as they had been at Gettysburg.

Soon after the great battle, people began to visit Gettysburg to try to understand what happened there. One of those visitors, on November 19, 1863, was President Abraham Lincoln. He was invited to help dedicate² a ceremony for Union soldiers killed in the battle.

A line from Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" is displayed at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.

Lincoln spoke³ for just two minutes. His speech began this way: “Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth⁴ on this continent a new nation, conceived⁵ in liberty and dedication⁶ to the proposition⁷ that all men are created equal.”

President Lincoln had never been satisfied with the reality of American life at that time. The Declaration⁸ of Independence in 1776 had declared all men equal. Yet in the South, and earlier in the North, as well, black men and women were held as slaves.

In his address at Gettysburg, Lincoln described a new future for a nation that would be reunited.

“It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated⁹ here to the unfinished work for which they fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that 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 …”

Gettysburg National Military Park was established in 1895, 32 years after the deadly battle. Gettysburg is the most-visited of the Civil War battlefields. Every year, about 2 million people visit the park from around the country and the world.

The bronze likeness¹⁰ of a Union trooper, carbine at the ready, sits atop the monument to the 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry¹¹.

The battlefield covers more than 2,400 hectares. Visitors can find more than 1,300 outdoor sculptures around the battlefield. These are monuments and memorials placed by soldiers’ groups and state militias¹² in areas where their troops fought. Volunteer guides explain to visitors what happened in each area of the huge battlefield. Visitors can also tour the battlefields on their own – by foot, by car, or by bicycle.

Many visitors start their visit to Gettysburg at the Gettysburg Museum of the Civil War. The museum has the world’s largest collection of Civil War objects. The museum has more than 1 million items, from soldiers’ private notebooks and uniforms to original maps of the battlefield.

The museum also houses the Gettysburg cyclorama painting. This kind of artwork surrounds the people looking at it.

A scene from the 114-meter-wide Gettysburg Cyclorama painting. Pictured is "Pickett's Charge," the Confederate attack on Union forces on July 3, 1863. (Photo by Ron Cogswell)

The painting shows the final attack in the Battle of Gettysburg: Pickett's Charge. George Pickett was a Confederate general. On July 3, 1863, he led a charge against stronger Union forces. It was a disaster for the Confederate soldiers.

French artist Paul Phillippoteaux and a team of 20 artists created the painting in the 1880s. Phillippoteaux and his team visited the battlefield. It took more than one year for the huge painting to be complete.

The cyclorama is 114 meters long and almost 13 meters tall. It has long been one of the most popular parts of the Gettysburg experience. But by the 1990s, the painting was in poor condition. Experts warned that if the Cyclorama was not repaired, the painting could be lost.

A restoration project began in 2003. The painting was cleaned and separated into its 14 parts, and later moved into the new center. There, the original canvas¹³ was sewn onto new cloth made in China. Park service officials say China was one of the few countries able to produce cloth in the sizes needed. Then each part was hung and sewn together.

A team of cyclorama experts from Poland worked on the project in Gettysburg. The repair work of the Gettysburg Cyclorama marked one of the largest art conservation effort ever in North America.

After the museum, tourists can visit the Soldiers’ National Cemetery¹⁴, where many of the Union soldiers who died during the Battle of Gettysburg are buried.

The cemetery was dedicated on November 19, 1863, the same day President Lincoln gave his “Gettysburg Address."

Since 1865, cemetery has been a burial ground for soldiers from all of America’s wars.

Gettysburg brings history to life during the summer and fall with its “living historians¹⁵.” These actors and experts show visitors what it was life was like for a soldier here, in one of the most historically important places in America.

The words of America’s 16th president from the Gettysburg battlefield have never been forgotten.

Historians agree that Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address defined¹⁶ Americans as a people who believed in freedom, democracy and equality.

Words in This Story

liberty - n. the state or condition of people who are able to act and speak freely

dedication - n. a feeling of very strong support for or loyalty¹⁷ to someone or something

devotion - n. a feeling of strong love or loyalty

sculpture - n. a piece of art that is made by carving¹⁸ or molding clay, stone, metal, etc.

canvas - n. a specially¹⁹ prepared piece of cloth on which a picture can be painted by an artist

conservation - n. the things that are done to keep works of art or things of historical importance in good condition

1 negotiated   

谈判，协商，议定( negotiate的过去式和过去分词 )； 兑现（支票等）； 通过，越过（险要路段）

参考例句：

• The government negotiated with the opposition party over the new law. 政府就新法与反对党进行了协商。
• By careful strategy she negotiated a substantial pay rise. 她精心策划后，谈妥了大幅增加工资的事。

2 dedicate   

vt.献身，致力于，把（时间、精力等）用于

参考例句：

• She vowed to herself that she would dedicate her life to scientific studies.她默默地发誓要献身于科学研究。
• To my father I dedicate this volume in token of affection and gratitude.我谨以此书献给我的父亲，以表示对他的爱戴和感激之情。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

5 conceived   

想出( conceive的过去式和过去分词 )； 构想； 设想； 怀孕

参考例句：

• He conceived the idea of transforming the old power station into an arts centre. 他想出了一个把旧发电站改造为艺术中心的主意。
• She has conceived at last. 她终于怀孕了。

6 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

7 proposition   

n.建议，命题，主张；vt.向...提议，向...调情

参考例句：

• The two teams prepared to debate the given proposition.两个队准备就所给定的命题展开辩论。
• It is clearly illogical to maintain such a proposition.坚持这种主张显然是没有道理的。

8 declaration   

n.宣布，宣告，宣言，声明（书），申报

参考例句：

• We read the declaration posted on the bulletin board.我们读了贴在布告板上的声明。
• At the recent convention a declaration was adopted.在最近举行的大会上通过了一项宣言。

9 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

10 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

11 cavalry   

n.骑兵；轻装甲部队

参考例句：

• We were taken in flank by a troop of cavalry. 我们翼侧受到一队骑兵的袭击。
• The enemy cavalry rode our men down. 敌人的骑兵撞倒了我们的人。

12 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

13 canvas   

n.粗帆布，一块油画布

参考例句：

• The times that people used canvas boat have become history.人们用帆船的时代已成为历史。
• Smith painted an oil painting on the canvas.史密斯在画布上画了一幅油画。

14 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

15 historians   

n.历史学家，史学工作者( historian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Historians seem to have confused the chronology of these events. 历史学家好像把这些事件发生的年代顺序搞混了。
• Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。

16 defined   

adj 定义的; 清晰的

参考例句：

• These categories are not well defined. 这些类别划分得不太明确。
• The powers of a judge are defined by law. 法官的权限是由法律规定的。

17 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

18 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

19 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。