Check out this new site by the U.S. Army -- very cool graphics and sound giving a nice history of the Battle of Gettysburg: http://www.army.mil/gettysburg/flash.html

I played the computer game. No matter what I did, the south just couldn't win, the game just kept going and going even though at the end I had all of cemetary ridge and blasted each oncoming division with every artillery piece I had plus captured.

Wow! Is that a website, or is that a website? That is truly brillant. Thanks for sharing it Bob ..

Once again, it raises in my mind at least, the crticism that is always levelled at the U.S.A. by many Europeans... The perception is that the U.S. has no interest in history and only Europe is capable of protecting it's patrimony...

The reality is sadly the contrary. In my (extensive) travels in the U.S. I have found the preservation of historical sites and artifacts, considerably better executed than the overwhelming majority in Europe. The work done in many sites (Manassas & Gettysburg to name but two) by the U.S. National Parks Service is extremely impressive. Only Britain (and France with the Normandy sites) are comparable...

Here in Spain, the sites of major historical importance (battlefields) such as Elviña, Badajoz and Salamanca are frankly derisory - no attempt has been made to present the battle as anything more than a small footnote in a history which is at worst treated with contempt and at best with an official indifference...

The worst example of this contempt (and this is the point where the archaeologists amongst you should stop reading now ), happened last weekend, here in Lugo. There was a three-day 'celebration' of Lugo's Roman past. This involved morons dressed up as Roman sodiers (Plastic helmets included) and no less than two (Hollywood inspired) chariots circulating the streets... A truly depressing experience....

More depressing if one considers that Lugo is one of the richest sites (archaelogically speaking) of late Roman settlements and militarily with some very enigmatic references to the military garrisons at that time - a garrison which is inexplicable due toits composition.

Therefore, sites like the Gettysburg one demonstrate that in this world of barbarians there are still people who care....Thanks, Jim

Here in the U.S. there is a segment of society who have always taken our history seriously and have worked hard to preserve that history. And as for Gettysburg, the National Park Service does a lot with severe budgetary constraints. This year they've lost thirteen full time positions due to budget cuts. And don't forget the volunteers who've adopted and cared for many of the monuments and positions at Gettysburg.

Thanks for the link, Bob!

-Charlie