Jun 27, 2013

See photos from reenactments of the Battle of Gettysburg through the years.

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: A Union artillery officer fires his pistol at the retreating Confederates during a reenactment in 2003. (Robert London / The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: Holding their battle flag high, Confederate troops make a desperate attempt to breech the Union Line during a reenactment in 2003. (Robert London / Special to The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: Confederate troops fire artillery at Union troops during a reenactment in 2003. (Robert London / Special to The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: Sgt. Tony Mallory and Capt. Carl Popavick slash at each other during a reenactment in 2003. (Robert London / Special to The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: Capt. Craig Beachler and his guidon bearer, Dennis Harlow, lead the Union charge during a reenactment in 2003. (Robert London / Special to The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: William C. Oates, commander of the 15th Alabama Regiment leads his troops toward the Round Tops, unaware that Little Round Top is now occupied by Union forces in 2003. (Robert London / Special to The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: Actor Patrick Gorman portrays Confederate Maj. Gen. John Bell Hood during a reenactment in 2003. (Robert London / Special to The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: General James Longstreet, portrayed by veteran reenactor, Ron Hawkins, and Major Moxley Sorrel, portrayed by Ron’s son Eric, salute the troops in 2003. (Robert London / Special to The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: Bill Raymond of the U.S. Cavalry rides during a reenactment in 2003. (Robert London / Special to The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: As the Irish Brigade moves forward, exhausted Union troops move to the rear during a reenactment in 2002. (Robert London / Special to The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: Almost all of the Confederate infantrymen who breached the Angle are either killed or captured during a reenactment in 2002. (Robert London / Special to The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: Charlie Doutt of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry moves out with his carbine drawn and ready for action during a reenactment in 2002. (Robert London / Special to The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: A full scale cavalry battle is made up of many one-to-one actions during a reenactment in 2002. (Robert London / Special to The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: Union color bearer Nat Williams rides into battle during a reenactment in 2002. (Robert London / Special to The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: Union artillery fires back during a reenactment in 2002. (Robert London / Special to The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: Union reenactor commander, Dave Valuska and his command staff survey the field before the battle during a reenactment in 2002. (Robert London / Special to The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: A Union shell finds its mark and a Confederate artilleryman goes down during a reenactment in 2002. (Robert London / Special to The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: Actor Andy Waskie portrays Union Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, commander of the Army of the Potomac, during a reenactment in 2002. (Robert London / Special to The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: Union and Confederate cavalrymen fight a fierce mounted battle during a reenactment in 2001. (Robert London / Special to The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: A Confederate artillery battery fires during a reenactment of Hood’s Advance Saturday morning in 1999. (Jerry Jackson / The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: Confederate troops fire towards the Union soldiers during a reenactment in 1999. (Jerry Jackson / The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: Confederate and Union troops meet on the battlefield during a reenactment in 1999. (Jerry Jackson / The Baltimroe Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: Confederate infantry march across the battlefield towards the Union position during a reenactment in 1998. (Chiaki Kawajiri / The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: Union and Confederate cavalry troops engage in close combat during a reenactment in 1998. (Chiaki Kawajiri / The Baltimore Sun)

: Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg: Members of the 3rd Battery, 1st Michigan Light Artillery, Sam Odom (left) of Olivet, Michigan and Erik Linquist of East Lansing, Mich. take cover from the sun during a reenactment in 1998. This is the first Gettysburg reenactment for both. (Jerry Jackson / The Baltimore Sun)

It might have been the Battle of Taneytown
By Michael Dresser, The Baltimore Sun
June 29, 2013

If Union Gen. George Gordon Meade had his way, the battle that changed the course of the Civil War would have taken place on Maryland soil.

A fight in a Pennsylvania crossroads town called Gettysburg wasn’t in his plans for July 1, 1863. Nor was the Confederate commander, Robert E. Lee, looking for a fight that day and in that place. But a chance encounter of a Confederate unit in search of supples and Union cavalry on patrol foiled Meade’s plans to set a trap for Lee in Carroll County.

What might have gone down in history as the Battle of Taneytown — or Big Pipe Creek — never happened. Instead the three-day battle took place about 15 miles up the road and across the state line. It would end in a Confederate defeat, after Lee’s attempt to storm Union-held Cemetery Ridge ended in the bloody repulse of Pickett’s Charge.

A century and a half later, the Battle of Gettysburg still grips the imagination of scholars and ordinary Americans. Over the next weekweek, an estimated 200,000 people are expected to jam the area for dozens of events that commemorate the battle. That includes a ceremony Sunday, followed by a procession to the national cemetery established after the battle.

The Battle of Gettysburg reenactments through the years

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