The 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg

Quick answer: What happened at the 75th anniversary of Gettysburg?

In July 1938, nearly 2,000 Union and Confederate veterans gathered at Gettysburg for a final reunion, and on July 3 President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the Eternal Light Peace Memorial before a crowd estimated at a quarter of a million people.

One hundred sixty years ago, the largest and costliest battle ever fought on American soil raged for three days around the crossroads town of Gettysburg. Seventy-five years after it, in 1938, Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the Eternal Light Peace Memorial there before a huge crowd and nearly 2,000 aging veterans of both armies. John worries that our collective memory of Gettysburg and the Civil War is fading, and with it the lessons and the understanding of sacrifice those veterans hoped would last. He shares photographs from that reunion as a reminder that the battle is closer than it seems. Some of the children who watched the old soldiers in 1938 are still alive. Shake hands with one of them, and you are only two handshakes from men who fought at Gettysburg.

Why it matters for leaders: History feels distant until you realize how few lifetimes separate us from it, which makes it our job to pass it on.

Q: What is the Eternal Light Peace Memorial?

Q: How many veterans attended the 1938 reunion?

A: About 1,800 to 2,000 Union and Confederate veterans, most in their nineties.

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By John Fenzel, founder and CEO of Heroes' Path Foundation