Spirits in the Mist

On July 4, 1863, 151 years ago, a severe rainstorm halted any further combat and the Battle of Gettysburg came to an end after three days of fighting. Once the landscape dried and the sun rose again, photographer Timothy O'Sullivan visually documented the "Harvest of Death" left behind on the battlefields.

Today, his images remain some of the most famous and recognized of the Civil War.

 

In this picture, a group of dead soldiers lie in the dirt. The soldier closest to the lens was shot through the abdomen, his shirt stained with dark, dried blood. The soldier to the far right fell with his hand covering his eyes. He looks as "if he were asleep" and merely shielding his brow from the sun. According to author Stefan Lorant, the eerie early morning pictures "inspired the Gettysburg Address."

As of this morning, a rain like mist has settled over the battlefields and unmarked graves of Gettysburg, almost as if the spirits of the deceased have returned to walk the land once more.

So from the beautiful fog of Gettysburg to wherever you are spending the day, may God Bless America, from sea to shining sea, in the land of the free because of the brave.

Happy Fourth of July.

XOXO, Kate