File:13. Dedication Address by James Coleman, July 3, 1982 Page 2 (45770057-0cd3-4f45-9d88-793dc889c097).jpg

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the ambition of the pharaohs to be remembered forever; the Greek and Roman ruins are still monuments to the greatness of the classical world; the Lion’s Mound at Waterloo still reminds us of Napoleon’s own ambition and of the end of his ambition for the common glory of France; at Bunker Hill to the obelisk represents our own forefathers’ commitment to freedom and a representative from of government. The American Civil War and its Paramount Battle at Gettysburg came to represent for the generation who struggled on the fields of battle one of the most apparent examples of American heroism and valor. The gigantic scale of this battle, of the war, and of the great loss of American life demand an equally gigantic form of commemoration from the survivors and from their posterity. As a result, there was initiated at Gettysburg a type of monumentation that honored not only the generals and other leaders, but the common soldier of the regiment, who represented all Americans. But the monuments themselves are not limited to merely a commemorative purpose. Their inscriptions are so written and their positions are so located that they can instruct the visitors and interpret the battle. It takes little imagination to envision the brigade and division lines of battle as we look at the rows of monuments, many adorned with figures of those American heroes who fought and died here. We can tell where each regiment fought, where our American ancestors fought and fell. In a larger sense these monuments instill in the millions of visitors who look upon

• Keywords: Gettysburg; Gettysburg National Military Park; monuments; memorials; Photography; virtual experience; battlefield