For Samuel, walking the grounds of Gettysburg is more than a historical exercise—it is a deeply personal experience tied to the humanity of those who fought there. During a recent visit, he set aside a few hours to walk through the cemetery alone, an act he says he is always drawn to. Reading the plaques and noticing the ages of those buried there left a lasting impression. “It’s hard not to be moved by that and to have a reverence for it,” he said.
He described the day as fascinating and moving, spending hours on foot exploring the battlefield’s many monuments, which are so spread out that most visitors rely on the driving tour. What struck him most was the sheer vastness of the landscape. He compared the feeling to standing on the beaches of Normandy, where the scale of the terrain makes the brutality of the fighting and the exposure of the soldiers impossible to fully grasp until you are physically there. “If you made it through that, how that must affect you for the rest of your life,” he reflected.
For Samuel, that emotional connection is exactly what keeps people returning to Gettysburg. He is currently there with his wife, and the two have already discussed bringing their children back soon. “It’s like, what better way to teach history than to walk where other humans have walked?
” he said.