The Battle of Gettysburg ended, but what was left behind was unimaginable....51,000 casualties covered the battlefield. As in any momentous event in history, the participants sought some kind of remembrance, something they could gaze at in their twilight years and reminisce about their part of that historical event, and eventually hand down to the next generation. Be it a button, bullet, canteen, photograph, or even a handful of the sacred soilÉ..just something.
Collecting relics and souvenirs continued with the returning veterans and still continues right up until today. I spent the last 20+ years acquiring and cataloging artifacts from this famous battle and have now included many of these rare and unusual pieces in this book. Also included are the often overlooked souvenirs, which now have become collectible in themselves, especially the early examples. It is entirely in color with over 700 photographs and is the first serious study done strictly on the relics and souvenirs from Gettysburg.