This small town in America is full of romance. From the day of the Battle, and young women who found themselves captivated by the southern charm of Confederate troops. To the blossoming romances of nurses caring for wounded. Today, many find their romance here. Not just by falling in love with the splendor of the Battlefield, or the charming small town with all its shops and resturaunts. But true romance is found in Gettysburg by the many who have found their true love experience here with their significant other, and return to Gettysburg for anniversary celebrations, both historical battle and personal.

Elizabeth Salome Myers was 21 years old when her small town became headline news in the nation July 1st 1863. Sallie had been working as school teacher, living on High Street in Gettysburg. Raised in a large family, she was well versed in nurturing and care giving. A well known member of the community for her connective spirit with her students and their families. After three days of bloody combat, the Presbyterian and Catholic churches nearest her home were overwhelmed with wounded men begging for mercy and care. Sallie, personally was sickened deeply by the sight of blood. However, she could hear the cries of the men in despair from inside her home, and she turned to her parents and told them she must go and be of assistance. Checking in with Dr. Fulton of the Federal Army, she began her nursing duties immediately and worked endless hours in a day. As days stretched into weeks and weeks became one month after another, she provided care to countless wounded men.

The first wounded soldier Sallie met was a young Sergeant Alexander Stewart. The young man had tragically been shot through the lungs and the bullet lodged in his spine. There was no saving his life, and his death was coming, just a matter of how soon and how much he would suffer while waiting to die. Knowing he would never see his family again. Sallie, saw that he was married, and overwhelmed by emotion and also swooning from the coppery smell of blood inside the cathedral. Sallie ran out to the front steps of St. Francis Xavier, and began to breathe deeply. And in her own moment of turmoil, she began to think of this young man, who had a wife he would never see again, and not be able to go home and say goodbye before passing here in a town of strangers, after performing his utmost patriotic duty.

She had been raised old fashioned, in the Victorian Era, where it was believed that you could receive a “good death’ being comforted before your last breath, and also properly mourned and buried afterwards. She composed herself to the task before her, and stepped bravely back inside, pulling her small Bible from her pocket she sat next to the young man and began to read to him from the passage of St. John chapter 14, “Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, you may be also. 4 You know where I am going, and you know the way.” Sallie had Alexander moved from the church pew to her home, thinking since his end was eminent he could at least pass inside a family home, and not inside a bloody hospital. He drew his last breath, under her loving care on July 6th 1863. Sallie wrote to his family, telling them of his fearless duty on the battlefield, and giving them all the details of his endless care inside her home, and the comfortable passing he experienced. Sallie then moved on, caring for individual men effortlessly and selflessly, writing letters to their families, and giving each man she could the one on one attention that others around her could not afford to give.

Alexander’s younger brother Henry, began writing letters to Sallie, first to thank her for the care that she afforded his brother in the absence of his family being able to be with him at the time of his passing. And in 1866 Henry and his mother paid a visit to Gettysburg with intentions to meet Sallie, and thank her personally. As fate would have it, Henry and Sallie became fond of one another, and were married in 1867. Out of such tragedy as the Battle of Gettysburg, Sallie was able to muster the courage and personal strength to provide care to men who lay dying alone and forgotten within the masses. And out of her tender consideration to individuals, the blessing of eternal love was born. She, Henry and the families on both sides would always remember and humbly be grateful for Sallie’s meeting the dying brother, who inadvertently lead her to her husband. And both she and her husband could remember Alexander together everyday. Though, Henry and Sallie’s days together were short. He was struck with illness and died one year into their marriage. However, Sallie was blessed by a son, Henry Jr and Sallie lived in Gettysburg for the rest of their lives. And Young Henry would go on to become a founding member of the Adam’s Historical Society, and also became a well versed surgeon, and built the first X-Ray machine in Gettysburg. Sallie Myers Stewart, and the intertwined story of Alexander and his brother Henry Stewart, lead to the next generation of young Dr. Henry. By her hand in writing and caring, and becoming a wife and mother. The romance of the Myers-Stewart story is one that was able to come down through the years, and today still inspires to others that not only is the sacrifice of these men who died here in 1863 shall never be forgotten, but that also the care of a stranger can unlock so many unknown doors of the future.

Gettysburg today, still finds romance intertwined into its streets and across the Battlefield. So many travel here for the history, and upon arriving, find themselves captivated by the beauty of small town America. For Gettysburg today is a major tourist attraction, seeing millions of visitors each year, and the traffic floods the streets. Yet, you’ll find family owned shops and cafes all through the streets. Coffee shops, dinners, tea houses, chocolate shops and bakeries. Many of Gettysburg’s historic buildings today house these quaint and unique little places that you’ll fall in love with and need to revisit year after year. Tourists of Gettysburg have become patrons to this town, keeping the small business alive and thriving for generations, and also keeping a constant breath of fresh air breathing across the hallowed grounds of the Battlefield. Flags and flowers never cease to be freshly laid at headstones in the cemetery, and also at monument stones on the Battlefield. The photographic love of Gettysburg is alive on social media and everyday inspired with a new memory captured through someone’s lenses and shared for the world to see, and fall in love. Gettysburg is a place for even celebrity visitation, having hosted several U.S. Presidents and dignitaries ever since the day our hallowed grounds were hosted by the words from Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address. Those who died here, shall not have died in vain, and forever shall be remembered with every visitor who comes and writes their own “Gettysburg Romance” Every individual will have their romance to tell of this town, for some it is love and marriage, for other’s it is a simple passion between the tourist and passionate history found here. Other’s come here and become a historian, teacher, author, museum curator or research librarian. One thing is for sure, the name Gettysburg today is still known by almost every citizen of the United States, just as much today, as it was when the country was introduced to this small town in 1863.

Young love is still born here! By those who as individuals love the story of Gettysburg, and the Battlefield becomes their romantic date. Where couples now spend time together, sharing their favorite visiting locations and historical finds. Taking selfies together on the hallowed grounds that once were so tragic and today are so beautiful. A picnic blanket, a book and camera, on a gorgeously sunny day with a gentle breeze blowing across a hot summer day, can so quickly become the most romantic moment between you and your significant other. Couples have been dating in Gettysburg, growing each year together and now share a decade or longer of tradition and sentiments, here on the Battlefield. For Caitlyn and her husband Bryan, they each had a love for American history and would spend beautiful days across the fields of Gettysburg prior to meeting one another. Now together they write their Gettysburg Romance, as it has become their place together to share with each other and create memories. With the support of her husband, Caitlyn is building a photography business for her family, focused on the photographic art of the Battlefield. Capturing is splendor, beauty and romance through the lens of her camera. She not only find herself satisfied in her efforts, but together she and her husband spend time finding new places to photograph as they add to their love story.

I am personally one of those individuals, and share a Gettysburg romance with my husband now for over a decade. Having personally became attached to this Battlefield discovering my bloodline, 4th generational cousin, Samuel Zook was shot and died here on July 3rd 1863. I have always spent my free time in Gettysburg. Meeting my husband through Civil War reenacting as a hobby, we both met one another standing in a field both dressed in Civil War clothing and it was a moment of love at first site. Sharing our stories of love for Gettysburg, I learned from him that he also had a cousin, named Samuel, who was shot in the same battle of the Wheatfield, alongside my cousin Samuel, who was his Samuel’s commanding officer in battle. Both of our cousins bled together side by side 160 years before my husband and I met one another, but we met wearing the same period attire that our cousins did. It feels to my husband and I as though it was meant to be, with our passion for history that was spawned by learning we had blood who died on the Battlefield here, we joined the hobby, and then wearing the period clothes in a historical mindset, we shared a glance that has formed into a decade of combined research and study. Our dream was to live in Gettysburg, and in 2024 this town became our address. We now both live here, and work here, sharing history with the visitors everyday. All out of our passion for not only our cousins, but all who fought here and sacrificed so much for so many.

The town of Gettysburg is quite unique, captivated in time. As much as it has changed, it still very much remains the same as 1863. So much has progressed with modern times, yet so much has been preserved in memory what happened here. It is a romantic town, love was found here then in the midst of tragedy and it blossoms each year with new love stories. What will your addition to Gettysburg’s Romance be? Pay us a visit here in this small town, and find out what it holds in store for your future.