Do you know how many native New Yorkers have never visited the Statue of Liberty? To them, it’s a tourist attraction, and they don’t consider themselves tourists. Maybe that’s what keeps you from touring Gettysburg … or then, maybe it’s those memories of sitting between your siblings in the back seat of the station wagon while Dad stopped at every monument and field, droning on about military strategy and recounting the tale of unthinkable human carnage that occurred during that one critical month in 1863 when the Blue and Gray met on this land.

Either way, you’re not inclined to believe the Battlefield can evoke feelings of reverence and pride; it can — and it should, particularly in the hearts and souls of Pennsylvanians. That’s why it’s time to approach the visit a new way. What a travesty it would be to visit Gettysburg as if it’s just a picnic area with hills for the kids to climb and the Land of Little Horses down the road. In fact, it’s a place all Americans should visit to pay tribute to the triumph and tragedy that took place on those fields.

From Harrisburg, it’s a quick 45-minute drive south on 11/15 (and then 15) to Gettysburg, known before July 1863 as just a little town southwest of Philadelphia. Before heading to the National Park, stop at the National Civil War Wax Museum. There, you’ll get a quick review of the events of that humid, fateful July. Then, meander across the road to the National Cemetery, where you can pause in the eerie silence and pay homage to some of the many thousands who fell on this land over 100 years ago.

Next, visit that eye-sore noticeable from just about anywhere in town … the National Tower, “Where history comes alive.” Built on the site on Lincoln’s famous Address, it offers yet another account of the largest battle ever fought on American soil. (The low estimate is that there were 800,000 casualties in this battle — and that’s nearly a third of the three million soldiers who fought in the entire war. Extrapolated in terms of national population today, it would be like wiping out most of, say, New England.) Though aesthetically unappealing and repeatedly threatened by history buffs and developers alike (whose mutual though competitive goal is to rid the town of the monstrosity), the tower’s 307-foot-high vantage point gives you a great perspective on where the armies struggled.

You are now equipped with some basic historical facts and a good idea of the lay of the land.

Now think — what would be a good way to approximate the experience of one of the officers who led his men in this tragic yet key event? On the back of a horse.

Never been perched in the saddle before? Don’t worry. Before getting on, licensed battlefield tour guides will go over the important things you’ll need to know: mounting, starting, turning, and the ever-important stopping. With this knowledge at hand, you’re ready to ride.

“Ride into History” horses are well-trained and so familiar with the tour that they stop and start on cue with little direction. You’ll think your horse is merely humoring you when he allows you to complete a command. If it weren’t for the surroundings, you might think you were on that Hershey Park dairy truck ride that runs along its little track regardless of what you do with the steering wheel. But you look about and you’re struck by the inescapable fact that you’re not in an amusement park or even just on any old trail ride — not by far.

After the first ten minutes, as your death grip on the saddle becomes less intense, you’ll be so comfortable you’ll be imagining yourself riding alongside General Meade, visualizing Pickett’s Charge or lines of infantry going forth into battle.

Now it’s time to remember.

Note the costly marble statues and memorials that dot the battlefields. They are proof of the anguish of the parents of the fallen soldiers. Many of the memorials are much newer than others. Wonder why? Parents of Confederate soldiers were denied the right to build them until many years later.

Consider this: This battle — and war — was quintessentially American. Fought not for a change in borders, or loot, or military honors, it was about principles, ideals, and honor. Okay, both sides had economic motivators, as well. But not the young men who died. They were fighting for what they believed was right.

By now, the idea of giving your credit card a good American workout at the plethora of souvenir shops sporting toy muskets and Abe Lincoln memorabilia sounds just too touristy to believe. Your somber mood just doesn’t mesh with the must-have reproduction of the Gettysburg Address emblazoned on a mug. But that means you’ve achieved something important. You’ve experienced, in a small way, the experience of those who fell so we could live on with the guarantees of freedom we sometimes take for granted. By visiting, by imagining the lives of those soldiers, you’ve validated the sacrifices made during those muggy days in July which forever altered the reputation of this little town southwest of Philadelphia.

So, see it by car, by foot, by mountain bike, or on horseback. But understand the courage and fear and trust and devotion that these fields now represent. Understand that every man on that battlefield thought he was doing the right thing for family, friends, and way of life. Conceive of the incredible loss. Gettysburg is no more a tourist attraction alone than is that great and symbolic Lady who graces New York’s harbor. At either spot, if you let your imagination and your emotions ride free, if you believe what those who passed before us did, the spirits of those who trafficked those fields or those waters will be well satisfied. And in Gettysburg, the young men beneath those monuments will perhaps smile, and sleep on.

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