Well, it’s finally here, the 150th anniversary of the Civil War’s most recognized battle: Gettysburg. This summer, the still-small Pennsylvania town that played host to the epic three-day engagement, which took place July 1-3, 1863, will be overrun by another invading force, as many thousands of tourists flock to an impressive array of commemorative events, from lectures and battle reenactments to book signings and musical concerts.

For much of the last 150 years, Gettysburg has been the object of endless public and scholarly fascination. But in recent years much of that focus has shifted elsewhere. Gettysburg used to be considered the event that marked the conflict’s “turning point,” but today that honor usually goes to one of several occurrences in the war’s western theater, like the fall of Vicksburg, Mississippi. At the same time, many buffs and scholars have moved their attention to events and issues that seem more current and unresolved, like the impact of the environment on Civil War armies or the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment.

Still, there is something about Gettysburg that continues to attract long-time enthusiasts and new-to-the-Civil-War visitors alike—and no doubt always will. This issue’s lead article (“Badge of Honor,” page 32) is a testament to that special allure, chronicling the lengths to which some Gettysburg “diehards” will go for the honor of leading visitors across the battlefield. And Stephen Berry’s “Casualties of War” column on the dead of Gettysburg (page 30) is a reminder of just how great the cost was to those who fought there.

You’ll find a lot (and a lot new) about Gettysburg—from stories of courage and loss to the contemporary reaction to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address—in the pages of this special issue. And while no single issue can capture everything there is to know about an event as significant as Gettysburg, we hope you’ll have a better sense of it all, including its enduring appeal, by the time you’re through.