On July 1, 1863, Confederate generals Gordon and Ewell converged at the Gettysburg town square, having stampeded the Army of the Potomac which fled down Baltimore Street.
"Are you hurt, sir?" Ewell famously asked Gordon.
Today the square in Gettysburg vibrates with tourists, troops of Boy Scouts, wailing emergency vehicles, and an unrelenting stream of traffic.
The din of battle could have been no louder than the trucks now rounding the center of town.
We are not hurt, sir, but our hearing may be permanently impaired.