Gettysburg stands as a turning point in the American Civil War. Union forces under General George Meade defeated Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, halting his invasion of the North and shifting the war’s momentum permanently toward the Union.

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The defeat stopped Lee’s second and most ambitious attempt to bring the war into Northern territory (Pennsylvania), and he never launched another major invasion. 

The three-day battle resulted in over 50,000 casualties, bleeding the Confederate army of experienced veterans and officers whom it could not easily replace. 

The decisive loss, combined with the simultaneous Union victory at the Siege of Vicksburg on July 4, convinced European powers like Britain and France not to recognize or aid the Confederacy. 

The Battle of Gettysburg shattered a long string of demoralizing Eastern defeats, re-energized Northern public support, and strengthened President Abraham Lincoln’s political standing. 

The situation did not look favorable for the Union Army when Confederate forces pushed Federal troops back through the town of Gettysburg into a chaotic retreat. A strong Confederate advance routed the Union XI and I Corps, forcing thousands of panicked Federal soldiers to fall back through the streets. 

Despite the setback, Union commanders quickly regrouped and seized strong defensive positions on high ground south of town, including Cemetery Hill and Culp’s Hill. 

On Saturday, October 17, 2026, a faithful group of intercessors, led by Senator Mastriano and his wife, Rebbie, along with special guests Coach Joe and Denise Kennedy, stood on the high ground of Cemetery Hill in a spiritual act of reclaiming the territory for the Lord.

Matthew Hammack, a faithful man of God who also has an Elijah anointing, opened in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to lead our time of prayer, repentance, recounting, reclaiming, and rededication. 

Senator Mastriano shared about Cemetery Hill, where the future of the nation was decided. He spoke about General Oliver Otis Howard, who was a believer but had a difficult life because of the loss of his father. 

By the end of the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Union troops had been defeated and were retreating toward Baltimore Street. General Howard had previously been outflanked by Stonewall Jackson in another battle, during which his corps broke and ran. President Lincoln gave him a second chance at Gettysburg because of his moral character. 

In 1 Corinthians 1:27, we read about how God uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. In Howard’s brokenness and after his previous defeat, he had to stand and rally the army. 

Howard gave confident orders to his men despite his own brokenness. Captain Price from Maine observed how General Howard commanded his troops and saw the effect a calm person could have during a crisis. 

What you do in life matters. It echoes across eternity and through the generations. Howard’s life was profoundly changed by Hedley Vicars, an Englishman from Britain who shared an unfortunate commonality with Howard: both had lost their fathers. 

Vicars was raised in a Christian home, but he joined the army at age 17 and began drinking and chasing women. His mother, deeply concerned for his spiritual well-being, sent him a care package with a Bible on top. One evening, as he prepared to go out on the town, he threw it onto the table. 

Written in the third person is a letter that Vicars wrote to his mom.  

“It was a month of November 1851, that whilst awaiting the return of a brother officer to his room, he idly turned over the leaves of a Bible which lay on the table, and these words caught his eye. The blood of Jesus Christ His Son will cleanse all of my sin. Closing the book, he said. If this be true for me, henceforth I will live by God’s grace as a man should live who had been washed in the blood of Jesus. That night he scarcely slept pondering in his heart whether it was presumptuous or not to claim an interest in these words.”  

And so, he prayed all night long. The next morning, he met with the regimental chaplain, who led him back to the Lord. His life completely changed. Instead of partying, he visited sick soldiers in the hospital, where he read the Bible to them. He would also write letters home and read letters to the men. 

Vicars’ regimental commander said that when Hedley became a Christian, the Lord changed the lives of half the regiment. Half the regiment came to the Lord through Vicars’ recommitment to Him and the power of his witness. 

Hedley was part of the Siege of Sevastopol, in Crimea, where Russian forces launched a daring nighttime attack to destroy the British and French forces. With his sword in hand, Vicars inspired his men to rally around him because they loved him. They broke the back of the Russian attack, but Vicars was mortally wounded in the battle. 

You can only imagine what his mother was thinking as she asked God, “Why?” In her sadness, she gathered all his letters and compiled them into a book. Copies of this book eventually ended up in the hands of Major Oliver Otis Howard, who was stationed in Tampa, Florida, fighting the Seminole Indians, where malaria was rampant. This was a very difficult time for Howard. 

As an Army officer stationed in Tampa, FL and here in Howard’s own words. 

“I had a small office building near the Arsenal which I use as my sleeping quarters and all I had in that room was a Bible and a copy of Vicars’ life in my hands. And I found my way into a very vivid awakening and change that was so remarkable that always set it down as the day of my conversion. The last day in May of 1857 when I had the feeling of sudden relief of the great depression that had been setting upon me. The joy of that night was so great that it is impossible to describe it in anyway. Suffice it to say that the next morning everything changed to me. The sky was brighter, the trees were more beautiful, and the songs of the birds were ever so sweet to my ears” 

Why? Because Captain Vicars was changed by a simple Scripture from 1 John 1:9: “Jesus Christ will take away all your sin.” Howard’s mind likewise turned to that Scripture. 

What you do in life matters. It echoes across the generations and into eternity. Howard’s life was changed, and he became a strong, born-again Christian. He shared his testimony with his wife and two children, and they also accepted Jesus as their Savior. 

The truth of 1 John 1:9 and the blood of Jesus Christ led Vicars to the Lord. That Scripture changed the man who would later decide to hold this hill—Cemetery Hill. That decision helped save our nation. 

And so, God is looking for us to hold the high ground. Howard was called to this high ground. He could have bypassed it. 

Mastriano’s words will forever echo in my heart and mind. 

Coach Joe and Denise Kennedy could have bypassed the battle to which they were called as well, but they didn’t. Because of their steadfastness and sacrifice, we have more religious freedom than we have seen in over fifty years. 

Coach Joe was an atheist until the Lord grabbed hold of his heart, and he found himself on his knees at the altar, begging God to save his marriage to Denise. When he started coaching, he had made a decision to commit every game to the Lord, win or lose, just as depicted in the movie Facing the Giants.  

When Coach Joe was fired for praying silently on the 50-yard line, he could have given in to the giant he was facing. But he and Denise didn’t. They held the high ground for all of us in an 8 year long legal battle which cost them dearly both personally and professionally. We are forever grateful and are inspired to hold the high ground the Lord has given us. 

It was an awe-inspiring moment when Senator Mastriano awarded Coach Joe a Pennsylvania Freedom Medal on Cemetery Hill in Gettysburg on this date. I fought back tears as I watched, both when the medal was presented and when Rebbie gave Denise a challenge coin and they all embraced. This is a day I have dreamed about for a very long time. 

The Senator also gave IFA a Pennsylvania Senate Proclamation in Recognition of the Rededication of Gettysburg to God.

October 17, 2026, will forever be marked in our spiritual history as the day Senator Mastriano recounted how Jesus stepped into the life of an unknown Englishman through a simple Scripture. God then spoke through that man’s writings to change the life of General Howard, whose boldness in the face of brokenness forever changed the course of United States history. 

It is not lost on me that, in the midst of their brokenness, Coach Joe and Denise also held the high ground and remained in the fight. Their steadfastness led to a monumental victory, overturning 8,000 other religious-infringement cases and leading to more religious freedom than we have had since 1971. 

Following Senator Mastriano’s masterful oration, we entered into a time of repentance led by Matthew Hammack. He repented for the sins that led to the broken covenant of Gettysburg and America, including ties to the Masons, the shedding of innocent blood, and the idolatry of death and war. 

He prayed for forgiveness and for the cleansing of the defilement from the land. He pleaded the blood of Jesus over the land and encouraged us to take on sackcloth as we, too, repented for our own sins and the sins of the nation. A mighty sound arose from the intercessors as they lifted their voices in prayer and agreement. 

I shared prayer proclamations and offered prayers of repentance for the division we see in this land, where we face an ideological civil war of our own. I prayed, asking the Lord for a divine realignment in our nation, for unity to return, and for His mercy and grace to be poured out upon us. 

I asked for the Holy Spirit’s conviction to fall across this nation, leading to repentance and, ultimately, revival. I asked for the shed blood of Jesus to pour out over Gettysburg to cleanse and heal the land. I then prayed and rededicated Gettysburg back to God, declaring the truth of God’s Word. 

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”  Acts 3:19 

Lori Crabtree shared a powerful prayer for healing and for casting down the jackals attacking the land. She declared that the strongholds would come down and proclaimed the Word of the Lord, stating that Adams County belongs to the Lord. She called for godly leaders to sit in positions of governmental authority. She also shared a word from the Lord, calling us to forget the past because He is doing a new thing, in Jesus’ name. She cast down the high places over Gettysburg and this country. She prayed for a garment of praise instead of a spirit of heaviness. 

Amy Jo Herring prayed a powerful decree that had been shared at Cape Henry and declared over Gettysburg that this land is covenanted to God to spread the Gospel to the world. 

Another Holy Spirit-led intercessor offered a powerful prayer to cast down strongholds and called for the hearts of the Lord’s people to return to Him. 

We joined in an “all-pray” time, sealing the prayers of repentance, recounting, reclaiming, and rededication. 

We wait with expectation and anticipation for what the Lord is doing and will continue to do here in Pennsylvania and across this nation. Will you commit to holding the high ground today, even in the face of seemingly impossible circumstances? Even when we are facing a giant barreling down on us? 

I pray that we, as intercessors, will take heart and find hope in the stories shared in this article, knowing that whatever the Lord calls us to do will echo into eternity. Let this be the day we answer the call and hold the high ground for our families and our nation. 

Lord, will you pour out a spirit of hope, boldness, and courage to Your people and across this nation? Oh Lord, forgive us for where we have failed You and lead us into paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. Revive us again, Oh Lord. Let us take hold of the throne of grace where we may receive Your mercy. We cry out for mercy, mercy, mercy Oh Lord in our time of need. Help us to hold the line and not become weary in our well-doing for at the appropriate time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up as Your word says in Galatians 6:9. We love You Lord and we thank You for Your word which never fails. Let the enemy see that he has lost and can never again launch another major invasion. In Jesus’ name, Amen 

How are you holding the high ground in your area? Share your prayers and scriptures in the comments below. 

April Walker loves God and seeks to serve Him in all she does. She is a proud mom of a 20-year old son, a PA State Co-leader for IFA, a former School Board Director, an organizer for NDOP and ASHP events, a GOP Committee member for Carbon County, an Occupational Therapist, and a vocalist. She feels that writing for and working with IFA brings all her passions together. Photo Credit: Amy Jo Herring.