As with the southern Pennsylvania countryside surrounding the town of Gettysburg, the struggles between the United States and Confederate armies from 1861 to 1865 often brought war to beautiful places, with many battles fought in the pastoral landscapes of eastern, southern, and middle America— in rolling fields and woods, along rivers and streams, among farmsteads, and often in or near villages, towns, or cities.

National Park Week is being celebrated this year from April 20 through April 26. Across the system there are dozens, if not hundreds, of special events planned. Here's a look at some of them.

When "controlled burns" are mentioned in the national park system, most thoughts turn to the big, sprawling Western parks, such as Zion, Yellowstone and Yosemite. But using fire as a management tool also is beneficial at places such as Stones River National Battlefield in Tennessee.