Years ago, on July 3, 2013, I asked some 50 people who was the winning commanding general at the Battle of Gettysburg, which had come to a dramatic conclusion 150 years before.

Only three or four people knew the correct answer, despite the fact that they were standing just a few feet away from a bronze bust of Gen. George G. Meade near the Barnegat Lighthouse in Barnegat Light and a plaque under the bust that clearly identified him not only as the builder of the iconic lighthouse, but also as the winner of what may be the most important battle in American history.