In early July, 1863, troops from General Robert E. Leeâs Army of Northern Virginia (the Confederates) met up with a patrol of Union cavalry on the outskirts of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Over the next three days, this encounter grew into a turning point of the Civil War.
In the South, lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum) can also transmit Lyme disease or a closely related illness. Ticks have four life stages: egg, larva, nymph and adult. In each stage after hatching, they suck blood from animals like mice, squirrels, birds and deer.
Prompt removal of ticks can prevent infection. Not all types of ticks carry Lyme disease. In the eastern United States, the black-legged tick, commonly known as the deer tick, is responsible for transmitting the disease. Deer ticks are common in Vermont, but not all of them are infected with the bacteria.