The Field and Monuments

While you are at it you may want to have them send you: _The Location of the Monuments, Markers and Tablets on Gettysburg Battlefield_ as compiled by the GNMP chief historian; Kathleen Georg Harrison. This book has some general information of the organization of monuments on the field, but is particularly valuable in listing every marker known to be on the field, along with it's location, dedication date(s) and certain other information.

Another recently published book that is useful for monument study is: _Gettysburg The Complete Pictorial of Battlefield Monuments_ by D. Scott Hartwig and Ann Marie Hartwig. Scott Hartwig has written for the Gettysburg Magazine and is superintendant of the NPS research library at Gettysburg. His book like Kathy Harrison's contains a sketch of the history of monumentation on the battlefield and a picture of almost every monument on the field. It is a very useful catalog to refer to when studying other sources of information about the monuments, as you can see a photo of the monument in question.

Vanderslice's _Gettysburg Then and Now_ is a seminal work on the creation of the battlefield and the erection of the monuments thereupon, during the 1st 30 years following the battle. This book will tell you such information as which monument was the first erected outside the National Cemetery as well as which was the first regimental monument erected on the field (2d Mass monument near Spangler's Spring in 1879). This book is not as readily available, but Morningside bookstore may be able to get it for you.

The various state monument commission books are difficult to find outside of Civil War Bookshows, or old bookstores, such as the Farnsworth House in Gettysburg. But if you can find a set of _Pennsylvania at Gettysburg_ and _New York at Gettysburg_ (running about $100 - 150 for a 2 vol Pennsylvania set on the average, and about $150 for the 3 vol NY set) you will find a great amount of information about the monuments as well as the regiments that erected them. The monument commission books contain the speeches and dedicatory exercises conducted for the monuments of the State represented by the commission. I will finish this with an excerpt of the address given Set 11,1889 by Col H. N. Warren, at the dedication ceremonies for the monument to the 142d Pa. Vol Infantry regiment:

"Comrades: We are here today to perform one of the most solemn duties of our lives-to dedicate this monument to the sacred memory of our brave and faithful associates who, a quarter of a century ago marched with us shoulder to shoulder in the line of duty, and who did more than we, for, as Providence whould have it, they gave up their lives that their country might live..."

"This monument, comrades, will tell the world-yes, generations yet unborn, that the men who composed the One hundred and forty-second Pennsylvania Volunteers were patriots; it will be our silent yet potential monitor proclaiming our sacrifice to loyalty, our love for the Union, and our devotin to the stars and stripes. It will impress our children when we are gone, with the fact that their fathers dared to die that their country might live...This monument, comrades, will live for ages after we have been laid to rest 'under the shade of the trees.' It will be an evidence that the One hundred and forty-second Pennsylvania Volunteers was one of the regiments of the old First Corps which, on the 1st day of July, 1863, under the gallant Reynolds, first intercepted and gave battle to the great army of invaders who were then, with almost superhuman efforts, trying to transfer the seat of war into Pennsylvania, lay waste her beautiful homes, and, if possible, capture and take possession of her populous cities..."

For Patrick King:
To get a good idea of what Gettysburg looked like shortly after the battle I recommend 3 books for you. _Gettysburg A Journey In Time_, by Wm Frassanito, _The Gettysburg BiCentennial Album_ by Wm. Frassanito, and _Gettysburg Then and Now_ by John Vanderslice. Each of these books contains a very large number of photographs of the post-battle field.

Journey in Time contains photos primarily taken within the 1863-1866 time frame. Then and Now has over 125 photos of the field taken within 30 years of the battle. The Bicentennial Album has photos of Gettysburg spanning a time period from the earliest known photo of the burg, to about the 1940s-50s time frame.

I believe all 3 books are available from The Morningside Bookshop, 258-260 Oak Street, Dayton Ohio 45410 Ph: 1-800-648-9710. Fax 1-513-461-4260. Vanderslice has been out of print at Morningside, but they promise to reprint it once they have 100 orders for it, and I don't think that will take to long for them to get. You can tell them you would like a current catalog so that you can order from them and you will be amazed at the fantastic Civil War specific reading they supply.

Morningside also publishes the Gettysburg Magazine. One stop shopping for all your reading needs!

In general the Gettysburg battlefield is much more wooded today. Culp's Hill, Little Round Top, actually just about everywhere you go, you will find that there is very much non-historic vegetation. You will see this if you have a chance to study the photographs in the 3 books named above (not to mention seeing all the urban/commercial glut which has grown up around the field).

Many people feel that there are too many monuments at Gettysburg. I think that these people view them as artificial and an intrusion on the battlefield. In my opinion, nothing could be farther from the truth. The monuments are witnesses that were left behind by the veterans of the Gettysburg battle. Their purpose is to stand on the field to represent the men of the regiments who fought there. The monuments were placed by the men who did battle on the field to tell their story to the generations that are yet to come.

Many people are overwhelmed by the profusion of markers on the field. What they often do not realize is that the markers are placed according to specific rules, originally set forth by the first custodians of the field, the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association. Because of the monuments and markers, the Gettysburg battlefield is a self-interpreting memorial. For those who know how to read the field, no guide is needed. Here are some of those rules as adopted by the GBMA July 3, 1887:

• On the front of each monument must be the number of the regiment or battery, State, brigade, division and corps, in letters not less than four inches long, and in addition thereto, the time the regiment held the position and a brief summary of any important movement it made.
• If the regiment was actively engaged, its effective strength and casualties must be given, which must agree with the official records of the War Department. If it was in reserve it should be so stated.
• If the same position was held by other troops, or if the command occupied more than one important position, the inscription should explain it...
• Any statue or figure of a soldier must be so placed as to face the enemy's line.
• The monument must be on the line of battle held by the grigade unless the regiment was detached, and if possible the right and left flanks of the regiment or battery must be marked with stones not less than two feet in height.
• If the same line was held by other troops the monuments must be placed in the order in which the several commands occupied the grounds, the first being on the first line, the second at least twenty feet in the rear of it and so on, the inscriptions explaining the movements. "Recommendations:"
• As the memorials erected upon this field will not only mark the positions held by the several commands, but will also be regimental or battery monuments, and in most instances the only ones ever erected by them, the Memorial Association strongly recommends that the inscription be not only historically accurate but be sufficient in detail to give an idea of the services of the command...
• In the years to come, when the identity of the regiment shall have been merged in the history of the battle, the visitor to this great battlefield will be interested to know just where the troops from his city or county fought and to learn something of the services rendered by them. It is therefore recommended that upon one side of the monument should be stated the part of the State from which the regiment was recruited, dates of muster in and muster out, total strength and losses during its service and the battles in which it participated."

When you know the story behind the placement of the monuments at Gettysburg, they take on a much greater meaning than you first suspect.

Terry

Hello Bergers,
I am a pastor of a church and have recently been taking my congregation through the OT book of Joshua focusing on the all the monuments that the Children of Israel build or leave behind. (4:1-9; 7:26; 8:28-29; 10:27; 22:26-28; 24:25-27). The pillars, or heaps, or altars, are all for the purpose of witness to the succeeding generations of what happened there. (note particularly 4:6).

The book, written (I think) durning the time of the Judges, contains the phrase that the stones (or other artifacts) "remain to this day". In terms of the history of redemption in biblical terms, this is designed for the purpose of perpetuating the faith of the sophomore generation and their heirs who were not eye-witnesses to the mighty acts and huge confrontations that occured at the sites.

Always the burden of history is to help those who come later appreciate and understand. Nothing quite like a big stone or monument to help in the story telling. Gives a kid something to identify with; something to run his hands over and marvel at. "At this place something happened that touches you. Something very big. Can you feel the earth shake? Someone went to a lot of trouble to tell you about it."

The monuments (in Joshua) are also for covenant keeping. They represent promises that were made there. They are seals of the faithfulness and certitude of the promise keepers.

Certainly the monuments at Gettysburg function in similar ways. The stained ground, the sacrifices, the desperate charges, were all in the interest of having it not happen again. These stones tell of it.

I say keep the monuments!

Shalom
John Schuurman

Hi John,
I enjoyed your message relating the monuments at Gettysburg with biblical monuments and the purpose and significance they were meant to convey to the Children of Israel. Religion played a big role in the life of the victorian soldier and the biblical symbolism and meaning of the monuments was not lost on them. I thought you might enjoy this portion of a&127;&127; speech given by Major Chillon W. Hazzard of the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association during the dedication ceremonies of the Pennsylvania monuments. Major Hazzard is giving the speech on the behalf of the GBMA, accepting the Pennsylvania monuments into the care of the association. It is a very lengthy talk, full of allusions to other monuments, and in it's entirety it is much longer than I feel capable of typing here. However you will find the complete text starting on Pg 97 in _Pennsylvania at Gettysburg_ Vol. 1. The speech is entitled:

'What Mean These Stones'

"We read in the Bible of Joshua: How that great General, in his campaign against Jericho, when he came to the Jordan, the river parted, and the children of Israel passed over dry shod.

In commemoration of this event the Lord directed Joshua to have one man from each tribe take up a stone, and having come to the other side, build there a monument.

And the reason of it was this: So that, when your children ask, in time to come, "What mean these stones?" It shall be told to them that the Lord showed his favor to the children of Israel. The monument set up at Gilgal was to "tell the story" to the children in time to come.

You are here today to set up a pile of stones, as did Israel at Gilgal, to tell the story to those who may come after you, and who will ask, "What mean these stones?"

... What, then, will these stones tell to the children of men? The answer has been given by immortal lips. They will tell of Pennsylvanians who died here that this Government of the people shall not perish forever from the earth. These stones, these monuments, will say to the children of men, as Abraham Lincoln said when he dedicated yonder monument: 'Gather ye here increased devotion to the cause for which they gave their lives.'

And now, in the name of the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association, we accept these monuments, and will give them our tenderest care.

Even though I'm conflicted about being called a "berger," I fully agree with John Schuurman's message about monuments. I'll even go as far as saying that Antietam would be better off with more of 'em.

Ironic, though, that Gettysburg's fields of stone were cultivated by as areligious a man as Dan Sickles. Rabid republican George Templeton Strong once said of democrat Dan that he was "one of the bigger bubbles in the scum of the legal profession, swollen and windy, and puffed out with fetid gas - one might as well try to spoil a rotten egg as to damage Dan's character."

Ben Maryniak

There is no certainty about the place where Strong Vincent was mortally wounded (not to mention at which farm he died five days later). The traditional account has him running toward his right flank to stiffen the resolve of the 16th Michigan when he was hit - that spot is traditionally placed on LRT's south slope, marked by a small white stone. The boulder atop LRT, just north of the 12th/44th NYV "castle", bears a carving (the carving is older than the white stone, although the white stone was among the first five markers placed on the Gburg battlefield) that claims Vincent met his end on the rock. Mike Priest (author of Antietam The Soldiers Battle, etc) and I have long felt that the boulder would have been a likely spot from which to observe the brigade, spread out as it was, mid-way up the LRT slope. I dunno which is correct, but I know the preponderance of tradition is with the small white marker.

From: CSVZ07A@prodigy.com ( TERRY MOYER)

Th following speech was given at the dedication ceremony for the 83d Penna monument, Sept 11, 1889. The source of the quote is of course Penna at Gettysburg. The editor and compiler of the book (at least my 1914 edition): John P. Nicholson

DEDICATION OF MONUMENT

83D REGIMENT OF INFANTRY

SEPTEMBER 11, 1189

ADDRESS OF COLONEL D.C. McCOY

"Comrades: - When some years ago the proposition was first made to our association to erect, on this historic field, a memorial in honor of those who here fought and fell, it was well-understood that there would be difficulties to meet and obstacles to overcome. When a committee was appointed to carry out the project, it was known that the duties and labours of the committee would be various and arduous, requirng a considerable sacrifice of time; but it was manifestly proper that the idea should be carried out, and that the monument so erected should have inscribed upon it the names of those who here gave their lives in defense of our government against the assaults of armed treason. It was also fitting that such a memorial shaft should be surmounted by a statue of our leader, the gifted, genial, gallant Vincent, who here, with the others named, gave his young life, with all its future bright prospects, a sacrifice upon the altar of his country.

After years of effort on your part, and after considerable progress had been made, the State of Pennsylvania came to your aid, and made the success of the undertaking not only possible but readily practicable, and to-day we behold in this beautiful monument the end of your labors and the consummation of our desires."

Vincent is a uniquely recognizable individual (he has Strong features - sorry, but who could resist?). When you look at his portrait statue atop the 83d monument there is no mistaking who is the officer represented there.

The Vincent group announced plans to request a Congressional Medal of Honor in January of 1995. The dedication of the statue was this past September and no announcement was at that point, so the natural assumption is that he did not receive it, or else it may still be in progress (didn't see it in the Contract with America).

The Col. Patrick Henry O'Rorke Memorial Society contacted a Rochester-area member of Congress for the purpose of exploring the possibility of a Medal of Honor for O'Rorke. The request was forwarded to the Dept. of the Army along with a seven-page informational package. We felt at the time that we had precedence for the award in terms of the time factor and the fact that O'Rorke had been killed. Although current MOH regulations require the award be given within two years of the date of action, the last Civil War MOH was granted in 1917. Also, a cursory glance at the MOH recipients show at least five that received MOHs in actions in which they were killed or mortally wounded.

We were aware at that time of the 1917 tribunal that examined all CW MOH cases and rescinded 910 medals, but were unaware of a 1918 law that swept the slate clean of claims for Civil War medals. Since then no medals for CW actions have been awarded, although in 1989 five names struck in 1917 were reinstated. The O'Rorke Society was turned down for these "statute of limitations" reasons, although I could not find a copy of the letter with the official wording.

In August of 1995 at a Clarence, NY (outside Buffalo) Civil War show I talked with some of the people manning the Vincent table there. They were aware of the O'Rorke efforts, but said they had further precendents which they felt would allow awarding the medal to Vincent.

In retrospect, speaking for myself, success for either party would probably have been more trouble than it was worth. Can you imagine how many groups and ancestors would start petitioning for MOH? I believe that the system, whatever its shortcomings or exclusions, should be left alone.

Vincent did receive the honor of a brigadier-general's commission, awarded by Meade. O'Rorke was strangely ignored of even any official commendation from either his corps (and former division) commander George Sykes or his division commander Romeyn Ayres. Sykes gushed over Vincent and Weed but made only a cursory mention of O'Rorke. Why? I don't know. The O'Rorke Memorial Society succeeded in raising $8,000 for a larger-than-life bronze bust of O'Rorke, as well as two large museum-quality interpretive panels which accompany the bust. One panel describes activities on the homefront in Rochester and Monroe County during the war; the second panel has information on O'Rorke and the fighting units of Monroe County. It is currently housed in the visitor's center of a city-run museum at the Browns Race Historical District in downtown Rochester, situated above the middle falls of the Genesee River. The bust and display will be moved when an expansion of the downtown library is completed. The Society in the past year also commissioned an artist to do a painting of O'Rorke on Little Round Top (I have already posted info on the prints) and that painting will also most likely move into the library. However the Society has not had success in gaining the civic cooperation/recognition that Erie has done with Vincent. We can't even get a school named after O'Rorke, despite written School Board rules that give precendence to Rochesterians of note. O'Rorke was a graduate of the Rochester Public Schools who made good - first in his class at West Point. The school which O'Rorke attended (No. 9) is the Frederick Douglass school, so no chance of a change there, but a recently a school was named after famous Rochesterian (read sarcasm) Roberto Clemente (and I am a life-long Pirates' fan).

A few days back, someone commented on the role played by Colonel Ireland and the 137th NYV on Culp's Hill. Though not forgotten for his contribution at Culp's Hill, Binghamton NY boy Ireland has his own monument at Lookout Mountain, where he took over for the wounded George Greene. This brings up the tangential subject of New York monuments outside of Gettysburg. Whether or not you ever wanted to know, here they all are:

• 28th NYV - Culpeper VA
  
• 128th NYV - Cedar Creek VA
  
• 49th NYV - Spotsylvania VA
  
• 5th NYV - Manassas VA
  
• 14th Brooklyn - Manassas VA
  
• 10th NYV - Manassas VA
  
• 122nd NYV - Ft Stevens DC
  
• 25th NY Cavalry - Ft Stevens DC
  
• 79th NYV - Knoxville TN
  
• 104th NYV - Antietam MD
  
• 34th NYV - Antietam MD
  
• 14th Brooklyn - Antietam MD
  
• 9th NYV - Antietam MD
  
• 20th NYV - Antietam MD
  
• 51st NYV - Antietam MD
  
• 59th NYV - Antietam MD
  
• 4th NYV - Antietam MD
  
• NY at Antietam MD
  
• NY at Vicksburg MS
  &127;
• David Ireland's Brigade (60th, 78th, 102nd, 137th, 149th NYV) - Lookout Mountain TN
  
• NY Peace Monument - Lookout Mountain TN
  
• NY Troops of XI Corps - Orchard Knob TN
  
• NY Troops at Andersonville GA
  
• 8th NYHA - Cold Harbor VA
  
• NY Troops of XI Corps - Brown's Ferry Road
  (134th, 154th, 136th, 45th, 143rd, 58th, 119th, 141st, 68th, 60th, 78th, 102nd, 137th, 149th,1st NYLA I, 13th NY Batt)

Artillery monuments on Powers Hill which mark the positions of Cothran's, Rigby's, & Knapp's Batteries are linked to a pair on either side of Hunt Avenue where it ends in the Baltimore Pike. All under XII Corps artillery chief Lt Edward Muhlenberg, these regular batteries of Kinzie and Rugg joined the Powers Hill guns (and Taft's NY Battery on Cemetery Hill) in a unique 15-minute barrage early on July 3 that was supposed to soften up Johnson's division before an attack by Geary. Despite the Yankee artillery, the Confederates beat Geary to the punch and the artillery was ordered to continue firing into the CSA left, their rounds going over Pardee field and Spangler's Spring, over the heads of Union troops. Though no good accounts exist to say what the artillery did to the Johnnies, the 20th Connecticut monument on Culp's Hill was unveiled in 1885 by armless George Warner, who was one of many victims of "friendly fire" early on July 3.

Ben, I liked your description of how Kinzie and Rugg(? not familiar with him) fit into the Power's hill artillery barrage against Culp's hill. I always see Kinzie's granite marker when I cut over to the Baltimore road via Hunt avenue, but I always have trouble picturing where exactly everyone was shooting. When you mentioned the rounds passing over Pardee and the area around Spangler's, that helps me picture the barrage. The heavy forestation of Power's (not to mention Culp's) hills today is not very conducive to interpreting events. I read the story of George Warner too, but never quite pictured where the rounds that hit him came from. Your little dissertation made it click for me. It is funny how you can read something one time and reread it a year or two later and it makes so much more sense (as you begin to recognize more and more of the puzzle pieces and where they fit in).

From: benedict@ns.moran.com (Benedict R Maryniak)
Subject: out-of-the-way park sites

The 5th Ohio's owl. Along the park road on the north edge of Pardee Field stand monuments to the 147th PV (shaped like a star) and 5th OVI. Walk behind the 5th's monument to a rise and you'll find the unit's owl "mascot" urging "Boys, keep the colors up" on a circular plaque set into the rocks where the unit was actually deployed. Though I've never found mention of it, Ohio monuments at Gburg have various animal badges. On the higher of Culp's Hills, either the 29th or the 7th Ohio has a rooster badge. I first thought that the 5th's owl had something to do with german members - the 20th NYV was raised by the New York Turnverein, whose symbol was an owl (the theme of the 20th's monument at Antietam), but I don't think that is the answer.

Hi Ben,
Loved your 5th OVI owl plaque site. Almost everyone misses that one. I have an obscure monument site for you. How about the 54th NY advanced position marker? It is hidden way down in front of Barlow's Knoll almost against Rock Creek. To find it walk down the slope of BK towards the northeast in the direction of Rock Creek. Start roughly from the position of the 17th Conn. monument. The monument stands about 3 feet high and is usually pretty well hidden by the brush that grows around it.

The Capt Henry Fuller monument is another interesting find, off all the park avenues. Starting at the 17th Maine monument, jump the wall at the southern end of the Wheatfield and walk back into the woods. You will find the monument near Rose Run.

A place that is not really that obscure, yet is seldom visited even by those of us who return to Gettysburg often is the Slyder farm. It lies in the attack path of Law's brigade against Devil's Den and the Round Tops. When the crowds are heavy on the field, a walk down to the Slyder farm will get you away from them and give you a nice contemplative and peaceful piece of the Battlefield to relax upon. Some nice sharpshooters monuments are down there too - not many people see them either. The Vermont Sharpshooter "Hornet's Nest" monument is one of my favorites.

From: (Kevin P Leahy
Subject: 118th Flank markers

A possible reason for there being two flank markers for the 118th PA is that the regiment's right flank was pulled back to face the Rose farm before the assault of Anderson and Kershaw. The 118th PA held the right of Tilton's line and Tilton's brigade made up the right of the Union position in the Wheatfield at the time. This is only a guess. Maybe someone out there has positive info to back the claim.

Kevin Leahy

Kevin wrote:
>A possible reason for there being two flank markers for the 118th PA is >that the regiment's right flank was pulled back to face the Rose farm >before the assault of Anderson and Kershaw.

Kevin, If I read what Terry wrote correctly, the markers are in the same position. Two sets marking the same position. I think they both reflect the right wing of the regiment being "refused to the right at a sharp angle." There was also a withdrawal ("change front to the rear on 10th Company, battalion about face, by company right half wheel, march!") to a position near the Trostle Farm but that position has its own monument and flank markers.

Bill

One marker indicates the 118th's right flank, the other identifies the 118th's right as the brigade's right flank as well.

Ben, That makes sense (as terry said, the right marker has "right of brigade" on top). I wonder about the extra left flank marker. They do appear to be&127; brigade markers but I don't recall similar markers on the field. The left marker shows the unit (1st Mich.) to the left. I'm certainly not an expert on flank markers but having an extra set with one between two regiments showing which regiments were on the right and left seems unusual.

Bill

For Terry Moyer:
Terry,
I was thinking about possible sources for the 118th article and something dawned on me. I have corresponded with the curator (Steven Wright) of The Civil War Library and Museum in Philadelphia on some signal manuscripts. Mr. Wright has written several articles for Gettysburg Magazine. Since the 118th was a Philadelphia regiment, there is a good chance that they will have material on the regiment. I will write him tomorrow.

Bill

Talking about the Corn Exchange flank markers made me think of two stone markers on the field which have nothing at all on them. One is in the Sherfy farm front yard between the 57th PA monument and its left flank marker. The other is across Pleasonton Ave from the PA monument. The 2nd NY Cavalry has its marker in that area (for the life of me, these troopers engraved a marijuana plant across the front of their marker!) and the blank flank marker is to the northeast of the 2nd NY Cav and very near an east-west stone wall.

Ben Maryniak

Bill

Bill Cameron and Eileen Murphy
Eileen, 'The Stalwart Oak' tree of the 90th Penna is certainly a favorite monument that we have enjoyed frequently on our group visits to the field. I especially like the tree-stump flank markers the 90th uses to mark their line.

Bill is admiring the 88th Penna monument, erected by the boys from my hometown, Reading Pa. (Where our favorite scholar John B. Bachelder was a professor in a military school here for a time in the 1850s, and where he earned his title of Col. Bachelder. - See Gb Magazine #3, pg 115) Fred Hawthorne also features this monument (the 88th) in his book, and as Bill and Fred both point out, the monument contains "nearly twenty different pieces of equipment a soldier would be familiar with, the monument is interesting to look at for a few minutes to see how many of these you can identify...The most prominent feature of the monument is the stack of war materials over which has been tossed the symbolic laurel wreath of victory. Atop the stack sits a large eagle with outstretched wings gazing over the field of battle." (Men and Monuments pg 30).

From: acameron@tcac.com (Alexander Cameron)
Subject: Baby Birds!

Eileen Murphy wrote:
Eileen,
"baby birds." Good grief. I remember the 90th's monument. It is a tree trunk with bronze accouterments. It shows where the 90th was used to refuse the right of the brigade line to meet O'neal. . Eileen, I can't remember what all that stuff was piled upon. Maybe a tent. See if your book shows or describes the monuments for the 12 Mass, 88 PA, 83 NY or the 11 PA. It's got to be one of them.

Knowing your interest in the lore of the park, are you familiar with the story that the ghosts of Iverson's men walked the fields in front of Baxter's brigade line. Iverson, as you know, was accused of "hiding on Oak Hill" while his North Carolinian were being slaughtered in the field in front of Baxter's Brigade. Iverson even reported that a whole NC regiment had surrendered and gone over to the enemy. Anyway, the North Carolinians were buried in a mass grave and they wander the fields around the Eternal Light monument. You can see them on a dark summer night. You can feel the cool breeze as they search for their sorry brigade commander. Maybe all that stuff was piled up on the monument so the Carolinians could use it.

Bill

Terry Moyer beat me in picking the 88th PA monument as the one on Oak Ridge with everything including the kitchen sink. It has an eagle laying an egg atop a drum, cannon tube, and a mess of accouterments. If you want a more-lurid example, check the McClellan equestrian monument in Washington&127;&127; DC. There's a sort of bas relief on the front that includes every military article imaginable.

Ben Maryniak

The Irish Brigade monument is my particular favorite at Gettysburg. I've even been known to place a long stemmed red rose there every once in awhile! "Riam Nar Druid O Shairn Lann"

The 90th PA. is one of my favorites in Oak Ridge Quoting from Fred Hawthorne's "Gettysburg: Stories of Men and Monuments"...."Carved to represent a tree on the field that had been torn and shattered by artillery fire, bronze accouterments, a knapsack, a rifled-musket, and a canteen are slung over one of the shattered branches. Ivy, also sculpted in bronze, has begun to climb the remaining trunk at the top of which is a bronze nest with baby birds resting inside. Perched on the nest, the mother watches over her brood. The intention was to symbolize a regeneration of life amidst the debris of battle and the start of a new era of peace and goodwill.

"A variation of the story behind this monument has been handed down through the years. No written source for it has yet been found. The story relates that during the heat of the battle one of the large oak trees near the position of the 90th PA was hit by a shell and splintered. A large piece of the tree and many small branches came raining down on the men. On the ground among the debris, was a robin's nest filled with unharmed, but quite shaken babies. A soldier witnessing the scene picked up the nest. Under heavy fire and at great risk to his own life, the soldier climbed up the shattered stump and replaced the nest. Whether or not the incident actually took place, the tree and the nest combine to form a unique record of the 90th PA's participation at Gettysburg."

You're right about cleaning it....It must be one heck of a job!!!

McAllister Mill Site: I'd say it's about 1 - 1 1/2 miles SE of Gettysburg. Head South along the Baltimore Pike till you see Mulligan MacDuffer Miniature Golf Course on your left. Pull in and park in their lot. McAllister Mill Road borders the golf course on the south. You will be passing through private property so you may want to check with the locals before venturing to the mill site. Follow the path to the left through the wooded area towards Rock Creek. Eventually, you will see a deep bowl like depression in the ground where the mill building itself used to stand. The last time I was in that area (May), there were some old tires and other trash lying in the bottom of it. A little beyond this hole, you can still see some of the remains of the old mill trace. Before the McAllister Mill Dam was destroyed by a storm in 1877 this whole area was a popular area for swimmers and fisherman. Now it's lost a little of its popularity, but still remains a quiet off the beaten path location for explorers such as we.

Granite School House Site: From Gettysburg, drive south down the Taneytown Road, pass the Hummelbaugh and Patterson farms. Take a left onto Granite School House Road. The school/field hospital location is approximately 1.5 miles on the left in the wooded area. Unfortunately, we found no remains of the school house in our search...only 20th century infringements. One hundred-thirty plus years certainly can change a landscape! The Second Corps division hospitals were located here prior to their being moved nearer Rock Creek.

Jacob Schwartz Farm: From Gettysburg, drive south along the Baltimore Pike, past Route 15. Take the second right after Route 15 onto White Church Road (there's actually a church on the corner). If you can find a safe place to pull over (it's a busy two lane road) near Rock Creek, do so. Walk north following Rock Creek. Just north of where Rock Creek meets White Run is the Jacob Schwartz Farm. This was the site of one of the largest field hospitals established after the Battle of Gettysburg, including that of Union General Hancock's Second Corps.

Benner's Hill: From The Diamond in the Square, take the York Road. Continue to the right onto the Hanover Road when you come to the folk in the road. As you drive up the inclined road, keep alert for a small park sign on your right telling you where to turn onto Benner's Hill. It comes up quickly so be aware of the traffic behind you as you plan your right hand turn. You get a spectacular view from these battery locations so be sure to bring a pair of binoculars. Also, you may want to walk across the Hanover Road. Beside the cannons located there, you will see the very few remaining piles cannon balls that used to sit beside each cannon in the park. (Yes, that's what those concrete slabs were for!!!)

Drew, if you're interested in exploring many of the field hospital sites (many of which are located away from the populated tourist areas), I'd suggest your purchasing a copy of Gregory Coco's "A Vast Sea of Misery: A History and Guide to the Union and Confederate Field Hospitals at Gettysburg, July 1-November 20, 1863" at the Park's Visitors' Center (1988 hard cover, $29.95). It's a wealth of information and includes maps and photographs of the sites then and now.

Enjoy your trip to the Burg. We'll all be looking forward to your trip report when you return!

Eileen,
Pls forgive me for being lazy on the hospital site issue. I have a bibliography that covers the hospitals extensively. Here it is:

Cross, Andrew B. BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG AND THE CHRISTIAN COMMISSION.Baltimore: By the Author, 1865. 32 p. E635C95.

Daniels, Elizabeth. "The Aftermath of Battle." GETTYSBURG COMPILER 1(1988): pp. 21-27. e475.53G468.1988.

Deaderick, Robert D. "Field Medical Support of the Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg." Paper, AWC, 1989. 37 p. AD-A207-470.Arch. (This is the War College Paper I mentioned earlier)

Duncan, Louis C. "The Greatest Battle of the War: Gettysburg." MIL SURGEON 33 (1913): pp. 201-228 & 401 - 429. Per.

Gaff, Alan D. "The Indiana Relief Effort at Gettysburg." GETTYSBURG MAG 3 (Jul 1990) pp. 109-114. E475.53G482no3.

Hancock, Cornelia. SOUTH AFTER GETTYSBURG: LETTERS, 1863-1868. NY: Crowell, 1956. 288 p. E621H29A3.1956.

Hoffsommer, Robert D. "TKhe Aftermath of Gettysburg." CWTI 2 (Jul 1963): pp. 49-52 Per.

HOSPITAL MARKERS (AT GETTYSBURG OF THE ) ARMY OF THE POTOMAC MEDICAL DEPARTMENT. n.p., n.d. 19 p. E621H755.

Long, Roger. "A Surgeon's Handiwork" GETTYSBURG MAGAZINE 12, pp. 83-84.

Maust, Roland R. "The Union Second Corps Hospital at Gettysburg, July 2-August 8, 1863", GETTYSBURG MAGAZINE 10, PP. 53-101. (THIS ARTICLE HAS A MAP WITH HOSPITAL LOCATIONS SHOWN ON GRANITE SCHOOL HOUSE ROAD. THEY&127;&127; ARE 2ND AND 3RD DIV HOSPITALS WHICH WERE MOVED TO ROCK CREEK ON JULY 3.)

Patriot Daughters of Lancaster. HOSPITAL SCEANS AFTER THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG, July, 1863. Ann Arbor, MI: Univ Microfilms, 1973. 61 p. E475.53P3.1973.

Souder, Emily B. LEAVES FROM THE BATTLE-FIELD OF GETTYSBURG; A SERIES OF LETTERS FROM A FIELD HOSPITAL; AND NATIONAL POEMS. Ann Arbor, MI: Univ Microfilms, 1970. 144 p. E621S68.1970

. Hope this helps.
Bill

On the Cope issue (Engineer of the park), he objected (to a signal corps monument) because the use of the rock had been granted fourteen years earlier to the 5th NYV Veteran Association. He also thought that the "signal rock" was the rock twenty feet in the rear [E.B. Cope to the Gettysburg National Park Commission, Jan 10, 1900]. When the Signal Corps Veteran's Association could not use that rock, they downsized their plans and simply put a tablet on the "signal rock".
Bill

From: ATWF68A@prodigy.com ( MS EILEEN M MURPHY )
Subject: MONUMENTS AND MISCELLANEOUS

For Bill Cameron....
That was interesting about Cope and the change of plans for the Signal Corps monument. I'm wondering now if anyone has ever compiled a list of monuments that never made it at Gettysburg. In addition to the Signal Corps monument, I can think of the controversial one to Pickett which ended up as his grave marker at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond and the one to the 15th Alabama which was planned to be placed on Oates Rock on Little Round Top (with Chamberlain's blessing) but never materialized. Are there any others that you or anyone else knows of?

FrFrom: alexander.cameron@smokeys.com (Alexander Cameron)
Subject: Monuments

From: CSVZ07A@prodigy.com ( TERRY MOYER)
Subject: Field report (1918)

I just received in the mail today the _Report of the Gettysburg National Military Park Commission 1918_ There are some interesting items in here which I will share with you shortly, but first a question; does anyone else out there have any of these reports that they would like to trade Xerox copies of? If so, let me know.

I don't know how many of you are aware of a movement to erect a statue to JLC at Gettysburg. I haven't followed it closely, but I understand that the people involved have shifted their attention from placing the statue on Little Round Top to erecting it somewhere near JLC's home in Maine. I thought this whole idea of a statue for Chamberlain was something new, but under the broad heading of 'MONUMENTS AND MARKERS' on page 4 of the report is the following subheading:

'The Chamberlain and Howard Statues "There is nothing to report in the matter except that the site for the Chamberlain statue was fixed several years ago, Gen. Chamberlain being present."

I have never heard anything about a statue to Chamberlain before, does anyone have any information on this?

From: alexander.cameron@smokeys.com (Alexander Cameron) >For the 1st Minnesota fans:

> I took a look at the Bachelder letters and there are several detailed >letters from Col. William Colvill, Jr. regarding the charge of the 1st >Minnesota. I know that some of you have a copy of the Bachelder Papers >but if those who do not are interested in these letters, I'll poke them >up for you. >Bill

From:Terry Moyer Here are the Bachelder references (with page number in Vol. 1 reference) for Colville and the first Minnesota:

COL COLVILL, P 284-285: SPEAKS OF APPAREL WORN DURING CHARGE (SLOUCH HATS)

CHARGE OF 1ST MINN MADE WITH OFFICERS DISMOUNTED, HORSES HELD BACK AT THE

RIDGE,ETC. SAYS SORRY HIS LAST LETTER WAS ILLEGIBLE WILL TRY TO WRITE BETTER.

If you have the reports of the Gettysburg Park Commissioners 1893-1904 you can find mention of the dedication of the 1st Minn monument on page 29. During a visit to the NPS library last winter I ran across the files that the park uses to document each and every monument on the field. The file for the 1st Minn monument notes that:

"The monument was struck by lightning on the afternoon of Ju.y 10, 1904, melting the lead pointing between the joints of the pedestal and base, and discoloring the die with streaks. The damage was repaired by bush-hammering (sic) off the discoloration, and by refilling the leaded joints. The repairs were done by the Zieglar firm of Gettsburg for $15."

In the Commissioner Reports 1893-1904 you can also read remarks concerning the Hancock statue on East Cemetery Hill which was also struck by lightning. From the note heap:

"Hancock statue struck by lightning July 7 1897 (p40), repaired 1902 (pg80), remounted 1903 (pg88)."

One plan for the burial of the dead in the National Cemetery did champion arrangement of the dead by rank and organization without regard to state. David Wills, a local lawyer, was Pennsylvania Governor Curtin's agent in the matter of Pensylvania dead at Gettysburg. He purchased options on land roughly in the area of the Angle, and proposed that the soldiers be placed by rank in companies, regiments, etc. without regard to state. He is often given the credit for the National Cemetery, but he probably was reacting to events by others.

Another local lawyer named David McConaughy proposed a plan for the National Cemetery which rested on the concept of the city state whose ideals were honored explicitly in Everett's address in November and implicitly in Lincoln's classical form of a Greek eulogy. McConaughy bought options on land that would place the National Cemetery next to the local Evergreen Cemetery of which he was on the board; in effect, he would make the National Cemetery an extension of the town cemetery. McConaughy favored placing the soldiers to rest within areas dedicated to their particular state without regard to rank.

Eventually, Governor Curtin stepped in to settle the dispute, and the site on Cemetery Hill won out. Wills gave up his more nationalistic layout to McConaughy's - and the states' - wishes that the dead of each state be buried together without regard to rank.

McConaughy, Wills, Curtin, and Lincoln were all Republicans. McConaughy was a local politician who perhaps sought leverage within Adams county, but not beyond. Wills, as Curtin's agent, sought a more national concept for the National Cemetery which would perhaps benefit Republicans nationwide.

Kathy Georg-Harrison, chief historian of the battlefield, writes "Even while the war ranged to determine the supremacy of the national government over states, the Union representatives still supported their own practical attitudes, wishing that the dead of each state be segregated from those of another." She credits neither Wills or McConaughy with the concept of a National Cemetery, citing Theodore Dimon, New York's agent on the field as the originator of the plan which led to The Soldier's National Cemetery at Gettysburg.

Dennis

While at Gettysburg in 1974, I purchased two bullets, which I was told were authentic, found on the battle field. Both are lead and look to be very old. They are light to medium brown in color with some whitish powder in the grooves and hollow.

Both bullets are .55 to .60 inch in diameter. One is about 1 inch long, has a conical tip, weighs about 1.1 oz, has three grooves at the bottom, and has what appears to be a conical shaped hollow. The other bullet only has two grooves at the bottom, and has a cylindrical shaped hollow. The tip of the second bullet is missing, and there is a small diameter drilled hole in the top. The man I bought the bullets from said the drill hole was done to remove the bullet from a rifle.

My daughter visited Gettysburg with her school class in 1992, and said you could not purchse any actual bullets any more. She did buy some replicas, one of which (described as "from" a .58 cal. Rifled Musket) looks similar to one of the bullets I have.

Does it sound like the bullets I purchased in '74 are authentic? Can you still purchase them? Do they have any value as a collectors item. Of course, I've always treasured them because of the story I was told.

Would appreciate any help.

Tom Swantko

FroFrom: CSVZ07A@prodigy.com ( TERRY MOYER )
Subject: Re: Bullets

Tom Swantko writes:
>While at Gettysburg in 1974, I purchased two bullets, which I was told >were authentic, found on the battle field. Both are lead and look to be >very old.

Bryan R. Meyer--Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania says
>From what I know, it does sound like the bullets you purchased back in 1974 are authentic. I was in Gettysburg in July, and I did get to purchase a few more bullets. They are authentic. The only place I could find them was the main Gettysburg Tour Center on Baltimore Street, across from the Dale Gallon Art Gallery.

I hate to be a bucket of cold water on the battle bullet discussion, but I have asked in several shops in Gettysburg (including the Baltimore Street tour center), 'where do you get your bullets?'. They have told me that the bullets come from old civil war camp sites and other areas in Va (not necessarily battle fields, but possibly unprotected land around battlefields) that are prospected by relic hunters for the artifacts.

I visit Gburg often and I know for a fact that the tour center has plastic tubs full of bullets-to-buy for $1 a piece. It seems unlikely that actual battle-of-Gettysburg bullets could be had, in the numbers necessary to supply the tourist traffic supported by the Gburg battlefield. Bullets id'd as battle-of-Gettysburg specific would be worth quite a bit more than $1 I am sure. Whether bullets from the battle were available in '74, I don't know. Maybe. IMHO I doubt it.

Even if the bullets are not Gettysburg specific though, they are still neat souvenirs. I have picked up several for my son and he loves them. My Dad picked up some and epoxied them to a piece of plastic with a little metal souvenir cannon and it looks great. I am amazed that there are even enough Civil War era bullets in old camping grounds that such a large number of them can be sold each year in all the tourist areas of all the battlefields where fine bullets are sold. To be honest I scratch my head a little when I consider how many bullets must be in the ground to supply the tourist trade... but it is not beyond the realm of possibility I guess, and at least to that extent, I am willing to 'suspend my disbelief'.

Terry Moyer

A friend of mine goes hiking alot, and many hiking stores carry U.S. Geological Survey Maps of most of the state of Penna. (At least they do here in Penna...)

The following heights are from the U.S.G.S. maps for Gettysburg (which claim to be photo inspected 1981 (aerial photo that is): Peace Light 647 feet, Culp's Hill, 600 feet and 542 feet for the two summits, Little Round Top 650 feet, Big Round Top 785 feet. Seminary Ridge around the angle to lrt area seems to rise from 500 to 550 feet near lrt. The Seminary seems to be sitting on a contour line labeled 580. East Cem Hill looks to be between 580 and 600 foot contour lines. To get your own map and make your own interpretations I quote you from the legend at the bottom of the maps (2 of them) "For Sale by U.S. Geological Survey Denver, Colo. 80225, or Reston Va 22092" "A folder describing topographic maps and symbols is available on request." The two maps as near as I can make out, are identified as AMS 5563 I SW - SERIES V831. This map shows most of the battlefield but excludes the portions of the 1st days field west of the middle ridge, between the Seminary and the McPherson farm. The second map which contains the confederate area of the 1st days field and the McPherson farm area is DMA 5363 IV SE - SERIES V831

Aside from the contour information, you also get to see where all you favorite glut is situated on the map... swimming pools, the high school and so forth.

Harry Pfanz describes the various areas in relationship to the nearest flat plain from which attacks would be launched.

About the crests of Little Round Top :

"Little Round Top can be described simplistically as having three elevations. The long north slope rises gradually about forty feet above the Wheatfield Road to a rock faced shelf on which the monuments of the 146th New York and 155th Pennsylvania stand today. This shelf in turn is at the base of another bluff of boulders that rises at the north end of the Hill's Crest (Warren Statue). From this north end of the crest the surface rises gently over a distance of fifty yards to a knob near center of the hil (Hazlet's Monument). From the knoll's crest, the surface declines gently one-hundred yards to the south (New York Castle).... Ten or fifteen feet below the crest is another shelf ... in all probability first visited by Vincent and became the right of his brigade line...

The south slope of the hill... faced the saddle between Little Round Top and ... Big Round Top... Vincent took Chamberlain to the tip of the spur probably to a point amid the rocks beneath the large boulder on which the monument to the Twentieth Maine stands today. This would be the Twentieth's left" (_Gettysburg The Second Day_ pp. 209-212).

Harry Pfanz describes Culp's Hill area this way:

"(Culp's Hill) had two peaks; the highest (where the tower is today) 180 feet above Rock Creek, was about 800 yards southeast of Cemetery Hill and was conected to it by a sagging crest line that included Steven's knoll. The lower peak was 400 yards south of the taller summit and was separated from it by a narrow saddle that notched the hill from east to west. The lower creek rose about eighty feet above the creek... It was about 850 yards from the highest peak to the meadow at Spangler's Springs" (pages 111 -112 _Culp's Hill and _Cemetery Hill_.

About Benner's Hill Pfanz says :

"The hill's crest extended about three hundred yards south-southwest from the Hanover Road and 500 yards north-northeast of it. The crest loomed 100 feet above Rock Creek at the hill's base... The south end of Benner's Hill was 1,000 yards northeast of Culp's Hll and 1,500 yards east-northeast of East Cemetery Hill." (169-170).

Dennis

Hello, Everybody....
This past weekend at the Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg Fall Muster I attended an interesting seminar on the "Monumentation and Maintenance of the Battlefield". It was held at Gettysburg Junior High School, and despite the hard classroom chairs and teenager sized desks, everyone seemed to be thoroughly engrossed in Lynn Goddard's and Fred Hawthorne's presentations. Lynn was the supervisor of the Park's maintenance crew and will soon leave Gettysburg to further her studies in preserving artifacts. She gave a wonderful slide presentation and talk, showing us the step-by-step process of preserving the bronze and granite monuments on the field. It was fascinating! I thought I'd share a few highlights with you.....

In the preservation process, the maintenance crew has four major goals: (1) preserve (stabilize) NOT restore the monument; (2) be as gentle as possible; (3) make sure the process is reversible; and (4) change no characteristics about the monument.

If corrosion is found on the bronze statues/pieces, it is removed with crushed walnut shells (sand is too course and exposes new metal.) Lichens or other organic growth on the piece are removed with hydrogen peroxide. The monument is then washed down with soap and rinsed off (400 lbs of pressurized water). Moisture is removed by heating the bronze to 170 degrees using a welder's torch. While the metal is hot, a thin coat of beeswax is hand brushed onto the monument. (Although wax has half the life&127;&127; of lacquer it is preferred because it's gets into all those little nooks and crannies!! Also, lacquer tends to create air bubbles.) While the metal is still hot, a second coat of wax is melted into the first coat. When the metal is cold, a third coat (bowling alley wax) is applied and buffed to a shine. Normally, the waxing lasts on the finished monument for about 5 years.

Granite parts of monuments are repointed with soft mortar. Should someone vandalize a granite piece with a magic marker, the damaged portion (graffiti) needs to be 'lifted' from the surface by a poultice method. A bleach paste is applied and a 'bandage' is taped over it and left to set. Several days later the poultice is removed, and, hopefully, the damage area has faded and is no longer noticeable. Otherwise, the process is repeated. Now those tablets are another matter! The letters are painstakingly painted on them and the background coloring is handpainted around the lettering!!! It takes time....and patience!!!

We saw some slides of the Vermont Sharpshooters Monument which was located on Berdan Avenue. This marble columned monument with an eagle on top was destroyed last year during a storm when a tree toppled on top of it. The eagle was smashed into 500 pieces and the column broke in several places. The original eagle could not be used again. The Park had no good photographs which a sculptor could use as a model to make a replacement. The park crew slowly, but surely put the original eagle back together again piece by agonizing piece. Now THAT's dedication!

Not only does the crew of four do all this, but they also backfill land around the monuments, take care of storm damage, refurbish cannons, restore the gold leaf (on the Tennessee Monument), etc., etc., etc. Next, Fred Hawthorne, President of the Licensed Battlefield Guides Association, presented his slide presentation. He spoke about the history of the Battlefield Memorial Association and how Colonel Bachelder dedicated his life to help memorialize the men who fought there. He also noted that&127;&127; Gettysburg was very unique in that the actual veterans had a hand in the design and placement of the monuments....unlike any other CW battlefield.

You can be sure when I toured the monuments later that afternoon, I had a greater appreciation for them, the men they represented......and for the dedicated men and women who labor so hard to keep the monuments beautiful for us.

Eileen M. Murphy

A Former Monument Keeper,
Kevin Leahy

CAMP OF UNITED STATES REGULARS

A camp of instruction for United States Regulars was established at Gettysburg in May, 1917. The camp had no designation, which we believe is the practice when the location is at a conspicuous place on United States land, notably battlefields such as Gettysburg.

The Fourth United States Regulars went into camp June 2, 1917. The land first taken up was a part of the Codori farm and a tract along the Round Top Branch of the Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railroad, and occupied by the Fourth and Seventh Regiments. Both were increased by recruits and the camp extended over many acres. They were divided into six United States Regulars regiments, viz: Fourth, Seventh, Fifty-eighth, Fifty-ninth, Sixtieth, and Sixty-first. The troops were constantly drilling. The necessary buildings had been erected throughout the encampment and on October 25, 1917, the first of these troops left Gettysburg for other camping grounds and by November 26 all except a small detachment had gone. The encampment was reestablished on March 6, 1918, Capt. Eisenhower, United States Army, commanding, and now occupies 176 acres of the Codori farm, 10 acres of the Smith farm and 6 acres of the Bryan House place."

The report further states that the encampment was not furnished with any equipment "found so necessary in any encampment of troops. The commission was called upon to furnish the necessary facilities such as... "(etc.)

Jack McLauglin in _The Long Encampment_ Pg 239 fn 21 states: "Camp Colt first was established in May 1917, to train infantry soldiers. At the beginning of 1918 it was made into a tank training center."

Terry Moyer

---

From: acameron@tcac.com (Alexander Cameron)
Subject: Camp Colt

Terry wrote: >The following makes me wonder when Camp Colt became known by that name:

> Terry, Boy, I thought I could find out by looking in Eisenhower's AT EASE but I'm more confused now than before. Eisenhower's description of Camp Colt leads you to believe that it had the name prior to his arrival although he does not specifically say that. Anyway, here is the part that does not jive with the May 1917 date in your 1918 report. Eisenhower was reminiscing about his first days at the camp [March, 1918] and wrote,

"We ran up the United States flag on a pole that had been left there. As I was ready to get into an automobile to start the long drive back to Baltimore, I saw Captain Garner watching the flag flapping at the top. I paused and he said, without looking at me, "Captain, the last time I was on this ground was many years ago. At that time I was standing before a general court-martial which&127;&127; sentenced me to six months in he guardhouse, and then suspended the sentence". "Now," he said, "I'm a captain in that same Army, and I'm standing here as temporary commander of the camp in which I was disgraced." As I looked up, this old, hard-bitten, gray-headed former non-com had tears streaming down his face". Ike also referred to the camp as "old and abandoned".

Sounds like it had been there several years prior to 1917 doesn't it?

There is a good description of the camp on pages 138-152. He even describes using Big Round Top as a back stop for machine gun practice. "Ugh".

Bill

---

Incredible! Big Round Top used for machine gun practice. It seems that reverence for the field at Gburg is a more recent emotion, felt more by the GGchildren of the men who fought there, than by their immediate progeny! Having read a little more about Camp Colt, I could not find anything specific about the naming of the camp (I don't have a whole lot of info about it in my library) but I think I have figured out what is going on here, now that I have reread the information more carefully. Evidently the camp that was first set up on the Codori farm was the infantry training facility - just as the portion of the report I quoted so obviously states. This camp was the one created in May 1917, and it had no name. The camp was left vacant by December of 1917. The following year - 1918 - the same area was used as the tank training area, and it is at that time I suspect, that the Camp Colt designation was assigned.

Your reference you cited from your book on Ike really IS confounding! I don't know what to make of that.

I just checked Storrick: Gettysburg Battle and Battlefield, and found a one paragraph reference to the camp on pg 134-5. He doesn't say much about Camp Colt, I have NEVER seen any other reference to yet-earlier established encampment. Not that that means so much, but I find it difficult to believe that there was an earlier base established here. Guess I am just going to have to find the rest of the reports from 1905 to 1917 to check on that, but I am skeptical. Of course, I am also at a loss to explain your citation. Very odd. A visit to the NPS library seems to be in order here.

&127; Speaking of 'non-traditional usage' of the battlefield in the same breath as the NPS library also brings to mind this item: While browsing the NPS library two summers ago, Dennis hauled out a folder in the verticle files showing the location and data about a WW2 German prisoner of war camp on the battlefield. It was across the Emmittsburg road from the Bryan farm.&127;&127; The file contained news clippings about 2 prisoners who escaped from the camp. One of them made it all the way to New York as I recall. You would think that the government owned some other playground land, where they could build all this trash, rather than using the Gburg battlefield. Amazing.

Terry

---

From: ATWF68A@prodigy.com (MS EILEEN M MURPHY)
Subject: Re: Camp Colt

FOR BILL CAMERON AND TERRY MOYER.....

I thought you both might be interested in the following excerpts from >From "A History of Adams County, PA 1700-1990" by Robert L. Bloom....

"For some days during the early spring of 1917 Adams Countians had recognized the possibility of involvement in Europe's War. On April 2nd, the "Gettysburg .

"Whether because of this petition or some other consideration, the War Department early selected Gettysburg's battlefield as a camp site. On June 2, 1917, "The Gettysburg Times" reported that 2,240 men of the Fourth United States Infantry had arrived with other infantry units to follow. All together, within a few months, 15,000 infantrymen passed through the camp located just south of town along the Emmitsburg Road".....

"Those who remember Gettysburg during the First World War can call to mind the famous tank-training school known as Camp Colt established on the battlefield. On March 19, 1918, an advance company of 232 men arrived from Camp Cody, New Mexico. Within a few days more came in. At its peak, Camp Colts's soldier population approached 8,000 men. Commanding the contingent almost from the beginning was Captain Dwight D. Eisenhower, who within a few months rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel." ...

"Named for Samuel Colt, famed inventor of the revolver which bore his name, this facility operated for seven and a half months, bringing to the community more regularly enlisted soldiers than at any time since the first days of July 1863.....p> "While the troops generally lived in tents at the camp astride the Emmitsburg Road, many officers resided in town. A number of them were housed in the then Alpha Tau Omega fraternity house on North Washington Street. Captain Eisenhower and his bride, Mamie, lived for a time in the house which still stands at 263 Springs Avenue."

Eileen Murphy

Eileen,
Thanks much for your message on Camp Colt. I suspected that it was named after Samuel Colt but couldn't find anything to confirm it. It appears that the "many years ago" part of Ike's story may be bad memory or a little embellishment. We'll forgive him, if that is the case. BTW, it looks like part of your message may have been lost. I got it in two parts and the first part ends abruptly after "excerpts from" and the second part starts with "For some days". Did we lose the part that tells us the source? Also, I just noticed the log times in my in box show the first part coming in at 10:29 last night and the second part at 05:15 this morning. Looks like a busted message.

Bill

Who was Bachelder????

If someone will answer, I'll be glad to lie down and let him/her walk on me.

Pat

Bachelder was a school teacher at the time of the battle, I think in a prep/military academy in the northeast or perhaps elsewhere in Pennsylvania. Almost as soon as the Battle of Gettysburg was over, he determined to become the formost authority on the battle. He went to Gettysburg within days of the end of the battle, and talked to many men from both sides who were still in hospitals there, and he even walked the battlefield with Rebel officers who pointed out where they had fought and what they had done, while it was still fresh in their minds.

Over the years, he -did- become the formost authority on Gettysburg, accumulating a vast correspondence with participants, etc. I have often wondered why he never wrote a complete history of the battle.

Bill

Jim Epperson wrote:

I have often wondered why he never wrote a complete history of the battle.

Jim, According to Saures, "His manuscript history was never published. The war department was not happy with the results of the $50,000 appropriation. The manuscript was eventually sent to Gettysburg NMP for reference purposes." Bachelder died on Dec 22, 1894 of pneumonia. Sounds like there is a manuscript at the park. I didn't know that.

Bill

Scott, Is that right? Is there an unpublished Bachelder manuscript (other than the "papers") at the park?

Bill

Although it is a lot to type, there is no better introduction to Bachelder than that appearing in the Introduction to the Bachelder Papers, published by Morningside bookshop. The most important passages excerpted from that intro. appear below:

John Badger Bachelder (1825-94), a New Hampshire-born artist with a minimum of military experience, was the most important historian of the Battle of Gettysburg in Nineteenth Century America. He arrived on the battlefield a few days after the armies had departed, and spent the rest of his life intimately connected with the battle, as well as the evolving park at Gettysburg.

...Bachelder decided to accompany the Army of the Potomac and await the decisive battle of the rebellion, hoping to be able to examine the topography, interview participants, and publish a written and illustrated history of the engagement.

After reaching Gettysburg, Bachelder studied the terrain via horseback, then drew an isometric map of the battlefield. He visited field hospitals around the town, interviewed wounded soldiers of both armies, and gained information that enabled him to mark on his map the positions of every unit engaged during the battle. Six different colors showed the positions of regiments and batteries for all three days of the battle, in a panoramic view of Gettysburg that was published in the fall of 1863.

Then after seeking permission from Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, Bachelder visited the Army of the Potomac's winter quarters in the Brandy Station area. He claimed to have spoken with the commanders of every regiment and battery in the army. THE RESULT WAS SEVERAL NOTEBOOKS OF FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS of the battle as seen by Union officers.

After the war ended, Bachelder's obsession with Gettysburg continued: he announced reunions on the field; he accompanied veterans over the terrain and hammered numbered, wooden stakes into the ground to identify various locales pointed out to him by participants; and he maintained his artistic interest in Gettysburg... In 1863 Bachelder published a guidebook to the battle, which was well received by the public. His guidebook included a black and white, fold-out version of the isometric drawing. Three years later, the federal government published a set of three Gettysburg maps that Bachelder had compiled. Based on the 1868 survey by Gouverneur Kemble Warren, the maps contained positions of units for all three days.

&127; More important, Bachelder son became involved with the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association as a director (from 1880-81, and from 1883-94). Formed in 1864 to preserve the battlefield, the GBMA oversaw the acquisition of land as well as the erection of historical markers and monuments on its grounds. His knowledge of the battle earned Bachelder an appointment as Superintendent of Tablets and Legends; it was his responsibility to assure that all monuments contained accurate historical data. ...In June 1880, President Rutherford B. Hayes signed into law a bill that provided the sum of $50,000 to be paid to Bachelder to write a detailed history of the battle of Gettysburg. The finished product-comprised of some 2,550 pages-was sent to Washington in October 1886. The four bolumes were accompanied by 58 maps...

In May 1893, Secretary of War Daniel S. Lamont appointed Bachelder one of three commissioners who were to supervise the deparment's growing interest in marking and expanding the bg battlefield. Just two weeks before Bachelder's death on December 22, 1894, Daniel Eileen. Sickles had introduced legislation to authorize the War Department to accept ownership of the battlefield. Bachelder, who could see that the GBMA was unable to accomplish everything that it needed to do fully approved of Sickle's bill.

Tragically, Bachelder's reputation seemed to have died with him; he quickly disappeared into obscurity. His widow,...passed away in 1914; seven years later, her sisters...donated a large collection of Bachelder's Gettysburg material to the New Hampshire Historical Society.

The Bachelder Papers remained in the New Hampshire Historical Society for decades, unknown to and unused by historians of Gettysburg. They were rescued from obscurity by Dr. Edwin B. Coddington, a professor of history at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. Coddington had an abiding interest in writing a fresh history of the battle.He began work in the late 1950s by searching out manuscript collections that had been little-used by previous authors.

Like other hisotrians, Coddington did not know anything about Bachelder. In a NY antique shop, Coddington's daughter found one of Bachelder's pamphlets...Coddington wrote to the historical society and received a reply two months later: Yes, the Bachelder papers were housed with them, but no one seemed to have ever used them, and the librarians had no idea how much material they contained. Dr. and Mrs. Coddington eagerly drove to Concord and spent three weeks examining boxes and bound bolumes. There, they found every historian's dream-an unused manuscript collection of vast importance to the subject at hand... The collection includes correspondence he received from veterans of both armies on various aspects of the battle, comments on his maps and isometircal drawing, arguments regarding the marking of Confederate positions, and other questions related to Gettysburg...The hundreds of letters in the Bachelder Papers consist primarily of missives to Bachelder from men who participated in the battle of Gettysburg. Most of these letters were written by Union officers...who described their recollections of the engagement. By the mid70s, some Confederate officers began to write Bachelder about their experiences at Gettysburg. A few officers copied their diaries and sent the transcriptions to Bachelder. These first-hand accounts cover the entire course of the battle...

I hope this answers your Bachelder question!

"The Gettysburg National Military Park Library has several Bachelder items among the surviving GBMA material located there. The park library also has the War Department's copy of Bachelder's unpublished battle history." In Sauers' Gburg Magazine article (issue #3, page 119, footnote 34) he says: "There are two copies of this history. One, a rough draft in Bachelder's handwriting, is among his papers in the New Hampshire Historical Society. A typed draft is in the Gettysburg NMP Library."

As interesting as the Battlefield itself is, I find that once I alot a few hours for a visit to the GNMP library, I inevitably become engrossed in all the wonderful information there is to find in there. I usually end up spending the entire day inside the library. Wonderful stuff to dazzle and amaze the Gettysburg afficianado may be found there. Great reading.

Terry

>Yes, we have John Bachelder's manuscript here at GNMP but don't rush to see it. The reason the War Dept. passed on it was because Bachelder, who had all of that incredible knowledge and information didn't use it... He instead used the Official Records and wrote a history which is no more useful than any other. A real disappointment.

There are precious few gems in the manuscript where he included notes of walks he took on the Battlefield with Meredith or Barlow, for example, but very little of the information he gathered is included.

The $50,000 did not go to waste however. The huge sum (at the time a small rural farm was worth about $1,000) left us with the enormously helpful Bachelder Papers, volumes of letters and documents, and hour-by-hour troop movement maps. Also, Bachelder was responsible for the location of most monuments and flank markers placed before about 1890.

Tom Desjardin, GNMP

I know that there was an electric trolley at Gettysburg Park at one time, but I would like to know more about it. What years was it in existence? Who operated it? What sections of the park did it CUT through? Are there any books that make reference to this? Sorry for so many question, but I can always count on members of this group for answers! Thanks

Brenda Wells

FOR BRENDA WELLS.....

I've been fascinated with the electric trolley for quite some time now and have taken many of the GDG members on tours of the remaining railroad bed. Here's a quick reference from "A History of Adams County, Pennsylvania 1700-1990" by Robert L. Bloom you might find interesting:

".....Despite the adverse court decision of 1896, banning construction of an electric railway over portions of the battlefield, the Gettysburg Electric Railway Company had already circumvented it by employing a different route. The entrepreneurs located their route along the Emmittsburg Road and on July 13, 1893 began operations which continued for the next twenty-three years."

"Starting at the trolley car barn at the junction of North Washington and Railroad Street, the line ran southward to Chambersburg Street. Along overhead lines fed by electric power generated in the car barn, the cars turned left to the Square. From there they proceeded southward along Baltimore Street to the east gate of Evergreen Cemetery. The tracks then took the cars via Ziegler's Grove to the Emmittsburg Road where they turned southward to the Peach Orchard. From that point they continued southeast to the Devil's Den where they formed a loop."

"For the return trip the tracks led northward through the "Valley of Death" just west of Little Round Top. Another bend, in this instance eastward, brought them to the Round Top station of the Philadelphia and Reading Railway spur at the intersection of the Wheatfield and Taneytown Roads. The cars using this spur's two-and-a-half mile stretch, known locally as "The Round Top Branch" bore thousands of visitors to the battlefield between 1884 and 1916, especially during summer months. Using this spur, trolleys rejoined their own line just north of the Codori House along the Emmittsburg Road. They then proceeded via South Washington Street to the car barn terminal. In the summer the cars were "open trolleys", that is, without sides. During winter months "closed trolleys" served the transport needs of local residents but only as far south as the Evergreen Cemetery."