The old trolley line

    Believe it or not, but there once was a trolley line, the Gettysburg Electric Railway, to and from the lower portion of the battlefield between 1893 and 1917.  According to Charles Teague, the compiler of the pocket booklet called "Gettysburg: By the Numbers" (an excellent reference book of important statistics as well as other interesting information and trivia), there were six trolley cars: Hancock, Howard, Reynolds, Sedgwick, Sickles, and Slocum (there was no car named for General George Sykes, commander of the Union V Corps).  Today, as a result of the ongoing efforts of the National Park Service to restore the landscape of the battlefield as much as possible to what it looked like in 1863, the path of the trolley line is easily located and accessible for hiking and exploring.  The photo on the left was taken at the bottom of the famous "Triangular Field" (the photo on the right) south of Devil's Den and looking west (right) toward the Wheatfield.  Much of the 12-mile trolley line path (which ran from downtown Gettysburg along Emmitsburg Road, across the lower side of the Wheatfield to Devil's Den and in front of Little Round top, then going back to town along Cemetery Ridge) is easy to recognize, and along with making it a great hiking and nature trail, it also provides many unique vantage points of so many areas of the battlefield. 

                             

    A small but interesting feature that is easily overlooked, because at first glance it looks like a small drainage culvert, is what I am told Licensed Battlefield Guides refer to as the Codori Spring.  Located on Cemetery Ridge northwest of the Pennsylvania Memorial and about 15 yards east of the intersection of Hancock Avenue and Pleasonton Avenue, this small spring was created for the trolley line visitors to use:

                         

 

The "Quarry"

    Again, as a result of the efforts of the National Park Service to restore the landscape of the battlefield as much as possible to what it it looked like in 1863, the "quarry" is now more easily located from the old trolley line path and about 150 yards south of the monument to Captain James E. Smith's 4th New York Battery.  Many of the rocks, both large and small, have chisel marks (as evidenced in the upper right photo), and it is my understanding that this "quarry" was the source of many of the flank markers found throughout the battlefield.  In any event, this area is one of my favorite places to visit, regardless of the time of year.    

                                      

      

    To learn about the trolley line, quarry, and the three amusement parks that once existed on the battlefield,  I highly recommend the book "Devil's Den: A History and Guide" (see my "Books Worth Reading" page).



Brockenbrough's Quarry       (NEW)

    Located west of McPherson's Ridge, there was a working quarry during the time of the battle and forced Confederate Colonel John M. Brockenbrough's Brigade of Major General Henry Heth's Division of General A. P. Hill's III Corps to shift its attack to the right on July 1.  The quarry is much smaller now than what is was during the battle, but it still gives you an idea as to some of the difficult terrain that was often encountered by troops on both sides at Gettysburg but which is hard to truly appreciate when simply reading a book.

    To get to the quarry, park near the John Burns statue along Stone Avenue on McPherson's Ridge and walk west a short distance until you reach the monument to the 7th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment.  Take the footpath behind the monument and go approximately 200 yards, roughly paralleling the wooden fence on your right.  The quarry is at the bottom of the ridge on the right and just before you reach Willoughby Run.



The Coster Avenue Mural

    Despite the fact that it is located only a few blocks northeast of the square at the dead-end of Stevens Avenue, this beautiful 80-foot long mural is unfortunately, one of the least visited sites of the battle-field.  The mural depicts the action on July 1 between Colonel Charles R. Coster's brigade of the Union Army's X1 Corps and Colonel Isaac Avery's and General Harry T. Hays'  brigades of the Confederate Army's II Corps.  Painted by Johan Bjurman and Mark H. Dunkelman, the Coster Avenue Mural was dedicated on July 1, 1988, and rededicated on October 13, 2002 after being restored.  For more infor-mation on the mural's history, visit http://www.geocities.com/e6ncst/mural.html ; for more information on the rededication, visit http://www.hardtackregiment.com/Reunions.html .

                                                       

 

The Alms House Cemetery

    The Alms House Cemetery, located on Howard Avenue just before you get to Barlow's Knoll, is another interesting stop worth making if you are exploring the terrain and action of the Union XI Corps on the afternoon of July 1.  Although relatively tiny in size (about 43 yards by 94 yards and containing approximately 111 old tombstones) when compared to the Soldiers' National Cemetery or Evergreen Cemetery, and essentially a final resting place for the indigent (one tombstone is simply carved with "Unknown -- April 19, 1911 -- Drowned"), it is the burial site of at least one Civil War veteran, Isadore Keefer, and also an Army veteran of WWII as well.  The cemetery is still in use today --- I saw at least four markers dated 2007 during my last visit there.

         

       

Benner's Hill

    Benner's Hill, located about 1 mile east of Gettysburg on the Hanover Road (Route 116), was the location of 16 guns of Confederate artillery under the command of a 19-year-old, Major Joseph W. Latimer, and the starting point for General Edward "Allegheny" Johnson's division's evening attack on Culp's Hill on July 2.  A heavy artillery exchange started around 4 P.M. and lasted for about 2 hours as the guns of "the Boy Major", despite their exposed position, attempted to "soften up" the Union positions on both Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill prior to Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell's attacks on those hills.  Not surprisingly, the 24 or more Union guns on Culp's Hill, Cemetery Hill, and Power's Hill finally got the best of Latimer's guns, which were ultimately forced to withdraw with the Major himself among the mortally wounded.

                                                                  

    I was fortunate to participate in a "Ranger Walk" two years ago with Park Ranger Troy Harman that does not happen very often because it requires the prior permission of private landowners (see my section on the "lost avenue" on my "Off the Usual Path" page).  This particular walk, starting at Benner's Hill and lasting over three hours, retraced the steps of General Johnson's division in their assault on Culp's Hill.  I gained a greater appreciation for those soldiers, as our own group struggled (even with the assistance of a guide rope) down the surprisingly high and steep embankment to the edge of Rock Creek and crossing over it (luckily it had been a dry summer and the creek was extremely low) before continuing our trek up Culp's Hill.  If you happen to be visiting Gettysburg whenever this "Ranger Walk" is being offered (or the one for the "lost avenue"), make sure you take it --- you will be glad you did.

 

Daniel Lady farm

    The Daniel Lady farm, located approximately .2 of a mile east of Benner's Hill on the north side of the Hanover Road (Route 116), served as the division headquarters and a field hospital of Confederate General Edward Johnson's division.  The 140+ acre farm was purchased at auction in 1999 by the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association, which has made tremendous strides in restoring the farmhouse and barn to their 1860's appearance, both inside and out.  Although it is not normally open to the public as of yet, if you would like to tour the property, they will try to arrange one for you.  For more information and photographs, go to the GBPA website at http://www.gbpa.org .  

                                   

   

The battle for the Bliss farm on July 2 and 3

    The two-day struggle for control of the William Bliss farmhouse and barn, situated in "no-man's land" between Cemetery Ridge and Seminary Ridge west of the Emmitsburg Road, resulted in the farmstead changing hands between Union and Confederate troops about 10 times.  Finally, both structures were intentionally torched by Union troops on July 3 in order to deprive the Confederates of a location for an observation post, advanced skirmish line, and a great position for sharpshooters.  Neither buildings were rebuilt after the war, so all the visitor to the battlefield will see are the remnants of the typical earthen ramp leading up to the upper floor of the barn, three small Union markers to the 12th New Jersey Infantry, the 1st Delaware Infantry, and the 14th Connecticut Infantry (see the bottom three photos), and one small marker indicating the former location of the farmhouse.  If you look to the west from the Emmitsburg Road, you can see the remnants of the earthen ramp and two of the three regimental markers (see the photograph directly below):
                  

                           

   Pictured below is the marker indicating the former location of the house:

                                                      

  

 

    If you would like to learn more about this portion of the battle, I suggest reading "The Struggle for the Bliss Farm at Gettysburg" (see my "Books Worth Reading" page).

 

The East Cavalry Battlefield

    While this portion of the battlefield is better known than most, if not all, of the areas and locations on this page, it is still not an area visited by many tourists since it is 3 miles east of the main portion of the park.  Nevertheless, it is the site where Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry troops ran into Union cavalry on the afternoon of July 3, reportedly trying to attack the Union rear while Pickett's Charge was occurring.  In any event, there are several monuments in this area, one of which honors both sides of the cavalry engagement (see the left photo below), and the monument that is even farther behind it (see the photo below on the right) and even less visited is to the 3rd Pennsylvania Cavalry.  For the interesting role that regiment played, read further down on this page under the "Lesser known and visited monuments and small markers" section.

                               

    On the south side of Gregg Avenue is Custer Avenue, with its monument to the cavalry regiments from Michigan that saw action here.  On the one side of the monument is an excellent likeness of their young commander, Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer:    

                                    

 

The South Cavalry Battlefield --- the other cavalry action on July 3 

    In addition to the famous cavalry action three miles east of town on the afternoon of July 3 involving Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart's troops and Union General David M. Gregg's troops that included George Armstrong Custer, there was another charge later that day on the far left of the Union flank in the area of the John Slyder farm.  Located on the north (left) side of South Confederate Avenue just before you reach the base of Big Round Top, there is a small parking area on the right side of the road:

                               

    After Pickett's Charge had been repulsed, Union General Elon Farnsworth's brigade of General Judson Kilpatrick's cavalry division was ordered by General Kilpatrick to launch a mounted attack against the right flank of the Confederate Army west of Big Round Top and in the vicinity of the John Slyder farm.  The purpose of the attack is still being debated as to whether or not it was to serve as a strong diversion and/or a reconnaissance mission, but a mounted cavalry attack over such rocky and difficult terrain (I have walked that area this fall and can attest to that fact) was questioned by General Farnsworth and his men.  General Kilpatrick (often negatively referred to as "Kill-Cavalry" by his men) reportedly responded by saying that if General Farnsworth would not lead the charge, then he himself would lead it.  His bravery now in question, General Farnsworth personally lead the third and last wave of the assault with approximately 300 men of the 1st Vermont Cavalry, losing his own life along with 64 other casualties.  The ill-fated attack has had its own share of controversies over the years, including an unconfirmed account or version of the story that had General Farnsworth committing suicide with his own pistol in order to avoid being captured.  The "official" account from the National Park Service of the attack can be found at http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/getttour/sidebar/farnsworth.htm .  To read a more detailed account, visit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-vetscor/1627479/posts , and to read a "contrarian" view by Licensed Battlefield Guide Andrea "Andie" Custer, go to her interesting article at http://www.bluegraymagazine.com/farns/farns1.html .  I would also recommend reading "Gettysburg's Forgotten Cavalry Actions" by Eric Wittenberg (see my "Books Worth Reading" page).

 

The North Cavalry Battlefield --- the cavalry action at Hunterstown on July 2

   Around 1:30 p.m. on July 2, the Union Signal Corps station on Little Round Top reported that approximately 10,000 Confederate infantry troops were moving northward.  As a result, General Meade ordered Union cavalry northward to the area of Hunterstown in anticipation of a possible Confederate assault on his right flank.  While history has proved that what the Union Union Signal Corps station had actually seen was Longstreet's countermarch as he prepared to attack the Union left flank, the timely shifting of Union cavalry prevented J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry from supporting the Confederate attack on Culp's Hill.  To read more about the importance of this cavalry action and see photographs of the area, visit http://www.civilwaralbum.com/gettysburg/northfield1.htm as well as the Hunterstown Historical Society's website at http://www.hunterstown1863.com .

 

Howe Avenue

    Howe Avenue, located off Taneytown Road behind Big Round Top, is another one of the many overlooked areas of the battlefield, apparently because it was not the scene of any real fighting.  It is still a nice "out of the way" place to visit, perhaps have a picnic, and maybe contemplate what the troops of the Union VI Corps stationed there in reserve to cover the flank of the Union Army were truly thinking --- I wonder how many of them were really disappointed that they did not see any combat, and how many were honestly relieved that they did not.  Something to ponder, don't you agree?
                 

The two "Springs" 

    While many people have heard of and/or visited "Spangler's Spring", located in the swale of Culp's Hill (see the photos below), there is another "spring" that provided water for Union soldiers on the northern part of their line.

                                                         

    Located east of Cemetery Hill along Wainwright Avenue (known previously during that era as Brick-yard Lane or Winebrenner's Lane), Menchey's Spring is easy to find and also makes a great spot for a picnic.  I have not found much about Menchey's Spring in any of the books I have read, but did see references to "Menchey's sand hole" on the Internet, and am still researching this.
                                                                                           

                        

 

"Pardee Field and Spangler's Meadow" 

    While many people stop at Spangler's Spring, not everyone pays attention to the small grassy meadow south of the spring.  During the fighting for Culp's Hill, Union troops of Major General Henry W. Slocum's XII Corps attempted several times on the early morning of July 3 to retake their captured trench works which they had vacated on July 2 after being ordered to reinforce Major General Dan Sickles' III Corps on the left flank.  One attack just northwest of Spangler's Spring by the 147th Pennsylvania Infantry, led by Lieutenant Colonel Ario Pardee, was only partially and temporarily successful, with the field which they charged across later named "Pardee Field":

                

    Another attack from the south of Spangler's Spring made by the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry and the 27th Indiana Infantry under the command of Colonel Silas Colgrove proved to have disastrous results for the troops from Indiana.  Ordered to charge roughly 100 yards across the open meadow to attack Confederate troops behind a stone wall and among boulders, the Indiana regiment was only able to make it about halfway before being ordered to withdraw 15 minutes later, and suffering roughly 30% in casualties.  A small stone marker stands in the middle of the meadow (visible toward the left in the photo on the left) marking the farthest point reached in the murderous charge, which one Union officer who previously said the order was just that (and died in the attack as well) --- murder.

           

    For one detailed account of this controversial charge, read "Gettysburg: Day Three", by Jeffry Wert (see my "Books Worth Reading" page).

 

"The "first shot marker"

    Located on U.S. Route 30 approximately 1.8 miles west of the statue on McPherson's Ridge of Union General John Buford is a small marker (on private property) that indicates the location where Union Lieutenant Marcellus Jones, of the 8th Illinois Cavalry, reportedly fired the first shot of the battle around 7:30 A.M. on the morning of July 1 at Confederate troops as they crossed Marsh Creek along the Chambersburg Road.  According to accounts, it was not even his own weapon that he used --- he took a carbine from one of his own men, Sergeant Levi Shaffer, and fired the first shot before ordering his men to fall back to the next line of defense.

                        

    To locate the marker, as you are heading west on Route 30, look for Knoxlyn Road to the left (there is no signal light at that "T" intersection) --- the marker is directly across the road to the right on the north side of Route 30.  Remember --- it is located on private property.

 

The far left flank of the Union Army --- Company B - 20th Maine Infantry Regiment      

     Much has been written, and rightfully so, about Colonel Joshua Chamberlain's regiment, the 20th Maine, anchoring the left flank of the Union line on July 2, 1863.  What is not as well known is the fact that Company B of that regiment, under the command of Captain Walter G. Morrill, was placed even further to left of the regiment's left flank about 100 yards away behind a stone wall.  I have often thought about how those men felt out there in those dense woods, detached from the rest of their regiment and all alone.  To be in that situation had to be nerve-wracking, to say the least, to be at the very end of the very end of the left flank of the entire Union Army.

    There is a small marker honoring those brave men, and it is not as difficult to get to as it once was.  When you get to the monument for the 20th Maine on Little Round Top, walk down the path to the right toward Wright Avenue and the mini-parking lot located there. Just before you get to the road, you will see several trails heading toward the left.  Take the far right trail and go approximately 40 yards --- you will see the marker on the right and in front of a stone wall.  Then ponder, as I do when I visit there, how you would have felt out there on July, 2, 1863.

         

          

The other monument to the 20th Maine Infantry Regiment       (NEW)

    Any Battle of Gettysburg buff who visits the battlefield more than likely takes the time to walk the short path on the southern spur of Little Round Top to see the small monument to the 20th Maine Infantry Regiment and Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain:

                                  

I would venture a guess that very few of those visitors know of, let alone visit, the other similarly sized monument to that same regiment and which is located approximately 75 yards below the summit of Big Round Top.  This other monument indicates the defensive position taken after their successful and famous defense of Little Round Top:  

           



The far right flank of the Union Army - the "lost avenue"

    The far right flank of the Union Army, located east of the Baltimore Pike and Rock Creek and south-east of Culp's Hill, is located on land that is an official part of the park known as Neill Avenue, named after Union Brigadier General Thomas H. Neill, the commander of the Third Brigade, Second Division, of Major General John Sedgwick's VI Corps.  Neill's men covered the right flank and protected the communication/supply line to Westminster that the Baltimore Pike served as.  However, Neill Avenue is landlocked by private property and not routinely accessible to battlefield visitors, and is therefore also known as the "lost avenue."

    Fortunately, there are occasional "Battle Walk" tours available through the National Park Service that are arranged with the primary owner of the surrounding land, Mr. Dean Shultz.  I was fortunate to go along on one of these tours two years ago and met Mr. Shultz, one of the most knowledgeable and friendliest people I have ever met in the Gettysburg area. The avenue is still a grassy lane, and has several regimental monuments as well as a marker stating that this was indeed the far right flank of the Union Army.  I am sorry to say I have misplaced the photographs I took on that wonderful day, but will make it a priority to take the next available tour in 2008 and add photos to this website afterward.  

Power's Hill    

    In addition to Cemetery Hill, Culp's Hill, Little Round Top, and Big Round Top, there are a few other hills that, although not as well-known or visited, also played a role in the battle.  One of these is Power's Hill, located southwest of Culp's Hill and behind the center of the Union lines.  Used as a Union Signal Station and an artillery platform to fire on Confederate batteries on Benner's Hill (and where General Meade temporarily made his headquarters during the 2-hour artillery duel preceding Pickett's charge on July 3), Power's Hill is often overlooked as a place to visit and explore.  Easily accessible off Granite School House Lane, a road which connects the Baltimore Pike and Taneytown Road (thus making it a vital route for Union troops throughout the battle), Power's Hill has a few monuments worth exploring.  However, there is no parking lot so you will have to park along the road and then have to do some walking up the hill and over the stone wall where the monument to the 77th New York Infantry Regiment is located (see the left photo below).  In my opinion, it is worth the effort to learn more about this often overlooked area of the battlefield and its few, but interesting, monuments like the one to Knap's Independent Battery E, Pennsylvania Light Artillery (see the right photo below).

                                                          

The far right flank of the Confederate Army --- South Confederate Avenue       (NEW)

    There is a small marker on the south side of South Confederate Avenue simply stating that this area was the location of the far right flank of the Confederate Army:

                   

  Approximately 200 yards further on the right and at the edge of a tree line (visible in the upper left corner of the left photo above) is a long stone wall as you approach the base of Big Round Top.  This stone wall was where the 1st Texas Infantry Regiment of General Jerome B. Robertson's Brigade was positioned after the attack on Little Round Top on July 2 and where they helped repulse the ill-fated Union cavalry charge by General Elon Farnsworth on July 3 after Picketts' Charge was over.

      The stone wall was not easily visible until recent years when the National Park Service began its long-term efforts to return many of the critical areas of the battlefield as much as possible to what they looked like in 1863 (see my "Newer Topics" page).  What I find interesting is that if you follow it southward for about 200 yards, you will find what appears to be a makeshift "shooting platform" of small rocks piled atop a ledge with a small firing "slot" where a soldier could sit or lie comfortably and shoot at the enemy.  In any event, this type of ingenuity no doubt occurred elsewhere on the battlefield, but this is one example that has survived for 145 years.
  
                        



Jones Avenue - the Confederate "lost avenue" ???       (NEW)

    While Jones Avenue is not landlocked by private property like Neill Avenue, I think a strong case can be made for referring to it as the Confederate "lost avenue" because of its location.  In fact, although I had often seen the stone marker to Lieutenant Colonel Hilary P. Jones' Artillery Brigade of General Jubal Early's Division of General Richard S. Ewell's II Corps, located just a few miles north of town past Barlow's Knoll when visiting relatives in the area, I never realized until this spring that the narrow macadam-style road to the right of the marker was not a private lane but was actually part of the park.  The lane itself is only .3 of a mile long and ends in a "turnaround" loop, but it normally has 5 cannons on display along with separate markers for each of the 4 batteries (Carrington's, Garber's, Green's, and Tanner's).  The cannons are among the 150 that are still in the process of being restored by the National Park Service (see my "Odds and Ends" page). 

           

    To get to Jones Avenue, take the Old Harrisburg Road north of town past Barlow's Knoll and go about . 5 miles further after passing Rock Creek.  The narrow lane (visible on the right in the left photo above) will be on the right (east) side of the road.  
 
 

The Salem Artillery marker       (NEW)

    There is an even more obscure and isolated Confederate marker than the ones on Jones Avenue mentioned above, and that is the one to Captain Abraham Hupp's Battery of the Salem Artillery in General Richard S. Ewell's Artillery Reserve.   Located on a small bluff several hundred yards east of the famous "railroad cut", this battery was placed there in support of the attack on Cemetery Hill (Cemetery Hill is in the background of the left photo).  Although there were a few cannons (at least two) placed near the marker in the past, they were later removed for fear of vandalism or theft due to their extremely isolated position.

 

   To find this lone marker and get a great view of Cemetery Hill in early spring, head out of town on the Chambersburg Road (Route 30 West) and park along the north (right) side of the road about 100 yards past General Lee's former headquarters at the Mary Thompson house.  Take the path that looks like an old driveway about 30 yards, cross the railroad tracks, and then turn right.  Carefully walk along the slowly rising embankment until you find a narrow footpath.  Go roughly another 75 yards and you will find the marker and an excellent springtime view of Cemetery Hill.  Remember to be careful as you walk along the north side of the embankment !!! 
                                                           


Sachs Bridge

    Although not really involved in the battle, Sachs Bridge was crossed by some units of the Union Army as well as by many Confederate soldiers, especially during their retreat back to Virginia.  Because of stories that three Confederate deserters were caught nearby and later hung inside, the 100-foot long bridge is said to be haunted.

                              

    To get to Sachs Bridge, take Millerstown Road west from West Confederate Avenue on Seminary Ridge (turn right at the 4-way intersection --- it is just before the observation tower near Confederate General James Longstreet's headquarters.  You will pass the entrance to the Eisenhower National Historic Site on the left, and the road will become Pumping Station Road.  Continue onward, and cross Marsh Creek (as you do so, the bridge will be visible in the distance on your left.  Take the first road to your left (Waterworks Road) and go about 300 yards.  The bridge is closed to vehicles, so park in the small parking area on the right or along the road.

Lesser known and visited monuments and small markers

                                                                          Individuals

    Among the lesser known and visited smaller monuments and markers like the small marker for Company B of Colonel Joshua Chamberlain's 20th Maine Infantry Regiment mentioned on this page, there are a few that were placed in honor of individual soldiers, and not just generals or colonels.  That being said, not all the monuments to generals or colonels were that large.  In addition to the ones on Cemetery Ridge indicating where Union General Winfield S. Hancock was wounded (the left photo below) and where Confederate General Lewis A Armistead was mortally wounded (the right photo below) during Pickett's Charge, there is a smaller marker for a Union artillery officer, Lieutenant

                                                                    

Alonzo B. Cushing, of the 4th U.S. Regular Artillery, who later died after being wounded five times while attempting to repulse General Armistead's attack:

                                                                   

 

    There is an even smaller tablet for Lt. Colonel Henry C. Merwin, the commander of the 27th Connecticut Volunteers Regiment, located on the south side of Wheatfield Road:

                                      

 

    There are other small markers or tablets for captains and sergeants on the battlefield.  One of them is to Captain Jedediah Chapman, another casualty of the 27th Connecticut Volunteers Regiment, and is located on the north side of DeTrobriand Avenue:

                                

 

    Another marker for a captain, Captain Henry V. Fuller of the 64th New York Infantry, is much more difficult to find.  It is located approximately 100 yards off the trolley path heading north toward the Wheatfield on the west bank of Plum Run, and is easier to spot during the fall.  However, you still have to walk through underbrush that can grab at your clothing.  To read a personal account of Captain Fuller and how he died on July 2, go to http://www.home.earthlink.net/~larsrbl/whipple.htm          . 

                                                      

 

    There is one monument to a sergeant whose story is fairly well known, and that is the sad story of Sergeant Amos Humiston of the 154th New York Infantry, a regiment in General Oliver O. Howard's XI Corps.  Sergeant Humiston's body was found on July 1 without any identification, but he was holding a photograph of his three children.  Newspapers all across the North carried the story along with a copy of the photograph, and eventually his widow and family were found.  Interestingly enough, Sergeant Humiston is buried in the Soldier's National Cemetery and his wife became the first matron of the National Soldiers' Orphans Home in Gettysburg, which still stands today at 785 Baltimore Street.

    The monument, which was dedicated in 1993, is located in the northeast part of town (only a block or two from the square) on North Stratton Street and approximately one block north of York Street.

                           

 

    On another part of the battlefield, Culp's Hill, there is a small marker to a Union captain, Major Joshua Palmer, of the 66th Ohio Infantry Regiment.  To reach the marker, take the far left hiking path in front of the statue of Brigadier General George S. Greene down to the large monument to the 66th Ohio Infantry Regiment.  The marker to Major Palmer is just a few yards further down the path:
                     

      

 

    Another overlooked marker is a plaque attached to a boulder located on the north side of Sickles Avenue across the road from the bigger and better known monument (with the likeness of an Irish wolfhound on the front of it) to the Irish Brigade.  The plaque marks the location of a temporary field hospital of the 32nd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment that was directly in harms' way during the seesaw battle for the Wheatfield on July 2, and honors their Surgeon, Z. Boylston Adams.  The regimental monument, in the shape of a pup tent, is located further up the road on the left.

                                          

 

    One of my favorite "out of the way" markers is what I refer to as the Armistead-Hancock Masonic marker near the tablet honoring all of the Union XI Corps field hospitals, one of which was located on the George Spangler farm east of the Baltimore Pike and was the one where mortally wounded Confederate General Lewis Armistead was taken after Pickett's Charge:

 

Erected in February of 2000, the marker commemorates the friendship of the two generals, both of whom were wounded on July 3.  The marker is located just off the road and at the entrance to the lane to the former George Spangler farm.  To get to this marker, take the Baltimore Pike south from town until you see a street sign on the left (east) side of the road for "McAllister Mill Road".  Turn right and go up a winding road about .1 of a mile to a "T" intersection.  Then go left .3 of a mile on Blacksmith Shop Road --- the marker and farm lane will be on the right.  Be extremely careful for any and all vehicular traffic since there is no real place to park along Blacksmith Shop Road.  To return to the battlefield, retrace your steps and stay left when you get to the "T" intersection and take Granite School House Lane: it will take you to the Taneytown Road and just a short distance south of General George Meade's headquarters at the Leister House.

    But by far the smallest and most overlooked marker that I know of has to be a shoebox-sized plaque on a flagpole located on the East Cavalry Battlefield, which is roughly 3 miles east of Gettysburg on the Hanover Road.  The flagpole is on the on the south side of Gregg Avenue, and the well-worn plaque simply reads, "To the Memory of Brevet Lieut. Colonel William Brooke Rawle 1843-1915".  Lieutenant William Brooke-Rawle was an officer in Company H, 3rd Pennsylvania Cavalry, along with his good friend, Captain William E. Miller.  According to both of their personal accounts, although their regi-ment was ordered to hold its position on the Union flank while the heated cavalry battle on July 3 was occurring, Miller asked Brooke-Rawle if he would back him up if Miller got into trouble for disobeying orders and led his regiment into the fray.  Brooke-Rawle enthusiastically agreed, and their ensuing attack helped in the repulse of General J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry.  While Captain Miller was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor (see my "Odds and Ends" page), Lieutenant Brooke-Rawle has only a shoebox-sized plaque on a flagpole that I am sure very few of the roughly 1.7 million visitors to Gettys-burg every year even know about, let alone see. 

                      

    I am currently researching how many other individual officers and soldiers below the rank of colonel were honored with small monuments or markers, and will add information to this website in the future.  In addition, I recommend the book "The Wheatfield at Gettysburg: A Walking Tour" by Jay Jorgensen (see my "Books Worth Reading" page) to learn more about several of the markers mentioned on this page.

                                              Skirmish lines and smaller units       (NEW)

    In addition to the marker indicating the skirmish line position of the 1st Delaware Infantry Regiment at the Bliss barn on July 2 and 3 (shown elsewhere on this page), I have located a few other markers to skirmish lines.  One of these is located along Hancock Avenue on Cemetery Ridge roughly 100 yards south of the Abraham Brian barn and is to the skirmish line position of the 2nd Delaware Infantry Regiment on July 3:

  

    Another marker to a skirmish line is located on the west side of the Emmitsburg Pike roughly 100 yards south of the Nicholas Codori barn.  This marker is to the skirmish line position of the 2nd Rhode Island Infantry Regiment on July 4, 1863:

 

    It is the only marker that I am currently aware of that indicates a unit's position the day after the battle, but I am still checking into this.  If anyone is aware of any others, please let me know and I will add them to this section.

                                                              Advanced positions       (NEW)  

    Many of these small markers, because of their similarity in size and shape to flank markers, are often overlooked for that very reason.  One of these "advanced position" markers is to the 27th Connecticut Infantry Regiment and their charge on July 2, and can be found on the north side of Brooke Avenue south of the Wheatfield about 20 yards downhill and to the right behind their regimental monument and atop a small boulder:      

  

    Another such marker is located on the right side of the dirt lane to the McLean farm just south of Oak Hill heading north on the Mummasburg Road and just before you cross over the railroad tracks (Robinson Avenue will be on your left).  This small marker indicates the advanced position of the 45th New York Infantry Regiment on July 1:


  




The Wentz foundation       



                                        

    Although easily accessible along Emmitsburg Road, the foundation of the Wentz house is not often visited, but it does have an interesting story to tell about how the Civil War often divided the allegiance of individual family members.  John Wentz, the owner of the property, decided to remain in the house during the battle.  The story goes that his son, Henry, who had gone south and joined the Confederate Army, was serving as a Sergeant in Taylor's Battery in the Artillery Reserve of General Longstreet's I Corps.  Finding himself that day on July 2 fighting in the very area where he grew up, Henry decided to go home and try to see his father, but found him asleep in the basement.  Not wanting to wake him, Henry simply left.  I recall reading one version of the story that goes even further in that when John Wentz found out later what had happened, he is reported to have said that it was best that his son did not wake him --- he had nothing to say to a traitor.  I have not been able to confirm this version, but it would not surprise me if it was indeed true.

                                         

 

The Timbers farm foundation                                

    This lesser known and even less-visited foundation has another sad story to tell, but not because of the battle.  Located off of Cross Avenue south of the Wheatfield and west of the "Triangular Field", the farm was owned by George W. Weikert at the time of the battle, but after the war, the farm was bought by a free black man named John Timbers.  Perhaps being despondent over not being able to make a go of it as a farmer of such rocky land, it is said that John Timbers hung himself.  As is in the case of the Sachs Bridge, the foundation is also supposedly haunted.