Regimental animal mascots and monuments

    In addition to many regiments, both North and South, having dogs as official or unofficial mascots, there were other unusual mascots throughout the war, including a sheep, donkey, badger, raccoon, an eagle, a bear, and a camel.  General Robert E. Lee had a "pet" chicken which provided him with fresh eggs but was AWOL for a short period of time during the Battle of Gettysburg, reportedly causing him much consternation.

    Two monuments at Gettysburg have the likeness of their military unit's mascots depicted: the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry, and the 69th New York Infantry, one of the regiments of the famous "Irish Brigade."  The back of the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry monument, located on Doubleday Avenue south of the observation tower on Oak Ridge, honors the memory of their beloved mascot, Sallie.  When the Union line collapsed north of town on July 1 and the men of the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry eventually regrouped on Cemetery Hill, Sallie was among the missing.  However, when members of the regiment returned on July 5 to Oak Ridge to bury their dead from the first day's fighting, Sallie was still there, watching over and guarding the dead and wounded.  Sadly, Sallie did not survive the Civil War; she was shot in battle at Hatcher's Run, Virginia, in 1864.  Like her masters, she is gone but not forgotten.

    The 69th New York Infantry, one of the regiments of the Second Brigade (also known as the "Irish Brigade"), First Division, of Major General Winfield Hancock's II Corps, adopted two Irish wolfhounds that often wore green coats with the number "69" emblazoned in gold:    

    If you inspect the monument closely, you will find the phrase "faugh a ballagh", which is a Gaelic phrase meaning "clear the way."  In any event, to learn more about the regimental mascots of the Civil War, go to the webpage at http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/01591/mascots-t.html or the webpage at http://oha.alexandriava.gov/fortward/special-sections/mascots .

    Speaking of dogs, I just recently came across a story about Confederate General William Barksdale, one of the brigade commanders in Major General Lafayette McLaw's division of Lieutenant General James Longstreet's I Corps.  General Barksdale was severely wounded and captured on July 2 and taken to the Hummelbaugh farmhouse behind the center of the Union lines. General Barksdale later succumbed to his wounds on July 3, and was buried there until his wife traveled to Gettysburg after the war with her husband's favorite hunting dog to retrieve his remains.  The story goes that the dog refused to leave the gravesite even after the body was exhumed and loaded for transport home to Mississippi, and remained there at the gravesite even after repeated attempts the next day by Mrs. Barksdale to get the dog to return home with her and her husband's remains.  For days afterward, the loyal dog refused to budge and turned down all offers of food and water from everyone, eventually dying on his master's former grave.  As the years passed, it was said that a howling dog could often be heard at the Hummel-baugh farm, and especially on the nights of July 2 and 3, the anniversary of General Barksdale's wound-ing and death.  Whether the tale of a "ghostly" dog is true I will not speculate upon, but I can believe the part of the story about a devoted and loyal dog.  Devotion and loyalty are not limited to mankind, especially soldiers devoted and loyal to a cause, are they?  

Rock formations

    In addition to the huge boulders on the battlefield well known as Devil's Den, there are a few other interesting locations or rocks in the same vicinity.  Shown below are three of them:

                                                          elephant rock

                     
    Along with Devil's Den itself, there are two other large rocks in that vicinity worth looking for.  One is the so-called "elephant" rock (the rock in the middle in the photograph above), because of its similar-ity in shape and size to an elephant.  It is located just to the south of Devil's Den just as you make the turn upward toward the crest of Devil's Den where the monument and cannons of Captain James E. Smith's 4th New York Battery are located.  It is interesting to me that soldiers during the Civil War, when they experienced combat for the first time, were said to have "seen the elephant" --- I have often wondered how many soldiers literally "saw the elephant" near Devil's Den during the battle?

                                                                       trough rock

                                                                   
    The other rock is commonly referred to as the "trough" rock, with a large depression, either natural or man-made, where a horse could get a drink.  I am unsure when this rock was discovered or first used as a trough, but I have seen one old photograph in the book "Devil's Den: A History and Guide" that shows a horse and rider using it for that purpose.  In any event, it is located up the footpath to the left of the restroom located across the bridge over Plum Run and worth taking a look.

                                                                   The Devil's "Den"

    This so-called entrance to the Devil's "den" is approximately fifty yards up and to the left of the Park Service's "Devil's Den" sign located across from the parking area.  I have seen people crawl inside with a flashlight, and it appeared to be at least 6 feet by 8 feet wide but only 2 feet high.  However, I would not  recommend going in there because of the possibility of disturbing any snakes that might be living or even hibernating there.  

    To learn more about Devil's Den and the surrounding area, I would highly recommend the book "Devil's Den: A History and Guide", by Garry E. Adelman and Timothy H. Smith (see my "Books Worth Reading" page).


                                                               The Devil's Kitchen       (NEW)
    
    The Devil's Kitchen is what I would consider a smaller version of Devil's Den but just as much fun to explore (remember to keep in mind that snakes may be present on or among the rocks and be very careful !!!).  As I was climbing and crawling around this area in May, I passed in front of a tall but narrow crevice and felt cool air --- the "refrigerator", perhaps ???
 
    To get to the Devil's Kitchen, park at the parking area near the base of Big Round Top and take the footpath on the left (on the same side of the road as the parking area, not up the hill toward the summit).  Walk approximately 75 yards and you will see this rock formation on the right.  

                                                               The Devil's Slipper       (NEW)

    The Devil's Slipper is a pickup truck sized rock that apparently got its name (as have so many others) by the early tour guides (I read about and saw an old photograph of the Devil's Slipper in the 1895 Annual Report of the Gettysburg National Military Park Commission).  In any event, it can still be found on the south side of South Confederate Avenue approximately 50 yards before the 3-car parking area across from the interpretative markers for the ill-fated July 3 Union cavalry charge by Brigadier General Elon J. Farnsworth (see my "Off the Usual Path" page).  Please note that it is the rock in the background behind the tree and not the rock in the foreground.

Rock carvings and inscriptions  

    After a local newspaper printed a full-page article a few years ago on rock carvings and inscriptions on the battlefield, I did some "Googling" and came across an interesting and informative webpage by J. David Petruzzi (http://gburginfo.brinkster.net/battlefieldcarvings.htm) on this subject.  Along with a brief history and usually a photograph as well, directions are given on how to find them.  Although some of them are difficult to locate nonetheless (I have only found a few of them so far), some are not.  Two of the easier ones to find are located on Little Round Top; while one is nearly illegible (see the photo on the left) which reportedly marks the spot where Colonel Strong Vincent, commanding the Third Brigade of the First Division of the Union V Corps was mortally wounded, and is located on a chest-high rock just a few feet to the north of the "castle" monument, it is still readable if the sun hits it just right (see the photo on the right).  One is still easily discernible (see the bottom photo) on the back of the monument to the 91st Pennsylvania Volunteers (the one between the cannons --- not the larger monument in front) marking where Brigadier General Stephen H. Weed, the commander of the Third Brigade of the Second Division of the Union V Corps and Lieutenant Charles Hazlett, of Battery D, 5th U.S. Artillery, were killed within moments of each other.

(UPDATE):  I recently found a few more rock carvings, one near Spangler's Spring at the base of Culp's Hill and two near Devil's Den.  To locate the rock carving of "AL Coble - 1st NC REG", properly park your car on East Confederate Avenue across from Spangler's Meadow (see my "Off the Usual Path" page) and walk toward the group of boulders at the base of the hill.  Go around to the right and look in between the rocks for a flat area with the carving:  

  

To find the rock carvings in Devil's Den, park in the main parking area there.  Then cross the road and walk toward the right to find the monument to the 4th Maine Infantry Regiment.  Located between the monument and the road (facing Little Round Top) is the rock carving "4TH ME":

   

To locate the other rock carving, cross the road and walk along Warren Avenue toward Little Round Top until you can walk over to the monument to the 40th New York Infantry Regiment located on your left.  The rock carving is close by, and has the diamond insignia of the Union Army's III Corps: 

   



The Union Army Signal Corps "Tour"

    While everyone knows that Little Round Top was the location of a Union Signal Station, there is a plaque on the rock where it was primarily operating from (see the photo below):

I have found a website dedicated to the Union Army Signal Corps, which has a 13-stop self-guided "tour" of the Signal Stations used during the Gettysburg Campaign.  For those of you interested in this particular aspect of the battle, I recommend http://scard.buffnet.net/gburgsignals/gburgtour.html --- it includes a few rare photos as well as the actual text of many dispatches and reports by those soldiers manning the stations, and they are in-deed interesting reading. 

The Lutheran Theological Seminary Cupola "Tour"

    Twice a year, the Adams County Historical Society allows people (for a donation) to go up in the well-known cupola and get a view of the battlefield and a feel for what it must have been like for Union General John Buford as he watched the opening action on July 1 and anxiously waited for the arrival of General John  Reynolds' I Corps.  The donation (currently $100 for society members and $125 for non-members) covers the 1-hour tour, which includes a history of the building and a presentation of some of their many rare Civil War artifacts.  I have not yet taken the tour, but hope to do so in 2008 (at this point, the dates will be in April and November).  For more information on this unique but infrequent tour, go to http://www.achs-pa.org/visit/tour.htm or call (717) 334-4723.  

(UPDATE):  On Saturday, April 19, I took my eagerly awaited tour of the Seminary and its cupola.
The tour and view were excellent, and with Adams County Historical Society researcher/Licensed Battlefield Guide Tim Smith answering questions while showing a series of early photographs taken
from the cupola, it was interesting to see how the view(s) have changed over time.  It was great to finally get a feel for what it must have been like for General John Buford on that fateful morning of July 1:

            
              (looking west toward Reynolds Avenue)                            (looking northwest toward McPherson's Barn)

             
    (looking north toward the bridge over the railroad cut)              (looking northeast toward Gettysburg College)

            
                       (looking east toward the town)                                        (looking south toward the Round Tops)

 

Evergreen Cemetery

    Visitors often take time to explore the Soldiers National Cemetery, the "official" site of President Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address", but many of them tend to overlook visiting the adjacent cemetery on the other side of the fence, Evergreen Cemetery.  It is not only the final resting place of Virginia "Jennie" Wade, the only civilian known to be killed during the battle, and John Burns, the "citizen soldier" of the battle, but also of many other notable and world-famous people (see the webpage at http://www.evergreencemetery.org/npeople.htm).   

    In addition, in one area of the cemetery I counted 69 Union soldiers (2 unknown) and 2 Confederate soldiers who are still buried there as well:

    Both Private Hooper P. Caffey, a member of the 3rd Alabama Infantry, and Sergeant Matthew Goodson, a member of the 52nd North Carolina Infantry, were wounded in battle and later died at a Union II Corps hospital, where their remains were not found until a few years later in 1866 and then moved to Evergreen Cemetery.  However, a public outcry in 1867 about Confederates being buried in the cemetery resulted in their remains once again being moved --- this time to a more secluded location.  The truly sad part is that the exact spot is no longer known, and the markers seen in the photograph above do not really indicate their final resting place.                                                                       

     Just inside the gatehouse entrance, the Gettysburg Civil War Women's Memorial, a bronze statue of Elizabeth Thorn, was dedicated in November of 2002 to honor the many unsung women civilians of the battle.  The wife of the cemetery caretaker, Peter Thorn (who enlisted in the 138th Pennsylvania Infantry in 1862), Elizabeth was left in charge of the cemetery.  Despite being six months pregnant and also having to care for three sons, Elizabeth Thorn dug graves for and buried approximately 100 soldiers during and after the battle.  To read more about her and all the notable people buried in Evergreen Cemetery (including a member of baseball's "Hall of "Fame" and a famous singer/actor), I recommend reading "Beyond the Gatehouse" by Brian A. Kennell, the caretaker of Evergreen Cemetery since 1991.

Field Hospitals and Camp Letterman

    Located on the south side of Route 30 (the York Road) approximately 1 1/2 miles east of Gettysburg is the easily overlooked Army of the Potomac Medical Department monument to all the field hospitals of each Union Army Corps as well as honoring and marking the location of Camp Letterman, a general hospital of more than 500 tents where approximately 22,000 sick and wounded soldiers, both Union and Confederate, received medical treatment and convalesced from mid-July until the end of November of 1863, when the camp closed.  For more information and a few photographs of Camp Letterman, go to the webpage at http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/getttour/sidebar/letterman.htm .                                

    The photograph below is of the Jacob Weikert home on Taneytown Road, which later became much better known as a result of a book written after the Civil War by Tillie Pierce Alleman, a 15-year-old girl at the time, of her recollections and experiences of the battle, including helping to take care of wounded Union soldiers at this farmstead.  The barn (not shown in the photograph) now houses an antiques shop (http://tilliestreasuresatlrt.com), and Tillie's home in Gettysburg (which housed several wounded Union soldiers after the battle) still stands on Baltimore Street and has been recently renovated into a "Bed and Breakfast" (http://tilliepiercehouse.com).  Tillie's book is still in print and readily available, and is well worth reading in order to get a young civilian's perspective of the battle (see my "Books Worth Reading" page).

    To read more about the field hospitals, I recommend reading "A Vast Sea of Misery - A History and Guide to the Union and Confederate Hospitals at Gettysburg", by Gregory A. Coco. 

Horseback riding on the battlefield

    For those of you who enjoy horseback riding or are a novice at it, and would like to view the battle-field from a cavalryman's or mounted officer's perspective, I heartily recommend taking an escorted horseback tour of as much of the battlefield as you can.  You will have a unique opportunity to see many areas of the battlefield that would normally require walking some distance from your car, and the different perspective will be an educational one for any buff.

    I know of two places to do this: they are the Artillery Ridge Campground and the Hickory Hollow Farm.  The Artillery Ridge Campground (http://www.artilleryridge.com/horseind.html) is located on Taneytown Road on the east side and behind Little Round Top, while the Hickory Hollow Farm (http://www.hickoryhollowfarm.com) is located about five miles west of Gettysburg and has riders meet at their battlefield trail ride starting point at McMillan Woods Campground on West Confederate Avenue/Seminary Ridge.                                                              

    I have ridden many times in the past several years at Artillery Ridge Campground, and it has always been a fun and worthwhile experience, especially as the National Park Service continues its efforts to restore the battlefield as much as possible to how it appeared in 1863.  It is my goal next summer to take one of the battlefield trail rides by the Hickory Hollow Farm, and will give a report on the website afterward.   

Just one reminder --- reservations over the summer fill up rapidly, so try to make them as early as possible.

Side-trip to Emmitsburg, Maryland

    I am planning on taking a side-trip this spring to Emmitsburg, Maryland, the home of Mount St. Mary's University and Indian Lookout, a location where many students and residents of the town actually observed much of the Battle of Gettysburg using telescopes, opera glasses, and the like.  While I had read about this in many books, and knowing that there was a Union Signal Corps station during the battle in the mountains above Emmitsburg, I still found it a little hard to believe that at a distance of 10-15 miles, an individual could see that much even with a telescope.  I was still skeptical even after reading a detailed account of this which I tracked down on the website of the Emmitsburg Area Histori-cal Society (http://www.emmitsburg.net/history/article_index/war.htm).

    I brought up this issue with Michael Strong, a very knowledgeable Licensed Battlefield Guide, during a 2-hour tour I took with him this summer.  As it happened, we were on Oak Ridge at the time, and he was easily able to point out the mountains outside of Emmitsburg.  Even without having binoculars with me that day, I became less skeptical.  Nevertheless, as they say, "seeing is believing", and I am anxious for spring to arrive in order to take my side-trip to see exactly how much of the battlefield you can see from there.

(UPDATE):  I postponed my side-trip until Friday, June 27, in order to take advantage of the Civil War Walking Tour that day at 7:00 p.m. as part of "Emmitsburg Community Day".  I will provide an update and photographs afterward.  For more information on this free 90-minute walking tour, go to the website at http://www.emmitsburg.net/montereypass/contents/events.htm .

Unusual monuments 

    There are approximately 1,320 monuments, markers, and tablets of various sizes and shapes on the battlefield.  That being said, there are many unusual looking ones, four of which are shown in the photographs below (from left to right):

              The First Vermont Brigade (located on Wright Avenue near Big Round Top)

              The Tammany Regiment (located on Cemetery Ridge near the High Water Mark)

              The 90th Pennsylvania Infantry (located on Oak Ridge near the observation tower)

              The 73rd New York Infantry (located in Excelsior Field off the Emmitsburg Road)

    While all monuments have their own unique and interesting history, but the monument to the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry, shaped in the shape of a tree shattered by artillery fire but still holding a bird nest, is even more so.  Legend has it that during the battle on July 1, a tree near that regiment's position was struck by cannon fire, knocking a robin's nest filled with baby birds to the ground.  One soldier picked up the nest and climbed the tree, placing the nest and baby birds back where they belonged.  One version of the legend has it that the soldier did this while still under heavy fire, and another one has it that Confederate soldiers, once they observed what he was doing, ceased their fire until he completed his "rescue mission."  True or not, it still makes for an interesting story to tell.    

(UPDATE):  Here are three more unusual monuments that are among my favorites (left to right):

              The 123rd New York Infantry (located along Slocum Avenue on Culp's Hill)   

              The 88th Pennsylvania Infantry (located on Oak Ridge near the observation tower)  

              The 53rd Pennsylvania Infantry (located on Brooke Avenue south of the Wheatfield)

         

    The monument to the 123rd New York Infantry has Clio, the Greek muse of history, atop it:

                                                     

    The monument to the 88th Pennsylvania Infantry has everything from two cannon tubes, a cap, canteen, cannon balls, a rifle, cartridge belt, haversack, flag, drum, and even an eagle:

                       

    The monument to the 53rd New York Infantry has a soldier overdressed for fighting in July:

    There is another unusual monument, honoring the 29th Ohio Infantry, located on Culp's Hill, but it is unusual in quite a different way.  While I was walking there two years ago during a National Park Service one-hour "Ranger Walk", I noticed something odd about the monument --- the "S" in "US" is backward.  To my knowledge, no one knows when the error was first detected, and why it was not (if it was even possible) corrected:   

    For more information on the 1,320+ monuments, I recommend "The Location of the Monuments, Markers, and Tablets on Gettysburg Battlefield", and "Gettysburg: The Complete Pictorial of Battlefield Monuments" (see my "Books Worth Reading" page).