Tuesday, October 26, 2010

116th Pennsylvania Infantry



Location: Sickles Avenue At The Loop
Dedicated: September 11, 1889 

The 116th Pennsylvania Infantry was another member of the Irish Brigade. Like the three New York Regiments of the unit, the 116th had suffered heavy casualties in prior battles and these losses had not been replaced. Civil War regiments at full strength normally consisted of ten companies of one hundred men each, totalling one thousand soldiers. At Gettysburg, one hundred and forty-two officers and men remained to march into battle under the flag of the 116th. By the evening of July 2, casualties had reduced the unit to the size of a normal company.
The monument erected by the survivors of the regiment deals with a different theme than most others on the field. Bravery, courage, loyalty, devotion and steadfastness in battle are common traits of the monuments on this and other fields. Few deal with the brutal realities of warfare's destructiveness as effectively as the 116th Pennsylvania. During the battle the regiment was under the command of Major St. Clair A. Mulholland. Upon arriving at this position a lull occurred in the fighting. The Major walked a short distance forward to where the 110th Pennsylvania had fought earlier in the afternoon. He was awed by the sight of one of the dead in particular, a young soldier, shot through the head. A faint smile was visible on the dead boy's quiet, upturned face. Mulholland never forgot that haunting scene. Years later it inspired the design of the present monument. The sculpture represents a small portion of battlefield that the fighting has passed by. A dead soldier, similar to the one Mulholland described, lies quietly beside the wall where he and his comrades had earlier fought. The closeness of the combat is suggested by the position of the musket, still gripped by the muzzle. As he received the fatal wound, he was using the musket as a club to defend his position. The broken bayonet scabbard, splintered musket, and the remains of a farmer's fence underscore the destruction left in the path of the fighting. No hint is given as to the outcome of the struggle here. Death is the only victor reflected in the monument. For the handful of survivors of the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry, reflecting back on the comrades left behind on many fields of that war, death had reaped a tremendous harvest from their ranks.

Jennie Wade's Grave


Mary Virginia Wade was the only local civilain to lose her life in the battle of Gettysburg. She and her mother came to the small house on the slope of Cemetery Hill to take care of her sister, Georgia Wade McClellan who had just given birth. At about 8A.M. on the morning of July 3, Jenny Wade was preparing dough to make biscuits when a stray sharpshooter's bullet came through two doors and struck her in the back, killing the twenty year old instantly. She was buried the following day outside Georgia's house. In early 1864, the body was moved to a cemetery in town and, following the war, she was moved a third time to her present resting place in Evergreen Cemetery.
Just after the war the McClellans moved to Iowa where Georgia became involved in the Women's Relief Corps. In the WRC convention of 1900, a vote was taken to erect a statue over the grave of Georgia's sister. Contributions were solicited and Anna Miller was chosen to execute the statue that now exists. It was dedicated September 16,1901 in the presence of many members of the Iowa Relief Corps including Georgia McClellan. Nine years later, the Gettysburg Association of Iowa Women purchased and placed a steel flagstaff on the grave. On this pole an American flag is permitted by law to fly day and night. Each year, the Women's Relief Corps send two new flags to fly over the grave.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Photographs In and Around Gettysburg




Sachs Bridge history taken from wikimapia

Sachs Bridge

Built for the County by workers under David Stoner in 1852, the Sachs Bridge is an Adams County landmark. It was crossed by both armies during the battle of Gettysburg in 1863, and carried parts of the Army of Northern Virginia as it retreated. Before its 1996-97 rehabilitation, its deck was supported by a truss-lattice based on a design by architect Ithiel Town.

After it washed nearyly 100 yards downstream in a flooded Marsh Creek on June 18, 1996, workers salvaged the Sachs Bridge. Within a year it again bridged the creek, with over 90% of its original truss and lattice intact. Its rehabiltation shows the benefits of an effective partnership between people and government. The County worked with many individuals and groups to preserve this part of its history.

The preservation of Adams County's historic and agricultural resources reinforces our sense of place in the world and our understanding of our history. It resists the homogenization so common in modern society and the resulting "geography of nowhere." As recently as the 1930s there were nearly 900 covered bridges in Pennsylvania, the most in the United States. Twenty-four stood in Adams County. Now, only three covered bridges survive in Adams County, with only a few more than 200 in Pennsylvania. They stand as silent documents of the state's rural history.

Lots of paranormal activity has been reported here. Many believe this is due to it's proximity to the battlefield. there is also a story of two Confederate Soldiers who were hanged here for desertion during the retreat from Gettysburg.   This information comes from http://wikimapia.org/7475198/Sachs-Bridge

Sachs Bridge - Information sourced from wikimapia

                                         












This is probably the most interesting photograph I have around the Sachs Bridge Area


Thursday, October 21, 2010

11 Pennsylvania Infantry - Information taken from Gettysburg: Stories of Men and Monuments as told by Battlefield Guides by Frederick W. Hawthorne


The War Dog

Location: Doubleday Avenue

Dedicated to the "heroic dead" of the unit, the monument constructed by the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry stands silently atop Oak Ridge at the spot they defended that afternoon of July 1,. Driving along the row of monuments honoring the men of John Robinson's division, you will immediately see a fine bronze statue of a skirmisher preparing to fire sitting atop the 11th Pennsylvania monument. Few bother
 to get out and walk to the front where another bronze statue can be found, the statue of a small dog curled up as if sleeping. The dog-Sallie-was the mascot of the 11th and she too was numbered among the "heoric dead" to whom the monument was dedicated.
Sallie had been given to the regiment as a puppy during the early days of the war. Growing up with the men of the unit, she became a comrade-in-arms, sharing the marches, the hardships, the extremes of the climate and the dangers of the battle. During battles, Sallie was known to take her position at the end of the line of battle, barking as loud as she could at the enemy. Of a friendly nature, Sallie was said to hate only three things: "Rebels, Democrats, and Women."
At Gettysburg, the little dog was with the men of the 11th Pennsylvania throughout the battle of July 1st. During the course of the retreat through the town, she became separated from the unit. Not knowing where they had gone, she remembered where they had been and worked her way back across the debris of the field to this ridge and her fallen comrades, There, amidst the wounded, the dying, and the dead, Sallie laid down and maintained a silent vigil over her friends for the remainder of the battle, After Confederate retreat a member of the 12th Massachusetts found her still lying among the dead, weak from the lack of food, but alive. She was returned to her unit.
Recovering quickly, Sallie resumed her place in the regiment serving faithfully through the balance of the war.
On February 6, 1865 within two months of the war's end she was going into battle with her unit at Hatcher's Run, Virginia. During the course of the fight she was shot through the head and killed. Such was the feeling of the men of the regiment towards their mascot that they buried her on the field despite the heavy enemy fire. Years later when designs for the regimental monument at Gettysburg was discussed it was felt only appropriate that their little pet, their friend and their comrade be memorialized with the unit.

Note: When you go to visit this monument you will notice that people leave a penny next to Sallie

Description of Irish Wolfhound handout from Irish Festival in Maryland / Description of Irish Brigade Monument - Taken from Gettysburg: Stories of Men and Monuments As Told By Battlefield Guides By Frederick W. Hawthorne






Breed History: Irish Wolfhounds

The Irish Wolfhound is the tallest of all dogs, measuring up to 35 inches high and weighing 130 pounds, originally bred to hunt wolves and Irish elk. Like the mastiff and the greyhound, the Irish Wolfhound has a very ancient history. Early Irish literature refers to these as "Irish dogs," "Big Dogs of Ireland", "Greyhounds of Ireland" "Great Hounds of Ireland," and " Wolfdogs of Ireland." The wolfhound was probably the favored dog of the Celts as they wandered and hunted in Ireland as likeness of the hounds can be found in Celtic engravings. the ancient Icelandic Saga of Nial detailed the size and demeanor of the dogs:
I will give thee a dog which I got in Ireland. He is huge of limb, and for a follower equal to an able man. Moreover, he hath a man's  wit and will bark at thine enemies but never at thy friends. And he will see by each man's face whether he be ill or well disposed to thee. And  he will lay down his life for thee.

These Irish hounds must have been well established on the Emerlad Isle by the time Romans visited the island. In fact, in 391 AD a Roman consul named Quintus Aerilius received seven of the dogs as a gift, and it was later written that"all Rome viewed them with wonder." Ownership of the Wolfhound was highly restricted to the most worthy families, and the dogs were treated royally-often with collars crafted from precious metals and stones. In the 3rd or 4th century, legend retells the story of a warrior and huntsmman named Finn who was "the master of the hounds." In order to wound Finn, his arch enemy drowned the wolfhound which was said to have slept on Finn's bed. " I have never heard the voice of a hound a hunting on plain, on bog or spreading slope, since I parted with my bold hound, but woe would come upon my heart," he lamented.

In the 1300's Llewlyn, the Prince of Wales, was hunting without his wolfhound. Eventually, the dog caught up with the Prince covered in blood. Alarmed, the prince ran back to the castle to check on his infant son. the bed was empty and the floor and sheets were spattered with blood. In disbelief, the Prince thrust his sword into the breast of the hound. A few minutes later, he discovered the child laying on the floor unharmed, surrounded by three wolves whom the faithful hound had slain in defense of the child. The Prince was so full of shame that he never smiled again.

In 1770, Oliver Goldsmith's book entitled, Animated Nature spoke of...
...the last variety and most wonderful of all that I shall mention is the great Irish Wolfdog, that may be considered as the first of the canine species...bred up to the houses of the great...he is extremely beautiful and majestic in appearance, being the greatest of the dog kind seen in the world...they are now allmost worn away and only rarely to be met with."

Indeed, by the 18th century, Irish Wolfhounds were close to extinction despite their special favor with members of the royal courts throughout Europe. Captain George Augustus Graham, a 19th century Scottish officer in the British army is credited with saving both the Irish Wolfhounds and Scottish Deerhounds.

In Art
Irish Wolfhounds can first been seen in carved Celtic images from 300b.c.-600a.d. Much later, the large hounds begin to appear in paintings of royals-in keeping with the tradition of the elite status of the dogs. In 1532, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V commissioned the Venetian artist Titian to copy an earlier portrait of him which featured his brother's Irish Wolfhound. When Charles finally received the portrait in 1536, he immediately made Titian the Court Painter.

Demeanor
Despite his imposing size, the Irish Wolfhound is very calm and does well within the family circle. He is dignified, sensitive, and very responsive to training. His quiet nature makes him an ineffective watchdog. He is alert but not suspicious and is not at all aggressive. He requires a good bit of exercise and is best suited for a family with ample space for him to roam. Wolfhounds are good with children.




Location: Sickles Avenue, The Loop
Dedicated : July 2, 1888

On the high ground west of the Wheatfield there is a large concentration of monuments to Union regiments from several brigades that had fought their way through the Wheatfield. One quite distinctive monument in this area is that of the Irish Brigade, a unit organized by former Irish revolutionary Thomas Francis Meagher. Active in most of the major eastern battles of the Civil War, the brigade was shattered at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. Fighting under the emerald green regimental flags decorated with the harp of Erin were five all-Irish regiments, the 63rd, 69th, and 88th New York, 28th Massachusetts, and 116th Pennsylvania Infantries. At Gettysburg the entire brigade numbered just five hundred and thirty men, the size of a severly understrength regiment. The battle here on July 2 would cost the unit two hundred and fourteen casualties.
The Irish Brigade monument honors the three New York regiments of the brigade who combined their state appropriations for this purpose. the shaft of polished granite and inset bronze is carved in the shape of a traditional symbol of Ireland, the Celtic cross. At the top of the cross is the trefoil symbol of the 2nd Army Corps. Beneath it are five medallions with the numeric designation of the three regiments, the state seal of New York, and the seal of Ireland. At the base lies a life size Irish wolf hound in bronze, representing faith and devotion.
An additonal feature of the memorial is the bronze plaque on the right face of the base representing a section of an artillery battery in action. This was meant to honor Captain James Rorty's 14th New York Independent Battery. This unit had been mustered in to United States service as part of the original Irish Brigade in 1861. Detached later in the war, the battery participated in the battle of Gettysburg on July 3, suffering several casualties. The veterans of the Irish Brigade chose to include their former artillery comrades on their memorial.


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Information Source for Description of Monuments

All information on description of Monuments comes from Gettysburg: Stories of Men and Monuments As Told By Battlefield Guides By Frederick W. Hawthorne Published by the Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides
I have taken all the photographs but I do not take credit for any of the descriptions of the photo's unless otherwise indicated all descriptions are coming for the above forementioned.


Soldiers National Monument




Location: National Cemetery
Dedicated 7/1/1869

The first memorial of any type to be placed at Gettysburg was the Soldiers National Monument in the National Cemetery. Part of the original plan for the cemetery, laid out by landscape architect William Saunders, called for the creation of a large memorial in the center of the semi-circle of Union graves. Designed by the Batterson-Canfield Company, the cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1865, just three months after the close of the war. The monument consists of a large pedestal of white Westerly granite which supports a shaft and marble statue entitled the "Genius of Liberty". Around the shaft, a band of eighteen bronze stars honors the loyal states represented in the army at Gettysburg. The coat of arms beneath them is the symbol of the Union that was preserved here. Liberty rests on a three-quarter globe as she clutches a sword in her left hand. Her right hand holds the victor's laurel wreath, classical symbol of victory.                                                                                                                                         

On each of the four buttresses are allegorical statues in white marble, carved in Italy under the direction of sculptor Randolph Rogers. On the left side of the front face is "War", protrayed as an American soldier resting after the conflict. The panels on either side of  his chair contain the tools of warfare, while his foot rests on an artillery tube. He is relating the story of what happened here to the second, statue, "History," as she records the achievements and the names of the dead in her book. Beneath her foot rests a stack of books, the record of past events. On the right side of her chair, the pyramid and palm tree symbolize man's heritage, while the crumbling columns on the left represent the result of man's vanity and ambition. The back face of the monument contains the statue of "Plenty" as she symbolizes the peace and abundance brought about as a result of the soldier's triumph here. The sheath of wheat over her arm and the cornucopias filled with the fruits of the earth are all symbolic of the abundance of this nation. The final statue symbolizes peace. It represents a mechanic and features the tools of the trade, machine cogs and heavy hammers. Perhaps the most unusual of the five statues, "Peace" is represented here as a man where classical statues universally portrayed peace as a women. The panel on the back face contains the last part of Lincoln's Gettyburg Address, delivered nearby. On July 1, 1869, the sixth anniversary of the start of the battle, the Soldiers National Monument was dedicated with great ceremony.

This information was taken from Gettysburg: Stories of Men and Monuments As Told By Battlefield Guides by Frederick W. Hawthorne this book is a must if your interested in locating and photographing monuments.


Tuesday, October 19, 2010







New York is well represented with  regimental monuments on the slope of Culp's Hill. One of the most artistic is the one honoring the 123rd New York Infantry. Standing alongside the remains of breastworks recaptured from the Confederates by the unit on the morning of July 3, the monument features a large granite statue entitled "History Recording". Representing Clio, the muse of history, the statue is depicted writing the events of the battle on a large tablet. Both the front and back faces of the shaft displays a bronze five pointed star, symbol of the 12th Army Corps. A short distance out in front of the breastworks is a small reddish companion marker identifying the position of the skirmish line of the regiment.

Location: South Slocum Avenue
Dedicated : September 4, 1888

 Another unit that fought in the Wheatfield /loop area was a small detachment of Massachusetts sharpshooters, a specialized unit made up of men chosen for exceptional marksmanship. Known as the 2nd Andrew Sharpshooters, they were named for the war-governor of the state, John A. Andrews, and were armed with very heavy rifles equipped with crude telescopes. These were similar to one on display in the parks visitor center. The Sharpshooters' Veteran's Association created a different type of memorial than usually found on the field. The monument consists of a carved granite soldier in complete uniform standing as if taking cover behind a large boulder. Not resting on a traditional base, the soldier presents a somewhat startling and lifelike appearance as one passes by. Cut from a single block of granite, the sculptor did not have sufficient material available to completely carve the rifle giving the monument a somewhat unfinished look. As with all Massachusetts monuments, detailed inscriptions are lacking.

Location: Sickles Avenue at the loop 
Dedicated: October 8, 1885

All information pertaining to monuments is taken from Gettysburg: Stories of Men and Monuments as told by Battlefield Guides by Frederick W. Hawthorne 



Location: South Hancock Avenue / Dedicated October 29, 1910/Sculptor: Samuel Murray

The portrait statue of Father William Corby honors one of the hundreds of chaplains present with the armies at Gettysburg. Serving in the capacity of chaplain of the Irish brigade's 88th New York Infantry, Corby's actions the afternoon of July 2 were to be remembered as part of the rich folk lore of this battle. As the pressure on General Sickle's 3rd Corps increased, reinforcements were rushed in to bolster the line. General Winfield Scott Hancock ordered one of his divisional commanders, General John C. Caldwell, to move his unit to the relief of the embattled regiments of Sickle's corps. Among Caldwells four Brigades was Patrick Kelly's Irish Brigade . While the regiments began to form up, Father Corby went to the front of the column and asked permission to delay the movement a few minutes while he spoke to the men. Stepping atop a boulder, he raised his right hand and as the men stood with bowed heads, the sound of battle raging to the south and west, Corby called upon God to grant them courage, then pronounced general absolution. The brigade marched off into battle. Following the Civil War, Corby's service to his fellow men included two terms as president of the University of Notre Dame. Nearly a half century after Corby's actions at Gettysburg, General St. Clair A. Mulholland, an eyewitness to the event, enlisted the aid of the four hundred member Catholic Alumni Society to honor the chaplain with a portrait statue on the field. Using funds raised within the Catholic community, this statue was created of Father Corby posed at the moment of pronouncing absolution. It was mounted on the site where the event actually took place and in some accounts, on the exact boulder. An indentical copy of the statue was placed on the campus of Notre Dame the following year.

90th Pennsylvania Infantry

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. Location: Doubleday Avenue at the Mummasburg Road  Dedicated September 3, 1888
Carved to represent a tree on the field that had been torn and shattered by artillary fire, bronze accoutrements, 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.

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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania's participation at Gettysburg.

Information taken from Gettysburg: Stories of Men and Monuments as told by Battlefield Guides by Frederick W. Hawthorne