Gettysburg Greg
First Sergeant
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2010
- Location
- Decatur, Illinois
Looking at this ca. 1886 photo below taken near the High Water Mark, I noticed something did not appear right. Isn't that the 20th Mass. Monument seen at the wall near the Copse of Trees? How can that be? Today we see that same monument (puddingstone) 40 yards to the south where the regiment was positioned on July 3rd, 1863-see arrow on my modern photo on the bottom. After a little digging, I discovered the explanation. As many of you know the 20th Mass moved up to the Copse when the Confederates broke through at the climax of Pickett's Charge. Therefore, many veterans wanted their monument near the Copse to show their location at that critical moment and it was first placed where you see it in the photo. However, the GBMA decreed that regimental monuments were to be placed where the unit was first deployed, thus the monument was moved to it's correct location where we see it today.