Bigelow's "Gate"?

Gettysburg Greg

First Sergeant
Joined
Jun 6, 2010
Location
Decatur, Illinois
big wall stretch.jpg

When the guns and caissons of Bigelow's 9th Mass Battery were attempting to escape the chaos in the corner of the Trostle farmyard, one of the guns overturned in the gate blocking the other guns. The left gun made its escape by breaking through the rock wall lining the field. Captain Bigelow pointed out where the gun went through the wall on his hand drawn map shown on top, see the blue arrow. As seen in my photograph on the bottom there is a break in the wall at this very location today. Is this the work of Bigelow's men frantically trying to escape with their gun? Probably not, but it does correspond perfectly with Bigelow's map.
 
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Captain Bigelow pointed out where the gun went through the wall on his hand drawn map shown on top, see the blue arrow. As seen in my photograph on the bottom there is a break in the wall at this very location today.
Thanks Greg! Like @mofederal I also really like the map and photo comparisons. Thanks for sharing this one!
 
Excellent work, Greg. The gun passed over the wall at about 6:48 p.m. by my calculations. By the way, the 118th Pennsylvania of Tilton's brigade was closest to the battery, behind the same wall/fence, in the woods, as Bigelow shows on his map. Tilton withdrew without a fight - for the second time this day.

The one gun blocking the gate was soon righted and took off. Of the four remaining guns that were captured, it seems the Confederates were able to move one of them a short distance to the west (toward their lines) before abandoning it, because when Lockwood's men arrived an hour later, at 8 p.m. (when it was nearly dark), they only saw and reclaimed three guns in the position shown on the map. The fourth gun stood on the field until late in the afternoon the following day, July 3, when it was recovered by the 6th Pennsylvania Reserves of McCandless' brigade, by a company sent toward the Trostle buildings. Somehow it was missed during the day by the Confederates, who would have been pleased to add it to their collection.
 
I love this stuff! Greg, I have investigated this area and took a picture from the place where I believe that Bigelow had placed his guns. Is your picture of the "gate" from the area that I have indicated below?

View attachment 173572
Thanks, @infomanpa . I think we are in agreement as to the location of the "gate". Here is a google map on which I pinned the gate opening. The other two pins are related to a question from a fb group that point out where O'Sullivan 's camera was when he took the iconic photo of the Trostle house and the extension of the fence line that extended to the road-Trostle Lane at the time.
Trostle field.jpg
 
Good stuff. Love the photography coupled with Tom's commentary.

I don't search out dioramas, but I recall stumbling onto the site below showing miniatures replicating Bigelow's "Gate".

https://civilwartails.com/2017/02/18/at-all-hazards/

Greg, do you have any photos of the nearby Norwood rock? I was on a battlewalk years ago that discussed the injured Norwood taking shelter behind the "Norwood Rock". Interesting read on this is below. I recall reading about this on an old CWT thread too.

https://npsgnmp.wordpress.com/2017/...er-john-norwoods-narrow-escape-at-gettysburg/
 
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View attachment 173561
When the guns and caissons of Bigelow's 9th Mass Battery were attempting to escape the chaos in the corner of the Trostle farmyard, one of the guns overturned in the gate blocking the other guns. The left gun made its escape by breaking through the rock wall lining the field. Captain Bigelow pointed out where the gun went through the wall on his hand drawn map shown on top, see the blue arrow. As seen in my photograph on the bottom there is a break in the wall at this very location today. Is this the work of Bigelow's men frantically trying to escape with their gun? Probably not, but it does correspond perfectly with Bigelow's map.

Oooooh. This stuff is what I live for! :smile: :smile: :smile:
 
In the July 1991 issue (#5) of the Gettysburg Magazine, GNMP Ranger Eric Campbell wrote an article “Baptism of Fire: the Ninth Massachusetts Battery at Gettysburg, July 2, 1863.” I've read dozens of articles in Gettysburg Magazine over the years. Campbell's is my choice for best article. It's "must reading".

Here is a short narrative of what happened to the 9th Massachusetts Battery that day:
https://historicaldigression.com/2013/06/23/9th-massachusetts-battery-at-gettysburg/
 
That order from McGilvery must have been a terrifying prospect.

'there is not an infantryman back of you along the whole line from which Sickles moved out. You must remain where you are and hold your position at all hazards, and sacrifice your battery, if need be, until at least I can find some batteries to put in position and cover you. The enemy are coming down on you now.'
 
View attachment 173561
When the guns and caissons of Bigelow's 9th Mass Battery were attempting to escape the chaos in the corner of the Trostle farmyard, one of the guns overturned in the gate blocking the other guns. The left gun made its escape by breaking through the rock wall lining the field. Captain Bigelow pointed out where the gun went through the wall on his hand drawn map shown on top, see the blue arrow. As seen in my photograph on the bottom there is a break in the wall at this very location today. Is this the work of Bigelow's men frantically trying to escape with their gun? Probably not, but it does correspond perfectly with Bigelow's map.

Another quality post from Gettysburg Greg, I really enjoyed this one, thank you very much for taking the time out to share your thoughts and pictures.
 
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