1909 View of the Round Tops From Houck's Ridge

Gettysburg Greg

First Sergeant
Joined
Jun 6, 2010
Location
Decatur, Illinois
The Round Tops look pretty barren in this wintertime photo taken in 1909. In fact, Little Round Top would be nearly unrecognizable were it not for the 91st Pa monument and the 44th NY castle visible on the summit. Note the observation tower seen on top of Big Round Top. The tower was constructed around 1900. My similar now photo was taken during the summer of 2015 so the contrasting foliage is even more stark.
lrt combo.jpg
 
Good observation, @JohnW. I believe that it may appear that way at least partially because the original photograph was taken from the valley and my now image was shot from higher up on Houck's Ridge.
Is the large rock at bottom edge of the older photo the same as the one pictured next to the road in center of new picture? If so that would explain difference in elevation.
 
Is the large rock at bottom edge of the older photo the same as the one pictured next to the road in center of new picture? If so that would explain difference in elevation.
@RobertP , I believe you are correct, Robert. I can blow up my photograph enough to see that it appears to match up very well. It is actually two rocks, one behind the other. Thanks for pointing that out. Now I have a reason to go back and reshoot the matching shot. :D
 
The rocks don't lie :D was the before picture taken in winter? I try to use the lack of foliage as a way to tell if a LRT picture was taken off season.
 
Gettysburg Daily did a nice piece on BRT. That tower was removed in 1968. Not many people take the path up the slope of BRT. It is a great hike with several monuments there. Decent views IF you make the trek when the leaves are off the trees.

Climbing BRT and Powers Hill are two must do hikes for those fit enough to do so.

I particularly like the Then shot. It really shows where the true crest of LRT is. Positioning of regiments was rarely done on the highest point of the terrain. The "castle" monument provides an anchor for the actual troop positioning. Remember that the line of troops going down to the 20th Maine were positioned in declining elevation from the 12th/44th NY castle monument.

If you were the commanding officer on LRT on July 2, 1863, where would you of placed your forces? I believe their choices were perfect that day.


http://www.gettysburgdaily.com/climbing-big-round-top/
 
Gettysburg Daily did a nice piece on BRT. That tower was removed in 1968. Not many people take the path up the slope of BRT. It is a great hike with several monuments there. Decent views IF you make the trek when the leaves are off the trees.

Climbing BRT and Powers Hill are two must do hikes for those fit enough to do so.

What is the view like on Powers Hill?
 
What is the view like on Powers Hill?


The NPS has undertaken extensive tree removal on Powers Hill dramatically increasing views. The view of Spanglers Meadow was well hidden before the tree removal. Nice piece on that project is below.

http://www.gettysburgdaily.com/powers-hill-tree-removal-part-5/

Link to an older post with Powers Hill photos. I just took Monument photos on my last trek up there.

http://civilwartalk.com/threads/powers-hill.124014/#post-1320285
 
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From Wally's link above.

BigRoundTop01071002_s.jpg

Yes, the Big Round Top set of Joshua Chamberlain Memorial toilets have been put away for the winter.This view was taken facing northeast at approximately 4:00 PM on Thursday, January 6, 2011.
:roflmao:


Clearly winter visits bring different "challenges". That photo is priceless but it is a reminder that planning winter bathroom breaks is mandatory in the off season. We visit KFC or McDonalds a few times in the winter for drinks and BR visits.

In all seriousness imagine the sanitation challenges of 160,000 men and thousands of horses and mules doing their daily business in and around the battlefield.
 
Clearly winter visits bring different "challenges". That photo is priceless but it is a reminder that planning winter bathroom breaks is mandatory in the off season. We visit KFC or McDonalds a few times in the winter for drinks and BR visits.

In all seriousness imagine the sanitation challenges of 160,000 men and thousands of horses and mules doing their daily business in and around the battlefield.
Besides being unimaginable, you are talking about a SERIOUS cholera risk.
 
Besides being unimaginable, you are talking about a SERIOUS cholera risk.

...and Hookworm, too. Whilst Hookworm are known to not travel but 4-6 feet from their point of origin, before the practice of digging latrines, barefoot traffic around defecation areas was enough to make this parasite a real problem. I have always thought that one of the great managements of armies was the intake of food and the output of waste.
 
I am retired now and read every Gettysburg post. I am constantly amazed at how threads take on a life of their own. I am quite confident that Greg never intended his excellent photos post to divert into a discussion about sanitation.

But sanitation on the battlefield is a serious subject, especially remembering how many were shoeless. Now back to the BRT observation tower. Carry on.
 
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