69th Pa. Monument Dedication in 1887

[Gettysburg Greg]

In July of 1887, the 69th Pa. Monument was dedicated at the wall in front of the Copse of Trees at Gettysburg where they refused to break during the final moments of Pickett's Charge. Also, in the interest of promoting unity, members of Pickett's Division were in attendance along with General Pickett's widow, Sallie, who became quite a celebrity among the veterans from both sides. In the 1887 photo below, taken from the Confederate side of the wall, you see the newly erected 69th Pa. Monument with a few of the veterans around it. During this period the Copse seen in the background, was often characterized as "umbrella shaped" which we can clearly see here. On the bottom is my similar photo from a few years ago that shows the Copse as we see it now.

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

I'm confused by the vegetation. Was there an actual wall (make of rock) immediately behind the monument at one time? If so, why is it not there now if the park is trying to recreate the battlefield as it was at the time of the battle? I'm trying to picture it the way the Confederates encounter the line of the 69th when they were attacking.

Love your pictures btw. Thanks.

 

[infomanpa]

I'm confused by the vegetation. Was there an actual wall (make of rock) immediately behind the monument at one time? If so, why is it not there now if the park is trying to recreate the battlefield as it was at the time of the battle? I'm trying to picture it the way the Confederates encounter the line of the 69th when they were attacking.

Love your pictures btw. Thanks.

The stone wall was in front of the monument, which may be obscured by the bushes in the early photo. Or perhaps the was was removed after the battle and reconstructed later? In the modern photo, you can barely make out the wall through the tall grass.

 

[gc45]

Great photos both. When was the fence added or, did some sort of fence reside there during the battle?. The early photo shows what looks like barbed wire that was invented in 1867 then improved in 1874 so I guess that answers my question that the barbed fence was added later on sometime before 1887 when this early photo was taken. In the later photo, there is what looks like a fence still and perhaps just behind the rock wall as well. Behind the fence, the land looks to go uphill and toward the Corps of trees that is interesting not having stood there in person and because I had thought the rock wall was at the top of the hill, not below some distance so, the boys in blue were fighting on the hillside along with the boys in gray. Great photos with lots of interesting stuff to understand. Thanks again to Greg and to Infomanpa for his help.

 

[rpkennedy]

I'm confused by the vegetation. Was there an actual wall (make of rock) immediately behind the monument at one time? If so, why is it not there now if the park is trying to recreate the battlefield as it was at the time of the battle? I'm trying to picture it the way the Confederates encounter the line of the 69th when they were attacking.

Love your pictures btw. Thanks.

I'm not aware of a stone wall between the monument and the Copse of Trees but can't entirely rule it out. The terrain would have been a little more rocky and a little more sloped but Camp Colt (World War I-era training camp) pretty drastically changed the field in that area. For example, the officer's swimming pool was between the Angle and the Emmitsburg Road and so was flattened to accomodate the new facilities. And let's not talk about Big Round Top being used as the backstop for the gunnery range.

As for the 69th Pennsylvania, the markers with the medal wire show the positions of the companies on the line as it stood on July 3. As Garnett's Brigade approached, elements of the regiment pulled back from the wall (especially on the right flank). In addition, the wall would have been about knee high.

Ryan

 

[infomanpa]

Behind the fence, the land looks to go uphill and toward the Corps of trees that is interesting not having stood there in person and because I had thought the rock wall was at the top of the hill, not below some distance so, the boys in blue were fighting on the hillside along with the boys in gray. Great photos with lots of interesting stuff to understand. Thanks again to Greg and to Infomanpa for his help.

Good observation that I had never really thought about. The crest of the ridge is beyond the stone wall along the modern road (Hancock Ave.). You can see a car on the road in the picture above.

 

[gc45]

I'm not aware of a stone wall between the monument and the Copse of Trees but can't entirely rule it out. The terrain would have been a little more rocky and a little more sloped but Camp Colt (World War I-era training camp) pretty drastically changed the field in that area. For example, the officer's swimming pool was between the Angle and the Emmitsburg Road and so was flattened to accomodate the new facilities. And let's not talk about Big Round Top being used as the backstop for the gunnery range.

As for the 69th Pennsylvania, the markers with the medal wire show the positions of the companies on the line as it stood on July 3. As Garnett's Brigade approached, elements of the regiment pulled back from the wall (especially on the right flank). In addition, the wall would have been about knee high.

Ryan

So the square white posts are markers only and for the 69th Penn. I had thought them fence posts. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[rpkennedy]

So the square white posts are markers only and for the 69th Penn. I had thought them fence posts. Thanks for the clarification.

That is correct. There are ten markers that indicate the posts of the companies. G-K-B-E-C-H-D-F-A-I from left to right with the monument between C and H.

Ryan

 

[eBrowne]

I didn't know about the Company markers etc. I copied this off the internet:

The 69th Pennsylvania Monument on Cemetery Ridge is unique in featuring ten individual company marker posts—connected by a chain—representing the regiment's 1863 position during Pickett's Charge, where they held the line at the Angle. The small stone markers (G, K, B, E, C, H, D, F, A, I) surround the main monument, symbolizing their unbroken line.
Key Details About the 69th Pennsylvania Company Markers:

• Location: The monument is on Hancock Avenue at The Angle, in the area often called the "High Water Mark" of the Confederacy.
• Unique Design: It is the only regimental monument at Gettysburg that marks the specific positions of every single company.
• Chain Symbolism: The markers are connected by a chain to represent that the 69th's line held, or "did not break," during the intense fighting on July 3, 1863.
• Company Order: From left to right (facing the front of the monument), the markers are arranged: G, K, B, E, C, H, D, F, A, I.
• Context: The monument is made of granite and features a harp and shamrocks, reflecting the regiment's Irish heritage and nickname, "Paddy Owen's Regulars".

 

[eBrowne]

If you use this link and search, you will find a good photo of one of these markers with the Co.'s letter.

Gettysburg National Military Park | CEMETERY RIDGE TRAIL

The Cemetery Ridge Trail is a .75 mile trail that leads from the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center to the High Water Mark on Cemetery Ridge.

npplan.com

 

[eBrowne]

The posts in the 1887 photo do not appear to be the same posts in the "Now" photo. If that is the case, then when were these granite posts for the Companies installed? (Were the original posts replaced? or moved? or is it just the camera angle and they are the original posts?)

 

[rpkennedy]

The posts in the 1887 photo do not appear to be the same posts in the "Now" photo. If that is the case, then when were these granite posts for the Companies installed? (Were the original posts replaced? or moved? or is it just the camera angle and they are the original posts?)

They look like wooden posts to me. I would guess that they were placeholders before the stone ones were installed. But I don't have a date as to when that happened.

Ryan

 

[Tom Elmore]

An interesting item from an 1896 newspaper:

"Slight repairs to the stone wall at the Bloody Angle, Gettysburg, made the other day, uncovered over 100 bullets, pieces of shell, parts of guns, etc."

(The Copper Country Evening News, Calumet, Michigan, July 18, 1896, p. 6)