Correct Locaton of O'Sullivan's Camera at Trostle Barn

Gettysburg Greg

First Sergeant
Joined
Jun 6, 2010
Location
Decatur, Illinois
During my recent visit to the battlefield, I was at the Trostle farm to match up a modern photo with O'Sullivan's classic image of the Trostle barn with a number of dead artillery horses in the foreground. I reshoot the matching now version every visit always going for the elusive perfect match. Before this last trip, I beleived I had established the matching camera location. However, this time when I compared O'Sullivan's original photo to the actual location, I noticed a clue to the correct camera location that I had previously overlooked. What I had thought to be two dead horses are actually two rocks close together that form a gap that is easy to match up with today. When I matched the gap between the rocks with the original pic, I believe that correctly established O'Sullivan's camera position. In the original photo below, I have an arrow pointing at the gap, specifically at the rock I am sitting on while holding up the original O'Sullivan photograph. As you see, the tree now blocks the barn in the modern view. Note: My modern photo is only intended to point out the matching gap in the rocks, not to match the entire O'Sullivan frame.
Trostle Rocks final.jpg
 
Nice find. The "upside V" shaped rock is the sure giveaway that those are the two rocks in the historic photo. In the "then" photo, that V rock is easily seen. In your today shot, that V rock is behind the cannon and to the left rear of the 150th NY Infantry monument that is sitting on the rock beside Greg. Not quite as visible, but still there, right where it should be.

Greg's then and now photos have inspired many including myself to take more of an interest in duplicating these historic photos. Over the years I have taken way too many photos of the shell Hole in the barn. That is the classic "postcard" shot of the Trostle Barn. But lately, I have taken more photos of that V rock and these rocks which I now find as interesting as the shell Hole. For named cannon fans, "Cora" the cannon is in this same area.

So on your next visit, take your postcard shot of the barn, but then venture to the west side to see Sickle's wounding marker, then to the east, for these rocks and the Trostle home itself. And snap a shot of the Sickle's witness tree across the street from the barn. After all, it had a chance to actually see what happened there.
 
Thanks for posting! I was wondering what happened to the house : ) I haven't been around the Trostle farm in ages; I'll have to get out in that area the next time I'm there (which I hope won't to too many days away now with the nicer weather coming about).
 
I’m a neophyte posting member but have been reading the forums for a while. Some of my favorite posts are your photo comparisons, Gettysburg Greg. Really feels incredible to find these spots on my own battlefield trips and have a view of what happened on that exact spot. Thanks for sharing them.
 
Greg. I enjoy your posts tremendously. What an extremely interesting discovery. Everytime I look at the Trostle Farm Photo with Bigelow's Dead horses in front of if (even the picture on the battlefield) I try and figure out exactly where the picture was taken but it never seems quite right. You nailed it.
 
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