- Joined
- Feb 23, 2013
- Location
- East Texas
Part I - The Slaughter Pen
Ever since the publication now forty years ago of the landmark Gettysburg - A Journey in Time by William Frassanito I have been fascinated by the thought of actually being able to stand where Civil War soldiers had lain "dead on the field". Until now, that idea had largely remained dormant when the happy opportunity came together of having enough time to search, plus taking with me a copy of the book to assist. I realize this is scarcely a novel idea but hope you like the result of my efforts as seen here!
Since the greatest number of identifiable photos of Gettysburg dead had been taken at the Rose Farm on the south end of the battlefield, that was the likely place to begin; however, the area where the bodies of Confederate soldiers killed in part of the struggle for the Wheatfield and lain out for burial by their fellow Confederates before their hasty retreat proved to be totally uninterpreted by the National Park Service and largely unreachable. The open area near a treeline shown in the famous photographs has now been overgrown itself, and although it was accessible - by crossing or crawling through one or more fences - looking there seemed an unlikely prospect. Instead, the next most likely place to search was Devils' Den, above, which oddly is no longer featured on the NPS driving tour but still perfectly accessible.
Two days after the battle the photographic team headed by Alexander Gardner above, and including him and his assistants Timothy O'Sullivan and James Gibson reached the battlefield via the Emmitsburg Road bordering the Rose Farm. Gardner hoped to follow his triumph of the previous year showing a gallery of photographs featuring the unburied dead of Antietam with a similar opus of Gettysburg's fatalities. According to Frassanito's study most of the dead had already been buried by the time of Gardner's arrival, so he was quick to zero in on those remaining unburied. From the Rose Farm's grim harvest the team next turned to the nearby Round Tops and Devils' Den area.
In Devils' Den Scotsman Gardner encountered English war artist-correspondent Alfred Waud (pronounced Wood) whom he posed and photographed sketching atop a convenient rock, seen above in the double negative produced by the stereographic camera used for the bulk of their photos. I'd wondered just how difficult it would be to locate some of these settings; imagine my surprise when Waud's rock turned out to be the very first one encountered along the paved path which leads from the parking area into the rocks! (It's very obvious due to the profile of other rocks in the background of Gardner's photo as can be seen by mine below.)
Another shock was to be had at the closeness of two of Gardner's iconic photos labeled The Slaughter Pen to the parking area - it was literally possible to step over the edge of the parking space and stand exactly where Gardner had placed his camera, then take a few steps to the left to the rocks where two dead Rebels had lain. According to Frassanito, the term Slaughter Pen used to describe this area lying along Plum Run roughly between Devils' Den and the Round Tops was likely one he picked up from Waud (or vise versa); or else one they both heard from members of the burial parties who were working at the same time.
Gardner took at least two photographs from this position, including this "close-up" using his well-recorded prop rifle, more of which later. In my recreation of the scene below, notice the top of an an automobile peeking above the large cleft rock at the left of the picture.
Frassanito says the exact location of the small group of dead that were likely the subject of at least three different photos taken from different angles, two of which are above, has probably been rendered unrecognizable today but is thought to have been just across Plum Run in the woods at the base of Big Round Top, seen here in the background of my photo below.
Next, Part II - The Sharpshooter's Den
Ever since the publication now forty years ago of the landmark Gettysburg - A Journey in Time by William Frassanito I have been fascinated by the thought of actually being able to stand where Civil War soldiers had lain "dead on the field". Until now, that idea had largely remained dormant when the happy opportunity came together of having enough time to search, plus taking with me a copy of the book to assist. I realize this is scarcely a novel idea but hope you like the result of my efforts as seen here!
Since the greatest number of identifiable photos of Gettysburg dead had been taken at the Rose Farm on the south end of the battlefield, that was the likely place to begin; however, the area where the bodies of Confederate soldiers killed in part of the struggle for the Wheatfield and lain out for burial by their fellow Confederates before their hasty retreat proved to be totally uninterpreted by the National Park Service and largely unreachable. The open area near a treeline shown in the famous photographs has now been overgrown itself, and although it was accessible - by crossing or crawling through one or more fences - looking there seemed an unlikely prospect. Instead, the next most likely place to search was Devils' Den, above, which oddly is no longer featured on the NPS driving tour but still perfectly accessible.
Two days after the battle the photographic team headed by Alexander Gardner above, and including him and his assistants Timothy O'Sullivan and James Gibson reached the battlefield via the Emmitsburg Road bordering the Rose Farm. Gardner hoped to follow his triumph of the previous year showing a gallery of photographs featuring the unburied dead of Antietam with a similar opus of Gettysburg's fatalities. According to Frassanito's study most of the dead had already been buried by the time of Gardner's arrival, so he was quick to zero in on those remaining unburied. From the Rose Farm's grim harvest the team next turned to the nearby Round Tops and Devils' Den area.
In Devils' Den Scotsman Gardner encountered English war artist-correspondent Alfred Waud (pronounced Wood) whom he posed and photographed sketching atop a convenient rock, seen above in the double negative produced by the stereographic camera used for the bulk of their photos. I'd wondered just how difficult it would be to locate some of these settings; imagine my surprise when Waud's rock turned out to be the very first one encountered along the paved path which leads from the parking area into the rocks! (It's very obvious due to the profile of other rocks in the background of Gardner's photo as can be seen by mine below.)
Another shock was to be had at the closeness of two of Gardner's iconic photos labeled The Slaughter Pen to the parking area - it was literally possible to step over the edge of the parking space and stand exactly where Gardner had placed his camera, then take a few steps to the left to the rocks where two dead Rebels had lain. According to Frassanito, the term Slaughter Pen used to describe this area lying along Plum Run roughly between Devils' Den and the Round Tops was likely one he picked up from Waud (or vise versa); or else one they both heard from members of the burial parties who were working at the same time.
Gardner took at least two photographs from this position, including this "close-up" using his well-recorded prop rifle, more of which later. In my recreation of the scene below, notice the top of an an automobile peeking above the large cleft rock at the left of the picture.
Frassanito says the exact location of the small group of dead that were likely the subject of at least three different photos taken from different angles, two of which are above, has probably been rendered unrecognizable today but is thought to have been just across Plum Run in the woods at the base of Big Round Top, seen here in the background of my photo below.
Next, Part II - The Sharpshooter's Den
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