- Joined
- Dec 30, 2019
Last Saturday afforded a chance to visit the fields of Gettysburg on my own, and not as a guide. This allowed a chance to walk down the farm lane on the Rose Farm, along other things. The first three photos show the ruins of the barn (which was not destroyed in the battle, but fell victim to a post war calamity). First is a view from the west showing the earth ramp, or "bank" that allowed access to the main floor, when there was a main floor. The wooded area in the background is the "Stoney Hill". Then we have a view of the ruins from the SW corner and then from the SE corner.
Next we have a view of the ridge where Brooke's Brigade fought.
The next photo looks north toward Wheatfield Road. The monuments for the 5th and and 9th Mass. Batteries can be seen on the left a right of the photo respectively. Bear in mind that a 6 gun battery when deployed "by the book" would cover a front of more than 80 yards. The effects of the artillery’s fire was vividly described by infantryman Robert Carter, who was on picket duty the night of July 3. Carter wrote, “Corpses strewed the ground at every step. Arms, legs, heads, and parts of dismembered bodies were scattered all about, and sticking among the rocks, and against the trunks of trees, hair, brains, entrails, and shreds of human flesh still hung, a disgusting, sickening, heartrending spectacle to our young minds.” (Greg Coco in “Strange and Blighted Land”, p. 41)
In downloading these photos, I realized that I had an older shot looking in the opposite direction. This is taken from near Phillip's Battery (5th Mass).
Next we have a view of the ridge where Brooke's Brigade fought.
The next photo looks north toward Wheatfield Road. The monuments for the 5th and and 9th Mass. Batteries can be seen on the left a right of the photo respectively. Bear in mind that a 6 gun battery when deployed "by the book" would cover a front of more than 80 yards. The effects of the artillery’s fire was vividly described by infantryman Robert Carter, who was on picket duty the night of July 3. Carter wrote, “Corpses strewed the ground at every step. Arms, legs, heads, and parts of dismembered bodies were scattered all about, and sticking among the rocks, and against the trunks of trees, hair, brains, entrails, and shreds of human flesh still hung, a disgusting, sickening, heartrending spectacle to our young minds.” (Greg Coco in “Strange and Blighted Land”, p. 41)
In downloading these photos, I realized that I had an older shot looking in the opposite direction. This is taken from near Phillip's Battery (5th Mass).