Rose Farm Visit

[Gettysburg Guide #154]

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).

 

[JOHN42768]

Thanks for posting your mini tour. Barn must has been a handsome structure based on what is left.

 

[Tom Elmore]

The 5th Massachusetts Battery contained a sizable contingent from the 10th New York Independent Battery of Light Artillery. Five of the latter were reported wounded or killed during the battle. Among them was Donald Gillies (or Gillis), who had long before enlisted in the British 26th Regiment of Foot (Cameronian) - a unit that dates back to the year 1689. Gillies served in Bengal, India before being sent to China in 1840, where he was awarded the "Victoria Medal" [presumably the China War Medal, for the First Opium War]. He served in Ireland, Gibraltar and in the Crimean War. Moving to America, he enlisted in Company H, 2nd N.Y. as Orderly Sergeant and was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. He resigned his commission in April 1862, but soon enlisted in the 10th New York Battery and served in a number of battles, being wounded at White House Landing, in the right arm and breast at Gettysburg, and in the left arm at Mine Run. He mustered out of the service on July 21, 1865. (National Tribune, September 3, 1891, p. 4)

 

[reading48]

I was just walking those same grounds on Sat....and Tks for the Pics.

 

[donna]

Great photos. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Kurt G]

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.
View attachment 382395View attachment 382396View attachment 382397

Next we have a view of the ridge where Brooke's Brigade fought.
View attachment 382399

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)
View attachment 382400

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).
View attachment 382401

That is a passage that has always stuck with me . That is a great book and when we study battles I think we may not think of the awful carnage that happened.

 

[bankerpapaw]

Very nice photos!!! Thanks!!!

 

[infomanpa]

Thanks for the pictures. I noticed over the past year or so, there was some kind of renovation going on around the barn. Do you know what the reason for that was or was it just to "shore up" things?

 

[Gettysburg Guide #154]

Thanks for the pictures. I noticed over the past year or so, there was some kind of renovation going on around the barn. Do you know what the reason for that was or was it just to "shore up" things?

I have been told that they have been working to "stabilize the ruin". I did notice a large number of stones on the west side of the barn that seemed to be numbered in some way, so perhaps there is more work to be done.

 

[scotth]

My wife and I walked that exact ground during a visit last fall. Great photos, thank you.

 

[dgfred]

Nice 'field of fire' there. Thanks for the pics!

 

[JDG1863]

I have been told that they have been working to "stabilize the ruin". I did notice a large number of stones on the west side of the barn that seemed to be numbered in some way, so perhaps there is more work to be done.

I was wondering about those stones myself. I first saw them in mid-October, after the scaffolding and fences had been removed from around the barn. Having heard years ago that the pieces of the Rose Barn were numbered and put in storage by the Park Service, I thought they might have decided to rebuild the barn. But I don't know.

October 15, 2020:

 

[jameswoods]

The back of the spliced photo says "processed by Kodak May 1983" so that is what the barn looked like almost forty years ago. The Peach Orchard is partially visible on the extreme right.

The close up photo of the peaked barn was probably taken around the time of the 120th Anniversary (no date on reverse side).

The last photo was taken just as the dismantling was about completed. Again, probably taken mid 1980's (prior to telephone lines being taken down along the Emmitsburg road). I remember seeing the the removed blocks had numbers painted on them.

Jim