Meade and Moonrise - Gettysburg

A full moon rises above the statue to Union Major General George Gordon Meade on Cemetery Ridge in Gettysburg. Among the Union monuments and cannon of Arnold's Battery marking the ground near The Angle is the 26th North Carolina monument (lower left). The marker to the Confederate unit is likely hundreds of feet misplaced - it pressed close to wall in Pickett's Charge, but not before Arnold's Battery (which had withdrawn and left only one operational gun during the Charge). The monument's 1986 placement was likely influenced by a desire to place it closer to the prestigious site of the breakthrough at the Angle (and further up the ridge). Regardless, the 26th NC suffered a staggering 81 percent casualty rate in fighting on the first and third days at Gettysburg. (Click image for larger view).

Soldiers' National Monument - Gettysburg

A stone personification of Liberty stands atop the Soldiers' National Monument in the Gettysburg National Cemetery. One of the earliest monuments on the field, its cornerstone was set on July 4, 1865 and it was dedicated, though incomplete, in 1869. (Click image for larger view).

1st Andrew Sharpshooters - Gettysburg

The 1st Andrew Sharpshooters monument stands on Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg. The Massachusetts men, in a unit named for their governor, would have employed the telescopic sight pictured on the monument. The monument carries the inscription "In God We Put Our Trust, But Kept Our Powder Dry." (Click image for larger view).

Delaware Monument - Gettysburg

On a battlefield that saw an explosion of monuments beginning in the 1880s, the Delaware monument seems practically brand new, having been placed on the field in 2000. Two regiments of the First State fought at Gettysburg, the 1st and 2nd Delaware Volunteer Infantry Regiments.

Meade's Headquarters - Gettysburg

The humble Leister house, named for the widow who lived in it when war arrived at Gettysburg, stands on the reverse slope of Cemetery Ridge. Its central location on the "fishhook" Union line earned the tiny house the temporary title of army headquarters after Major General George Meade made it the base of his operations for the battle's final two days. Fighting swirled nearby on the second and third days of the battle, but the little house is more important for hosting the council of war after the second day were it was confirmed that the Union would "stay and fight it out."

83rd PA. Monument on Little Round Top, Gettysburg

Spring blossoms surround the 83rd Pennsylvania monument on Little Round Top, site of fighting on the second day at Gettysburg. Col. Strong Vincent, formerly leader of the 83rd and, at Gettysburg, in charge of the brigade that contained the Erie, Pa. area unit, is memorialized on top of the monument. Vincent was killed early in the Confederate attacks against the men he brought to Little Round Top in a rush to defend the otherwise virtually empty hill.

Barlow's Knoll - Gettysburg

Cannons mark the line held by Union gunners under Lt. Bayard Wilkeson on Barlow's Knoll on the field of the first day of fighting at Gettysburg. Wilkeson put his battery in place and was just under way engaging Confederates when he was mortally struck in the leg. The Union line would not hold much longer against the overpowering rebels, who stormed through this position before sweeping the Federals through the town.

Four-legged soldiers - Gettysburg

Horses relax in a green field in front of Union monuments to New Yorkers of the Third Corps that fought in vain to repel attacks at the Peach Orchard on the second day of fighting at Gettysburg. An estimated 72,000 horses were in service with both armies at Gettysburg, with 3000 to 5000 killed during the fighting. Many had names we know today and served high-placed riders, such as Old Baldy, Hero or Lucy Long. The majority were anonymous and toiled at the back-breaking work of moving armies. (Click image for larger view.)

Robert E. Lee - Gettysburg

Confederate General Robert E. Lee's image in bronze, astride his trusted Traveller, stands on top of the Virginia State Memorial on Seminary Ridge at Gettysburg. He regally gazes over the field of Pickett's Charge, back straight and shoulders held high. It does not match the picture described by rebel General John Imboden, who waited for Lee at his headquarters the evening following the charge:
"When he arrived there was not even a sentinel on duty at his tent, and no one of his staff was awake. The moon was high in the clear sky and the silent scene was unusually vivid. As he approached and saw us lying on the grass under a tree, he spoke, reined in his jaded horse, and essayed to dismount. The effort to do so betrayed so much physical exhaustion that I hurriedly rose and stepped forward to assist him, but before I reached his side he had succeeded in alighting, and threw his arm across the saddle to rest, and fixing his eyes upon the ground leaned in silence and almost motionless upon his equally weary horse, - the two forming a striking and never-to-be-forgotten group. The moon shone full upon his massive features and revealed an expression of sadness that I had never before seen upon his face." (Click image for larger view).

The First Massachusetts - Gettysburg

The monument to the First Massachusetts stands on the Union line temporarily held along the Emmitsburg Road during the fighting of the second day. The men here skirmished most of the day with their Confederate counterparts before the massive rebel attacks broke the thinly held line and sent the survivors of Union Major General Daniel Sickles' Third Corps in retreat to safety on a bolstered line on Cemetery Ridge. (Click image for larger view).