Question of the Week: What’s your favorite part of the Gettysburg battlefield?
Devil’s Den? Cemetery Hill? Culp’s Hill? What is your favorite place to visit at the Gettysburg battlefield?
Devil’s Den? Cemetery Hill? Culp’s Hill? What is your favorite place to visit at the Gettysburg battlefield?
Two places: The Wheatfield and Culp’s Hill
Peach Orchard at Dawn.
I love sitting by the Virginia Memorial at the close of day, looking across the famous field to where Meade sits astride his horse.
My favorite spot is East Cavalry Battlefield where Stuart and Custer clashed.
I always make a point when visiting Gettysburg to stop at Willoughby Run and pay my respects to the men of the Iron Brigade. This is my favorite spot to reflect upon the events of those three July days.
Pickett’s Charge. Years ago, you were able to ride a horse from the Confederate line up to the Copse/Angle The field is closed now. Even on horseback, I could experience what the soldiers were facing on that day.
While it is hard to beat Little Round Top’s view and background drama, the little-visited monument to Colonel George L. Willard is special. It is south of Gettysburg about 340 yards west of Hancock Avenue at the State of Pennsylvania Monument. Willard was killed shortly after leading a counterattack against Barkdale’s Brigade.
To me , there are two areas of the Battlefield that I love to visit and ruminate while there. One is Devil’s Den, not for the military significance of the action fought there(though extremely important), but on a personal level, while they were very young, my three grandsons loved to go there and run among the rocks. And the second part of the Battlefield is Little Round Top. And this is for military reasons. I consider one of the most significant events of the engagement occurred on the early morning of the second day, and that is the ill fated reconnaissance mission of Captain Samuel Johnston. His report to Lee on what he saw there triggered the entire battle plan for July 2nd.
As a kid, I loved Devil’s Den for that very same reason!
The Saddle at Culp’s Hill. An example of how the terrain affected the battle.
The first day’s battlefield is one that resonates with me. Following Buford’s delaying action is a big thrill for me.
And on a more emotional level, the Amos Humiston monument, for obvious reasons.
Little Round Table
Cavalry Battlefield
Not many visitors there and makes you wonder what would have happened if the Confederate Cavalry had not been stopped.
Iverson’s Field; it’s haunted!
The spot where my G G Grandfather of the 17th Connecticut fought and was wounded. On the second day not the first!
So many candidates, but I’ll go with either the North Carolina Monument area during fall foliage or Oak Hill at sunset.
The Wheatfield- scene of so many assaults and counter assaults.
Would anyone be interested in excavating the location where the CSA archives are thought to be hidden in Virginia? Attempting to contact Melissa Winn and Dr. Mary Munsell Abroe concerning this issue. Please write my email at kabauman86@hotmail.com for further information. Thank you.
Little Round Top, with its views of the immediate battlefield, Cemetery Ridge, and South Mountain on the horizon
I don’t really have a favorite place there. We’ve done some of the house tours in town on our most recent visits. The whole area, battlefield(s), town, and surrounding offerings, like the roads both forces took to facilitate their movements in and out of there, is simply awesome.
An aside here, my favorite watering hole in this life is the Reliance Mine Saloon in the town. It’s part of an old mine shaft. Great atmosphere and great prices.
Oak Ridge/ Iverson Pits
So much good stuff. I like first day stuff and second day stuff. Barlow’s Knoll, Little Round Top, the usual suspects But my favorite place is newest acreage that is added to expand the grounds of the battlefield. That always gives me a little pep.
Yikes! An impossible to answer question, because it changes every visit. Off the beaten path stuff always works (e.g., Henry Fuller marker, Smith’s Battery right flank marker), but I always love an Iron Brigade/Railroad Cut deep dive.
All of First Day sites
Little Round Top and Devil’s Den. The action and significance of Little Round Top I find to be most amazing. At Devil’s Den the thought of being pinned down and having rounds whizzing all around is not something I would ever wish to experience. Pickett’sCharge is a close second. Overlooking the field from either end is unnerving. To imagine Pickett having to give the orders to charge and the men obeying them knowing what was coming is hard to imagine.
The base on the east face of Cemetery Hill, the site of Ewell’s evening assault on July 2.
The First Shot monument. Many years ago I went to find it, expecting something grand — and easily spotted. I was not expecting a dinky piece of stone mostly hidden between two bushes. I whizzed past it three times before noticing it. (Nowadays it’s on Park Service land, and they’ve cleared away the foliage so that it’s somewhat more prominent than before.)