The Civil War Monuments of Gettysburg

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: a small crossroads town where in July of 1863 over 175,000 men of the Union Army of the Potomac and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia fought for differing visions of America. It was the largest battle of the Civil War and a turning point in history.

When you travel to Gettysburg the first thing you will probably see will be the monuments. They first appeared in the 1870's. As the historical importance of Gettysburg was understood, land was donated or purchased, official commissions created, and elaborate rules devised for where and how a monument could be displayed. The result is a giant outdoor classroom where monuments act as 19th century hyperlinks helping visitors explore the landscape.

Union monuments

The most numerous monuments are those to Union units. Almost every Union regiment and battery - several hundred of them - is represented by a monument at Gettysburg. Most are to individual units, although two or more sometimes share a monument.

A unit's monument was required to be placed where its main line of battle fought, although additional monuments or markers could show other positions.

Each Union army corps at Gettysburg had a symbol that is often worked into a monument. The seals of the various states are also often found on the monuments.

Confederate monuments

There are far fewer Confederate monuments. Although the first (the 2nd Maryland monument) was dedicated in 1884, it took years for the next to follow. There were several reasons: Southern states were impoverished from the war, Gettysburg was a Union victory on Union soil, and monument placement was controlled by Union veterans.

As time went on the importance of the battle to history and a spirit of reconciliation combined to bring some southern monuments to this northern field. Many of the veterans who strongly associated with their regiments had passed on by then, so efforts were concentrated in state monuments.

Virginia was the first to be placed on the field, in 1917, followed by a burst of activity. But the last Confederate state monument, that of Tennessee, was not dedicated until 1982. Very recently, a handful of Confederate regimental monument have joined the original 2nd Maryland, along with a belated and controversial equestrian statue.

Individuals

Many unit monuments feature people, but there is an entire group of monuments dedicated to one individual. An elite subgroup are the equestrian statues, reserved for commanders of armies and army corps. Another group are the bronze statues - mostly commanders of divisions, but also including some civilians: a Chaplain and a townsman who grabbed his musket from above the fireplace and went out to defend his country. Some individuals are honored by a bronze tablet or a name carved in stone.

Other monuments

Some monuments do not fit into any category. They honor the women who shared the suffering of the war and concepts such as peace and brotherhood. There is even a monument to a speech; one that is as great as it is brief, and not the least memorable of the results of those three days in July 1863.

Looking for more views of Gettysburg? Visit Tom Eishen's Gettysburg Photographs.com to see panoramas, a pictorial tour of the battlefield, sunrise and sunset galleries, the battlefield day by day, and much more.

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