I have been to Gettysburg National Military Park several times, it’s less than three hours from my home. In recent years it has become personal. My great-great-grandfather was a Union soldier as was his brother. My great-great-grandfather was not at Gettysburg, his brother was. On a previous trip we located his name on the Pennsylvania Monument, an immense and impressive structure with such stunning views you almost forget what happened in that very spot 150 years ago. But we must remember.
Our most recent visit began, as usual, at the Visitor’s Center. We watched the affecting movie; quite honestly, I could sit through the film over and over again. To view and hear the sounds that took place RIGHT THERE a century and half ago is innately emotional to me.
Next we went upstairs to the Cyclorama, a 360° cylindrical painting measuring 42 feet high and 377 feet in circumference. It is the work of French artist Paul Dominique Philippoteaux and depicts Pickett’s Charge, the climax of the Battle of Gettysburg. You view the painting from a raised in-the-round platform, there are replica cannons and brush at the bottom of the cyclorama, adding a realistic 3D effect. An audio narration takes you through the battle with different sections of the painting lighting up so that you can see the locations of the battlefield being described. The sound of cannon fire shakes the theater, completely immersing you in the experience.
Our last stop in the Visitor’s Center was the research room where an extremely helpful and knowledgeable ranger was able to tell us where my relative’s regiment fought, showing us the area on the park map. After my barrage of questions, the poor guy either went to get more coffee or quite possibly something stronger. Who could blame him?
We returned to our car then drove the road through the park, pulling over occasionally so that my husband could consult the map. We parked at the Pennsylvania Monument and found my great-great-uncle’s name on the plaque at its base once again. I ran my hand over each letter, thanking him. I turned, facing the sweeping vista of grass behind the monument, trying to grasp that during the three-day battle, over 170,000 men fought here. 51,000 died here. 26,000 were wounded here. HERE.
Back in our vehicle we made our way to where my great-great-uncle’s unit was positioned. It was a gorgeous late November day; the park was relatively empty, allowing me to take in the vast expanse of the battlefield. I cannot see very far but I was able to feel the nothingness around me. We had learned from the ranger that monuments had been erected at Gettysburg for each regiment in the location where they were stationed. After the war, members of the units returned to Gettysburg to show where they had fought; that’s where their monument was placed. They also put down markers where their flanking lines were so I was able to stand where my great-great-uncle stood. For a history lover like me, I was speechless, which does not serve the writer in me well. It was a moment of gratitude for all who came before, as well as the fact that we know these things 150 years later.
The wonderful ranger at the Visitor’s Center had explained to us the process of requesting military records from the National Archives in Washington, DC. It took six months but I received a thick packet of documents, including US Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907-1933. At the Battle of the Wilderness on May 6, 1864, my great-great-uncle sustained a shell wound resulting in disfigurement to the left side of his face, near total deafness in his left ear and the loss of part of his left middle finger. He was transported via train from Virginia to a makeshift hospital in Philadelphia which is where he was from. He was three months short of his three-year commitment to the Union Army when he was injured. He had been in seven batles after being at Gettysburg.
An interesting fact: an initial group from my great-great-uncle’s unit marked their spot, their monument was placed in that location. Then other members of his regiment went to Gettysburg and said no, we were also down at the Angle, a stone wall that had been built by famers prior to the war and was the target of the infamous Pickett’s Charge on July 3rd, 1863, the last day of the battle. This second set of unit members requested that another monument be put up by The Angle but the Gettysburg powers that be said no. The regiment went to court and the judge said, “Give them a damn second monument!” In this photo, the first monument is closest to the camera, in the distance a bit is the second one.
The 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment is the only unit with two monuments at Gettysburg. I have great fondness for the judge who ruled in their favor. What I love even more is that my great-great-uncle’s brothers in arms fought one last time . . . for themselves.
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