DOCSLIB.ORG

Foundation Document Gettysburg National Military Park Pennsylvania August 2016 Foundation Document

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Foundation Document Gettysburg National Military Park Pennsylvania August 2016 Foundation Document NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Foundation Document Gettysburg National Military Park Pennsylvania August 2016 Foundation Document To Pennsylvania Turnpike and Harrisburg North Self-guiding One-way M B u i BR g Auto Tour traffic 0 0.5 1 Kilometer m 15 To York, 83 , m l e 15 and Lancaster as r v 0 0.5 1 Mile b i ur l l d g e a Historic Trail o R R o Downtown R To 81 and n a u d o g R a r Chambersburg Gettysburg d u b y s b i r h Eternal Light r g a 1 A u H Tour stops Peace Jones Battalion o l l i Avenue 34 ld W Memorial A complete tour of the park consists of the O Knoxlyn 2 Self-guiding Auto Tour Road 30 C h a —16 numbered tour stops, the Barlow Knoll m b er e sb u Barlow urg n Loop, and the Historic Downtown Gettysburg e R v Observation Knoll oa A d stops—and East Cavalry Battlefield Site. d Oak Tower r 3 ue o en 30 f Ridge Av u rd B a Cavalry Field Road w York Road o H Information The e Railroad Doubleday Ave u (summer only) n Cut e Harrisburg Street v Lincoln Ave A Ave College McPherson Gettysburg lry Buford Avenue a College v Barn Coster Avenue a C Meredith e 1 at Avenue GETTYSBURG er Stratton St Stratton d Racehorse Alley fe on McPherson St Carlisle Gettysburg Parking Deck C Ridge Train Station B York Street Avenue Lutheran Theological Square A David Wills House Seminary West Middle St East Middle Street E Gregg Avenue e n a t u R s Hanover Road Reynolds a t r s C e n o n d e n u d v e a e f R Low Dutch Road o f t e R S d n ld e e EAST CAVALRY o fi St Washington ir r Fa C a te Baltimore Street Baltimore BATTLEFIELD SITE t A R s o Gettysburg v e c e k m n W Hospital u l East u P e 116 McMillan Woods C Soldiers’ re Cemetery e k Youth Group National Hill Campground Monument (reservation only) 14 Observation 116 Tower Entrance to East Cavalry United States Cavalry Ave 4 North Battlefield Site Carolina Steinwehr Avenue 16 Soldiers’ Memorial National is approximately Spangler’s 4 miles/6 kilometers Brian Barn Cemetery 15 13 Spring from Visitor Center. Ave n Hunt u 15 R High Wat er Mark y Meade’s b h HQ g u The Angle Auto o 5 ll Tour i Copse of Trees Start Black W Virginia Horse Tavern Road Memorial Codori Farm Visitor Center Pennsylvania Pleasonton Ave Memorial 12 H Amphitheater a n GETTYSBURG NATIONAL c o d ck House Lane a Granite School o MILITARY PARK n R u R p Pitzer 6 o Plum Baltimore Pike h m Woods S u l Run P h n Road t o i i Sedgwick tat 11 S Observation m 10 g The s in The Peach k mp Millerstown Rd Tower c u Peach a P Orchard l orks Rd Orchard B erw at Wheatfield W A v e EISENHOWER Road n Rose u 9 e NATIONAL Farm e v W The HISTORIC SITE A e d s Wheatfield d a t r o o f R To visit Eisenhower C w o a 97 k National Historic Site, n r c C To Baltimore f o obtain tickets and e W 8 R d a r Devil’s Den r e e board shuttle bus at n Little r d a e A t Gettysburg National Round Taneytown Road R e v e n Military Park Visitor Top u A e n v Center. u e R e t a r e Warfield d e e it S f h Ridge ou n W th o C Wright Avenue 7 134 M Road a r s h BR 15 C Lit r tl e es un e R k Emmitsburg South Cavalry Field 15 To 70 , 270 , and Washington, D.C. Gettysburg National Military Park Contents Mission of the National Park Service 1 Introduction 2 Part 1: Core Components 3 Brief Description of the Park 3 Park Purpose 4 Park Significance 5 Fundamental Resources and Values 6 Other Important Resources and Values 9 Related Resources 10 Interpretive Themes 12 Part 2: Dynamic Components 13 Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments 13 Special Mandates 13 Administrative Commitments 13 Assessment of Planning and Data Needs 14 Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values 14 Analysis of Other Important Resources and Values 38 Identification of Key Issues and Associated Planning and Data Needs 45 Planning and Data Needs 46 Part 3: Contributors 52 Gettysburg National Military Park 52 Partners 52 NPS Northeast Region 52 Other NPS Staff 52 Appendixes 53 Appendix A: Enabling Legislation and Legislative Acts for Gettysburg National Military Park 53 Appendix B: Inventory of Administrative Commitments 67 Appendix C: Past and Ongoing Park Planning and Data Collection Efforts 68 Foundation Document Gettysburg National Military Park Mission of the National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The National Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world. The NPS core values are a framework in which the National Park Service accomplishes its mission. They express the manner in which, both individually and collectively, the National Park Service pursues its mission. The NPS core values are: · Shared stewardship: We share a commitment to resource stewardship with the global preservation community. · Excellence: We strive continually to learn and improve so that we may achieve the highest ideals of public service. · Integrity: We deal honestly and fairly with the public and one another. · Tradition: We are proud of it; we learn from it; we are not bound by it. · Respect: We embrace each other’s differences so that we may enrich the well-being of everyone. The National Park Service is a bureau within the Department of the Interior. While numerous national park system units were created prior to 1916, it was not until August 25, 1916, that President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act formally establishing the National Park Service. The national park system continues to grow and comprises more than 400 park units covering more than 84 million acres in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These units include, but are not limited to, national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and the White House. The variety and diversity of park units throughout the nation require a strong commitment to resource stewardship and management to ensure both the protection and enjoyment of these resources for future generations. The arrowhead was authorized as the official National Park Service emblem by the Secretary of the Interior on July 20, 1951. The sequoia tree and bison represent vegetation and wildlife, the mountains and water represent scenic and recreational values, and the arrowhead represents historical and archeological values. 1 Foundation Document Introduction Every unit of the national park system will have a foundational document to provide basic guidance for planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and management. The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park as well as the park’s purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. The foundation document also includes special mandates and administrative commitments, an assessment of planning and data needs that identifies planning issues, planning products to be developed, and the associated studies and data required for park planning. Along with the core components, the assessment provides a focus for park planning activities and establishes a baseline from which planning documents are developed. A primary benefit of developing a foundation document is the opportunity to integrate and coordinate all kinds and levels of planning from a single, shared understanding of what is most important about the park. The process of developing a foundation document begins with gathering and integrating information about the park. Next, this information is refined and focused to determine what the most important attributes of the park are. The process of preparing a foundation document aids park managers, staff, and the public in identifying and clearly stating in one document the essential information that is necessary for park management to consider when determining future planning efforts, outlining key planning issues, and protecting resources and values that are integral to park purpose and identity. While not included in this document, a park atlas is also part of a foundation project. The atlas is a series of maps compiled from available geographic information system (GIS) data on natural and cultural resources, visitor use patterns, facilities, and other topics. It serves as a GIS-based support tool for planning and park operations. The atlas is published as a (hard copy) paper product and as geospatial data for use in a web mapping environment. The park atlas for Gettysburg National Military Park can be accessed online at: http://insideparkatlas.nps.gov/. 2 Gettysburg National Military Park Part 1: Core Components The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park, park purpose, significance statements, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Our Position Was Finely Adapted to Its Use...”
    "...Our Position Was Finely Adapted To Its Use...” The Guns of Cemetery Hill Bert H. Barnett During the late afternoon of July 1, 1863, retiring Federals of the battered 1st and 11th corps withdrew south through Gettysburg toward Cemetery Hill and began to steady themselves upon it. Following the difficult experiences of the first day of battle, many officers and men were looking to that solid piece of ground, seeking all available advantages. A number of factors made this location attractive. Chief among them was a broad, fairly flat crest that rose approximately eighty feet above the center of Gettysburg, which lay roughly three-quarters of a mile to the north. Cemetery Hill commanded the approaches to the town from the south, and the town in turn served as a defensive bulwark against organized attack from that quarter. To the west and southwest of the hill, gradually descending open slopes were capable of being swept by artillery fire. The easterly side of the hill was slightly lower in height than the primary crest. Extending north of the Baltimore pike, it possessed a steeper slope that overlooked low ground, cleared fields, and a small stream. Field guns placed on this position would also permit an effective defense. It was clear that this new position possessed outstanding features. General Oliver Otis Howard, commanding the Union 11th Corps, pronounced it “the only tenable position” for the army.1 As the shadows began to lengthen on July 1, it became apparent that Federal occupation of the hill was not going to be challenged in any significant manner this day.
    [Show full text]
  • The Influence of Local Remembrance on National Narratives of Gettysburg During the 19Th Century
    Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2018 Contested Narratives: The Influence of Local Remembrance on National Narratives of Gettysburg During The 19th Century Jarrad A. Fuoss Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Fuoss, Jarrad A., "Contested Narratives: The Influence of Local Remembrance on National Narratives of Gettysburg During The 19th Century" (2018). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 7177. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/7177 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Contested Narratives: The Influence of Local Remembrance on National Narratives of Gettysburg During The 19th Century. Jarrad A. Fuoss Thesis submitted to the Eberly College of Arts and Science at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in 19th Century American History Jason Phillips, Ph.D., Chair Melissa Bingman, Ph.D. Brian Luskey, Ph.D. Department of History Morgantown, West Virginia 2018 Keywords: Gettysburg; Civil War; Remembrance; Memory; Narrative Creation; National Identity; Citizenship; Race; Gender; Masculinity; Veterans.
    [Show full text]
  • "A Promiscuous Fight": the Defense of Cemetery Hill James S
    "A Promiscuous Fight": The Defense of Cemetery Hill James S. Pula Gettysburg Magazine, Number 59, July 2018, pp. 15-29 (Article) Published by University of Nebraska Press DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/get.2018.0012 For additional information about this article https://muse.jhu.edu/article/697386 [ This content has been declared free to read by the pubisher during the COVID-19 pandemic. ] “A Promiscuous Fight” Th e Defense of Cemetery Hill James S. Pula Daybreak on July 2, 1863, found the survivors of the Eleventh Corps clinging to the ground on and around Cemetery Hill. Badly bruised on the previous day when Confederates overwhelmed the First and Eleventh Corps and drove them through town to their new refuge on the high ground southeast of the village, their position stretched from roughly Ziegler’s Grove north along the Taneytown Road to a point near the junction of the Emmitsburg Road. From there it turned right to the junction of Baltimore Street, then angled back along the northern base of Cemetery Hill. Gen. Adolf von Steinwehr’s division held the Taneytown and Emmitsburg Road portions of the line. Where it bent east, Gen. Adelbert Ames’s division took over with Col. Andrew Harris’s brigade formed at the base of Cemetery Hill, the right being extended by Col. Leopold von Gilsa’s brigade. Lacking enough troops to fi ll the space, the 33rd Massachusetts was detached from another division to anchor the right fl ank between von Gilsa and the slope up to Culp’s Hill held by a portion of the First Corps.
    [Show full text]
  • Gettysburg National Military Park STUDENT PROGRAM
    Gettysburg National Military Park STUDENT PROGRAM 1 Teachers’ Guide Table of Contents Purpose and Procedure ...................................3 FYI ...BackgroundInformationforTeachersandStudents CausesoftheAmericanCivilWar .........................5 TheBattleofGettysburg .................................8 CivilWarMedicalVocabulary ...........................12 MedicalTimeline ......................................14 Before Your Field Trip The Oath of Allegiance and the Hippocratic Oath ...........18 Squad #1 Activities — Camp Doctors .....................19 FieldTripIdentities .........................20 "SickCall"Play..............................21 CampDoctorsStudyMaterials ................23 PicturePages ...............................25 Camp Report — SickCallRegister .............26 Squad #2 Activities — BattlefieldDoctors .................27 FieldTripIdentities .........................28 "Triage"Play ...............................29 BattlefieldStudyMaterials ...................30 Battle Report — FieldHospitalRegister ........32 Squad #3 Activities — HospitalDoctors ...................33 FieldTripIdentities .........................34 "Hospital"Play..............................35 HospitalStudyMaterials(withPicturePages) ...37 Hospital Report — CertificateofDisability .....42 Your Field Trip Day FieldTripDayProcedures ..............................43 OverviewoftheFieldTrip ..............................44 Nametags .............................................45 After Your Field Trip SuggestedPost-VisitActivities ...........................46
    [Show full text]
  • Culp's Hill, Gettysburg, Battle of Gettysburg
    Volume 3 Article 7 2013 Culp’s Hill: Key to Union Success at Gettysburg Ryan Donnelly Gettysburg College Follow this and additional works at: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/gcjcwe Part of the United States History Commons Share feedback about the accessibility of this item. Donnelly, Ryan (2013) "Culp’s Hill: Key to Union Success at Gettysburg," The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era: Vol. 3 , Article 7. Available at: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/gcjcwe/vol3/iss1/7 This open access article is brought to you by The uC pola: Scholarship at Gettysburg College. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of The uC pola. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Culp’s Hill: Key to Union Success at Gettysburg Abstract Brigadier General George S. Greene’s position on Culp’s Hill during the Battle of Gettysburg is arguably the crucial lynchpin of July 2, 1863. Had this position at the barb of the fishhook defensive line fallen, Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his army would then have been positioned to take Cemetery Hill, thus breaking the curve of the hook on the Union right. This most likely would have sent the Union into retreat, leaving the direct route to Washington unguarded. Fortunately, valiant efforts were made by men like Generals George S. Greene and Henry H. Lockwood in order to preserve the Union Army’s possession of the hill and, as a result, preserve the Union itself. While leaders distinguished themselves during the Battle of Gettysburg with exceptional decision-making and ingenuity, the battle for ulpC ’s Hill also embodied the personal cost these decisions made, as evidenced by the experience of Marylanders who literally fought their neighbors.
    [Show full text]
  • Gettysburg National Military Park Pemns Ylvania Contents
    GETTYSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK PEMNS YLVANIA CONTENTS Page UNITED STATES Gettysburg National Military Park . 4 The Campaign and Rattle of Gettysburg . 4 DEPARTMENT The Armies Converge on Gettysburg . 7 OF THE INTERIOR The Gettysburg Terrain .... 9 HAROLD L. ICKES, Secretary Second Day at Gettysburg . 10 N A T I O N A I, PA R K S E R VI C E The Crisis 11 ARNO B. CAMMERER, Director The Third Day 12 The Retreat 15 CIVILIAN CONSERVAT ION CORPS ROBERT FECHNER, Director ADVISORY COUNCIL THE COVER Tiie cover shows a silhouette profile of Lincoln and GEORGE P. TYNER, Brigadier General a reproduction of a portion of the second manu­ Representing the Secretary of War script copy of the Gettysburg address, made by Abraham Lincoln on the morning of November CONRAD L. WIRTH, Supervisor of Recreation and 19, 1863, in Gettysburg, and used by him in giving Land Planning, National Park Service. the address that day. There are five manuscript Representing the Secretary of the Interior copies of this address in Lincoln's handwriting: the first, partially written in Washington before the FRED MORRELL, Assistant Chief Forester, United States Forest Service. Representing the trip to Gettysburg and finished on the evening of Secretary of Agriculture his arrival there; the second, written in Gettysburg the following morning; a third, made for George CIIESI.EY W. BAILEY. Representing the Veterans' Bancroft; a fourth, written to be sold with the Administration manuscript of Edward Everett's address at the New York Sanitary Fair; and a fifth and final manuscript copy, written by Lincoln in 1864 for purposes of publication in Autograph Leaves of Our Country's Authors Gettysburg National Military Park THREE MONTHS and sixteen days after the ordeal of the Diplomatic Corps, and other ranking officials.
    [Show full text]
  • Photographers Appendix
    photographer’s complete appendix Chris Heisey 1. prologue: the photographer (1863). Dead Confederate Soldier, Devil’s Den Alexander Gardner and his assistant Timothy O’Sullivan took this image on July 6, 1863. The Confederate soldier may well be John Rutherford Ash of the Second Georgia, killed on July 2. I. THE FIRST DAY. Union General John Buford Monument, Chambersburg Pike This cirrus cloud–laden sky provided the perfect backdrop to capture the Buford monument as the sun set on the cool, breezy evening of June 24, 2015. 2. carolina. Twenty-Fourth Michigan Monument, Herbst’s Woods On average, the first snow in Gettysburg each winter occurs on December 10, and on that date in 2013, this wet snow beautifully pasted the monument to the Twenty-Fourth Michigan, of the Iron Brigade. 3. incident. McPherson’s Barn and soybean field, Chambersburg Pike Rural lands surrounding the town of Gettysburg are still farmed much as they were in 1863. In front of McPherson’s Barn, where the battle’s first day of fighting happened on July 1, this soybean field along Chambersburg Pike turns a tender shade of yellow. 4. What is truth? McPherson’s Ridge The morning of February 18, 2018, was a particularly frigid one. The camera equipment for most of my Civil War battlefield photography work consists of a Nikon D810 camera body with a 17–35 mm f2.8 lens, mounted on a Gitzo tripod. In addition, I use a handcrafted Singh-Ray LB polarizing filter affixed to my lens to help lessen glare and provide contrast to the image.
    [Show full text]
  • Touring the Battlefield
    Touring the Battlefield Barlow Knoll When Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early’s Confederates smashed Union defend- ers here at 3 p.m., the Federal line north of Gettysburg collapsed. East Cavalry Battlefield Site Here on July 3, during the cannonade that pre- ceded Pickett’s Charge, Union cavalry under Brig. Gen. David McM. Gregg intercepted and then checked Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s Confederate cav- alry. For more informa- tion, ask for the free self- guiding tour brochure at the park visitor center in- formation desk. Self-Guiding Auto Tour The complete 24-mile auto July 2, 1863 Federal cannon bombard- 12,000-man “Pickett’s tour starts at the visitor ed South ern forces cross- Charge” against the Fed- cen ter and includes the 4 North Carolina Memorial ing the Rose Farm toward eral center. This was the following 16 tour stops, Early in the day, the Con- the Wheatfield until about climactic moment of the the Barlow Knoll Loop, federate army positioned 6:30 p.m., when Confeder- battle. On July 4, Lee’s and the Historic Down- itself on high ground here ate attacks overran this army began retreating. town Gettysburg Tour. The along Seminary Ridge, position. route traces the three- through town, and north Total casualties (killed, day battle in chron o logi- of Cemetery and Culp’s 11 Plum Run wounded, captured, and cal order. It is flexible hills. Union forces occu- While fighting raged to missing) for the three days enough to allow you to pied Culp’s and Cemetery the south at the Wheat- of fighting were 23,000 include, or skip, cer tain hills, and along Cemetery field and Little Round Top, for the Union army and as points and/or stops, based Ridge south to the Round retreating Union soldiers many as 28,000 for the on your interest.
    [Show full text]
  • GETTYSBURG PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR September 11 - 14, 2015
    GETTYSBURG PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR September 11 - 14, 2015 $380 due no later than August 21, 2015 (price includes hotel accommodations only) The history of Gettysburg stretches farther back than 1863. Scottish, Irish and German immigrants started developing the area between 1736 and 1760. In 1786, James Getty purchased a 116-acre piece of land from his father and began designing a town that included 120 lots around a town square, known today as Lincoln’s Square. The Battle of Gettysburg has often been referred to as the “High Water Mark of the Rebellion.” Many consider it to be a turning point in the Civil War because the Union victory placed the Confederacy on the defensive and ended General Robert E. Lee’s most ambitious attempt to invade Union territory. The Confederates never again reached the military strength they held at Gettysburg, yet the Civil War raged on for two more years. More than 165,000 soldiers of The Army of Northern Virginia (the Confederacy), commanded by General Robert E. Lee, and the Army of the Potomac (the Union), commanded by General George G. Meade, fought at Gettysburg. Neither General Lee nor General Meade anticipated a battle at Gettysburg, but chance brought these two forces together. Union forces eventually defeated the Confederates after three days (July 1–3, 1863) of fighting that resulted in approximately 51,000 soldiers killed, wounded, captured or missing, divided nearly equally between the two armies. {03017082.DOCX;1 } Accommodations Inn at Cemetery Hill 613 Baltimore Street Route 15 Exit Gettysburg, PA 17324 Phone: 717-334-9281 Rate Double: $380.00 (limit 3 people per room) Check-in time: 3:00 p.m.
    [Show full text]
  • Battle of Gettysburg Day 2 Reading Comprehension Name: ______
    Battle of Gettysburg Day 2 Reading Comprehension Name: _________________________ Read the passage and answer the questions. The Fishhook During the night of July 1st, most of the remaining Union and Confederate forces arrived in Gettysburg. The Union army was able to establish a strong line in the shape of a fishhook running over two miles from Cemetery Hill, along Cemetery Ridge and terminating at Culp's Hill. Confederate lines ran the length of Seminary Ridge, through the town of Gettysburg and terminated at a location opposite of Culp's Hill. In all, Confederate lines stretched for more than five miles. The stage was set for a massive battle. Missing Intelligence Without intelligence from J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry, however, Lee could not be certain of the exact positioning of Union forces, thus, his battle strategy for the second day of Gettysburg was somewhat flawed. Lee planned to launch a series of successive attacks with Longstreet's Corps on the Union left flank. The series of attacks and the diagonal formation of the attackers, would, theoretically, prevent the shifting of Union troops to reinforce the left flank. Meanwhile, other divisions would attack Union positions at Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill. Lee did not know, however, that Union Major General Daniel Sickels and his troops were positioned in between Confederate forces and the Union left flank. Attacks on Devil's Den and Little Round Top On the sweltering afternoon of July 2nd, General Longstreet's soldiers engaged Sickels' III Union Corps, driving them back and forcing Union Commander Meade to send 20,000 reinforcements.
    [Show full text]
  • The Transmutation of Lee's Plan at Gettysburg
    FROM DISASTER TO BRILLIANCE: THE TRANSMUTATION OF LEE’S PLAN AT GETTYSBURG John D. Wedo and Terrence L. Salada It is fitting to start by describing a battle in the American Civil War (ACW) in which the defender stayed behind defenses on elevated ground and waited for the opposing army to attack. When the attack began, it was repelled repeatedly at great loss. The defender maintained a defensive stance throughout the battle even when the attacking army was defeated before him. The defeated general collected his army and departed with no interference or attempted interference from the defender. The victorious general is lauded for his good sense in maintaining his position, whereas the defeated general is derided for attacking such a formidable position. The best example of such a tactical disaster was Fredericksburg, Virginia, fought on December 17, 1862, a Confederate victory. Except for the last sentence, it could also describe Gettysburg. But why are the historical opinions of the generals different for Gettysburg? Professor Warren W. Hassler, Jr., expressed the same thought: “There is probably no other battle," writes General Francis A. Walker, "of which men are so prone to think and speak without a conscious reference to the commanding general of the victorious party, as they are regarding Gettysburg.” Why, it might be asked, does this curious phenomenon exist regarding the commander of the triumphant Union Army of the Potomac, Major General George Gordon Meade?1 The measure of the battle is statistical, and the numbers should speak for themselves, but often do not register. On July 1, 2, and 3, 1863, the Army of Northern Virginia of General Robert E.
    [Show full text]
  • "Simple Grandeur": the Creation of the Soldiers' National Cemetery At
    “Simple Grandeur” The creation of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery at Gettysburg and the men who stepped forward to make their contribution. Rob Wingert, Licensed Battlefield Guide (Battles & Leaders) The rain had started by mid-morning, interspersed with claps of thunder and flashes of lightening. General John Imboden, in command of the 17 mile-long ambulance train filled with Lee’s wounded veterans, wrote on July 4th: “Shortly after noon of the 4th, the very windows of heaven seemed to have opened. The rain fell in blinding sheets; the meadows were soon overflowed, and the fences gave way before the raging streams.” 1 The two armies were gathered, licking their wounds after three days of horrific fighting. General Robert E. Lee had decided to begin his retreat from Gettysburg, hoping to reach the Potomac River before the Union forces of General George Meade could catch him on the northern side of the river with his back to an impassable, flooded body of water. The battle had lasted three days and with each day passing there were more wounded and dead. At the end of that fight, 7,000 dead lay on the fields surrounding the town of Gettysburg. An additional 3,000 would succumb to their wounds in the ensuing weeks and be listed on the rolls of the dead. Though Lee attempted to get 6,000 of his wounded back to Virginia, there were still over 20,000 wounded Union and Confederate soldiers remaining in scattered field hospitals in Adams County as well as churches, schools and private homes in Gettysburg.
    [Show full text]