Gettysburg Hotspots

Even as the temperature starts to drop, the famous fields, provocative places, and memorable monuments still remain hotspots for visitors coming to witness historic Gettysburg. We’ve taken the time to put together a list of some of the popular locales that people look for when they visit so that you don’t miss any of these interesting hotspots on your next trip to see us. Have you been able to see them all?

Famous Places

• Where President Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address – Located just outside the Soldiers’ National Cemetery is a marker that lets you know Lincoln delivered his historic Gettysburg Address nearby. The exact location is disputed, but the National Park Service has a brochure declaring it to be within the private Evergreen Cemetery.
• Devil’s Den – One of the most significant and haunted battlegrounds on the Gettysburg battlefield, The Devil’s Den is roughly 500 yards west of Little Round Top.  Surrounded by large boulders, a Confederate sharpshooter used this hideout to take out hundreds of Union soldiers before they discovered him.
• Little Round Top – Roughly two miles south of Gettysburg in Cumberland Township there are two rocky hills, one larger and one smaller. You can probably guess the smaller one is known as “Little Round Top.” While small in size, it still remained one of the most important positions in the Union line, and a key point for the Union’s defense during the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg.
• Pickett’s Charge – Located on Cemetery Ridge, this famous charge lead by General George Pickett was one of the defining moments of the Battle of Gettysburg. This ill-fated Confederate assault across the ridge would lead to over 6,000 Confederate deaths and would be Lee’s last invasion of the north, and came to signify the end of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Famous Monuments

• Peace Light Memorial –Also referred to as the Eternal Light Peace Memorial, this Gettysburg Battlefield monument was dedicated by President Roosevelt in July 1938. Featuring an eternal flame that is visible from 20 miles away, this granite monument commemorates the 1913 Gettysburg reunion of veterans that celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. It is located on Oak Hill.
• Virginia Monument – The first and largest Confederate monument built at Gettysburg, this 14-foot bronze statue of General Robert E. Lee shows him on his horse “Traveller,” above seven Confederate soldiers. The Virginia Monument is located southwest of Gettysburg on West Confederate Avenue.
• North Carolina Monument – Once again located on West Confederate Avenue, this monument commemorates the 32 Carolina regiments at that Battle of Gettysburg. This collection of troops only trailed Virginia in terms of men it supplied to the battle, but featured the largest number of casualties of all the Confederate states.
• Irish Brigade – South of Gettysburg on Sickles Avenue, and just inside the Rose Woods stands a bronze Celtic cross that commemorates the predominantly Irish American infantry brigade that served the Union army.

If you haven’t seen these amazing historic Civil War locations and monuments, we encourage you to pay them a visit on your next trip to Gettysburg. Since there’s so much to see and do in Gettysburg, this list should by no means be considered expansive, but it does cover many of our most asked about attractions.

If you’d like to learn more about these or other great spots to visit on your next Gettysburg trip, feel free to comment below or contact us and we’d be happy to help!