Tag: civil war
Battlefield Highlights: The Peach Orchard – Where The Battle Converged
October 29, 2024The Battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1 to July 3, 1863, remains one of the most significant engagements of the American Civil War.
In the many long years since that famous battle, countless modern-day visitors to the southern part of the preserved battleground have been drawn to Devil’s Den and Little Round Top — the rocky hill is a must-stop for its panoramic views, and kids love the Den’s immense boulders. As the park evolved, these sites have received a lion’s share of attention, whether through preservation efforts, interpretation, or tourism. But throughout the actual battle itself, another nearby location known as The Peach Orchard would prove to be just as important (if not more so) to the outcome of the battle than many of those other, more famous locations.
Christmas Traditions During the Civil War
December 19, 2023When enjoying a December visit to historic Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and touring its hallowed environs now dressed for the season and bedecked in holiday splendor, one finds oneself surrounded at every turn by the echoes of the Civil War and its effect on our nation. Delving into the curious intersection of Christmas traditions and wartime history, one might also ponder how the celebration of our modern holiday season was forever influenced by those tumultuous times.
Battlefield Highlights: Culp’s Hill – The Long Fight
July 21, 2023One of the most important geographical features that played a prominent role in the Battle of Gettysburg is Culp’s Hill, located on the eastern side of the battlefield. The hill offered a high-ground advantage, providing Union troops an excellent vantage point to observe and defend against Confederate movements, while its elevation and rocky terrain made it an ideal defensive position.
Battlefield Highlights: The Wheatfield
June 29, 2023The second day of the Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest day of the battle. Throughout that day, fighting at numerous locations around the battlefield involved 100,000 combatants, 20,000 of whom would end the day either killed, wounded, captured, or missing, making July 2nd, 1863, a truly dire day in the history of our nation. And centered amidst the near-constant ebb and flow of the ongoing carnage was a small patch of land… 19 acres of wheat owned by local farmer George Rose, that history would come to know as “The Wheatfield.”
The Devil’s Den: Exploring the Key to Little Round Top
January 28, 2023One of the most famous battlefield locations at Gettysburg is Devil’s Den, a boulder-strewn hill rock formation located on the southmost end of Houck’s Ridge, about 500 yards west of the hill known as Little Round Top. Used extensively as a firing position by artillery and sharpshooters on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, it was the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting of the war and is an important stop on battlefield tours of the area.
Where Did the Iron Brigade Fight at Gettysburg?
May 31, 2022Though destined for fame as one of the most respected and feared forces in the Army of the Potomac, the Iron Brigade came from humble roots. The all-Western infantry brigade was primarily comprised of five colorfully named regiments: the Calico (6th Wisconsin), the Huckleberries (7th Wisconsin), the Babies (19th Indiana), the Feather-beds (24th Michigan), and the Ragged Asstetical (2nd Wisconsin), which won its not-so-fierce nom de guerre, said the veteran Aubrey Cullen, “from the fact that the government contractors had run short of good material when they made the pantaloons … allowing their flag of truce always to be kept in their rear.”
What are Iverson’s Pits?
April 29, 2022On the Gettysburg battlefield, in the shadow of the Oak Ridge Observation Tower just off Doubleday Avenue and not far from the junction between Confederate Avenue and the Mummasberg road, there is an open field of nondescript farmland bordered on one side by a low stone wall. This property, part of the John Forney farm on the eve of the famous battle, would sadly be the site of one of the most brutal and ignominious episodes of the Civil War.
This otherwise nondescript patch of grass on Oak Ridge is where the unsuspecting men of a hapless North Carolina Brigade would meet a horrific fate, and the events of that tragic day would earn that lonely patch of ground a share of infamy that echoes through the years to the present day.
Modern-day visitors to the Gettysburg Battlefield can experience the site firsthand and walk the hallowed field widely famed as a supernatural hot spot.
A Civil War Christmas: The Only Civilian Death of the Gettysburg Battle
November 20, 2020
Jennie (Mary Virginia) Wade, a seamstress living in Gettysburg during the mid-19th century, pines for the love of her life, Johnston (Jack) Skelley, an Army soldier of 87th Pennsylvania. He is in Virginia fighting for the Union.
In July of 1863, the Confederate Army, led by Gen. Robert E. Lee of Northern Virginia, launches the Gettysburg Campaign, and the rages of war envelope the town. Civilians are caught between the battlefronts and forced inside to seek shelter in their basements.
Unsung Civil War Heroes: Mary Edwards Walker
July 21, 2020We would be remiss in our efforts to celebrate American history if we were to forget the contributions of one of the only women in American history to receive the Medal of Honor. Mary Walker Edwards is a hero in our book for her contributions to the Civil War, to America, and to its prosperity. Mary was a hero among heroes; she was a Doctor, Surgeon, Abolitionist, and staunch advocate for the rights of women.
Her Younger Years
Walker was born on November 26th, 1832, in the city of Oswego in upstate New York. The daughter of abolitionists and free thinkers, she was encouraged from a young age to care about the rights of all people. Committing herself very early on to gender equality and the rights of women, she was known for wearing pants instead of skirts and dresses, even as a little girl.
4 Facts You May Not Know About the Battle of Gettysburg
February 27, 2020At Gettysburg Battlefield Tours, our claim to fame is knowing all about the Battle of Gettysburg (obviously). However, there are lots of little details about the famed battle that many people don’t know.
Today, we want to spill some lesser-known facts about the Battle of Gettysburg, and maybe give a few interesting facts you did know, but a bit more in-depth. After all, there’s always more to learn about the Battle of Gettysburg!