Tag: Robert E Lee

Battle of Gettysburg by Paul Philippoteaux

4 Facts You May Not Know About the Battle of Gettysburg

At 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! Continue reading

Virginia Monument

Famous Civil War Horses

In honor of this month’s Kentucky Derby, as well as the upcoming Preakness and Belmont Stakes, we thought now would be a perfect time to dive into some of the famous horses of the Civil War. Many know about the great men who made their mark on the war, but few know the stories of their trusted companions.

Virginia Monument
Virginia Monument

One of the primary means of transportation during the war, horses played an important role in the war effort. We compiled a list of several of the most famous Civil War horses that joined both the north and south in the war effort and we encourage you to learn more about them below.

  • Cincinnati – General Ulysses S. Grant’s favorite horse can be found with him at the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial in Washington D.C. Gifted to Grant on the terms that the horse never goes to an owner who would treat it poorly, Cincinnati was the horse Grant rode to negotiate Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House.
  • Traveller – Like Cincinnati with Grant, Traveller was Robert E. Lee’s favorite horse. The Virginia monument here in Gettysburg features Lee and Traveller. Lee bought the horse shortly after taking a liking to him, and the horse was a trusted companion the rest of Lee’s life.
  • Old Baldy – Affectionately named for his white face, Old Baldy was George C. Meade’s horse of choice. Old Baldy had quite a decorated war service, as he was wounded several times, including being shot through the neck at the Battle of Antietam. Fortunately the horse survived each time, and eventually retired to a horse farm near Philadelphia. Today you can find the horse’s head displayed in a glass case in the Meade Room of the Civil War Museum of Philadelphia.
  • Winchester (Rienzi) – Initially named Rienzi by owner Phil Sheridan after the Mississippi town his troops were encamped at, the horse was later renamed Winchester following the storied ride from Winchester, Virginia to Cedar Creek. Featured in a poem by Thomas Buchanan Read, which described the powerful and indestructible (it was shot numerous times and always seemed to bounce back) horse carrying a fierce man into battle. Winchester may also have helped Lincoln win re-election. Today, you can find a mounted Winchester at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

Humans weren’t the only valiant participants of the war. This brief list provides just a glimpse of the horses and their stories that were a part of the Civil War. On your next visit to Gettysburg, be sure to take notice how many monuments also feature their trusted companions.

Some others we didn’t feature above include Fancy, Kentuck, King Philip, Lancer, Moscow, Rambler, and Tammany. The list is quite extensive, but if you have any favorites to add to the list be sure to leave us a comment below!

The Virginia Monument

The Civil War saw our country split in two—North and South, Union and Confederate—but regardless of who was right, both sides were fighting for their beliefs, their families, and their way of life. It’s impossible to look at it as good guys vs. bad guys because it isn’t that simple. Good men fought and died on both sides of the battlefield, and it is only right to honor them. That is why Gettysburg features statues of both Union heroes, like the Pennsylvania State Memorial, and statues of Confederate heroes, like The Virginia Monument.

The Virginia Monument was the first of the Confederate monuments to be built at Gettysburg, and it remains the largest. It was commissioned on March 9, 1908 and cost $50,000, which, in today’s money, is the equivalent of $885,000. That’s pretty expensive! It towers forty-two feet above Seminary Ridge, just East of Spangler Woods and accessible by West Confederate Ave.

VA Monument

The primary sculpture is a 14-foot bronze portrait of General Robert E. Lee, mounted upon his horse Traveller. Lee rides high on a 28-foot granite pedestal with seven Confederate soldiers beneath him. Their bronze eyes survey the field before them: site of the famous infantry assault of Pickett’s Charge. On the other side of the field is Cemetery Ridge, where the Union lines made their stand. There, a statue of General George Meade meets Lee’s gaze.

The seven Confederate soldiers, according to sculptor Frederick William Sievers, are representative of the men of all walks of life who left home and trade behind to serve in the military. First, there are two riflemen, one symbolic of a professional man, the other a mechanic. Beside them, a man who was an artist now aims a pistol. In the center, a boy on horseback raises the Confederate flag. To his right, a businessman swings a bayonet, a farmer raises a rifle, and a youth sounds a bugle call. These smaller portraits remind us that they were more than just soldiers.

The monument, minus the sculptures, was installed in 1913 and dedicated at the Gettysburg reunion—the 50th anniversary of the battle, which saw over 50,000 veterans gathered together from both sides of the war. The completed statue was unveiled in 1917 by Miss Virginia Carter, General Lee’s own niece, and presented by Henry C. Stuart, the governor of Virginia.

To visit this remarkable piece of history, plan your trip to Gettysburg Battlefield Tours today!