Before we first visited Gettysburg, I assumed there would be a few monuments. I was not prepared for the large number and wide variety of memorials and monuments that ring the primary battlefield area. There appear to be monuments for soldiers of all of the states that participated in the battle. This leads to a current sense of unity in the midst of a battle that was caused by great division.The Gettysburg battlefield is located south of the town of Gettysburg. On both the second and third days of the battle, the Confederate army was situated primarily on the western side of the main battlefield, on what is called "Seminary Ridge." The Union soldiers faced the Confederates from the east side of the field. The Union army had dug in on "Cemetery Ridge."
Today you can drive around the battlefield and see all of the monuments along the two ridges. We began our drive on Seminary Ridge; therefore, the memorials and monuments pictured here begin with those of the Confederacy. We did not take photos of all of the monuments - that would have been too big of a job. You will see here monuments to soldiers from North Carolina (we lived there), Virginia (Robert E. Lee's home), Georgia (our home now), New York (I grew up there), and Pennsylvania (the location of the battle).
(This is Part III of a photo series about our visit to Gettysburg earlier this month. You can read Part I here, and Part II here.)
Caroline, Mary, and Bobby at the NC memorial
North Carolina memorial statue
Virginia memorial sign
Virginia memorial
Georgia memorial
Georgia memorial
20th Maine marker on Little Round Top (position of the Union left flank)
Castle monument (to New York) on Little Round Top
New York memorial
Pennsylvania memorial
Caroline and Mary at PA memorial
Top of PA memorial with battlefield in background
Battlefield with VA memorial in far background; site of "Pickett's Charge"
Various monuments at "The Angle," where Pickett's Charge was repelled by Union soldiers
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