History Gettysburg Battlefield

1 history

1.1 memorial association era
1.2 commemorative era
1.3 development era
1.4 1962–present

history

at close of battle, of ~22,000 wounded remained on battlefield , subsequently treated @ outlying camp letterman hospital or nearby field hospitals, houses, churches, , other buildings. dead soldiers on battlefield totalled 8,900; , contractors such david warren hired bury men , animals (the majority near fell). samuel weaver oversaw of these reburials.the first excursion train arrived battlefield visitors on july 5.

on july 10, pennsylvania governor andrew curtin visited gettysburg , expressed state s interest in finding fallen veterans resting place. attorney david wills arranged purchase of 17 acres (6.9 ha) of cemetery hill battlefield land cemetery. on august 14, 1863, attorney david mcconaughy recommended preservation association sell membership stock battlefield fundraising. september 16, 1863, battlefield protection had begun mcconaughy s purchase of heights of cemetery hill , little round top, , total purchased area of 600 acres (240 ha) included culp s hill land.

on november 19, 1863, abraham lincoln delivered gettysburg address @ dedication of soldiers national cemetery, completed in march 1864 last of 3,512 union reburied. 1870 1873, upon initiative of ladies memorial associations of richmond, raleigh, savannah, , charleston, 3,320 bodies disinterred , sent cemeteries in cities reburial, 2,935 being interred in hollywood cemetery, richmond. seventy-three bodies reburied in home cemeteries. cemetery transferred united states government may 1872, , last battle of gettysburg body reburied in national cemetery after being discovered in 1997.

union gettysburg veteran emmor cope detailed annotate battlefield s troop positions , map of battlefield of gettysburg original survey made august october, 1863 displayed @ 1904 louisiana purchase exposition. in 1863, john b. bachelder escorted convalescing officers @ gettysburg identify battlefield locations (during next winter interviewed union officers gettysburg).

the virginia monument battlefield s largest equestrian monument.


memorial association era





see list of monuments of gettysburg battlefield

the 1864 gettysburg battlefield memorial association (gbma) added mcconaughy s land holdings , operated wooden observation tower on east cemetery hill 1878–95. post-war, john bachelder invited on 1,000 officers, including 49 generals, revisit field him. bachelder produced battlefield survey 1880 federal funds (initiated senator wade hampton iii, confederate general). gbma approved , disapproved various monuments , in 1888 planted trees @ zeigler s grove. 1st battlefield monument 1867 marble urn in national cemetery dedicated 1st minnesota infantry, , 1st memorial outside of cemetery 1878 strong vincent tablet on little round top. may 1887 there 90 regimental , battery monuments on battlefield, , first bronze monument on battlefield reynolds 1872 statue in cemetery. 2 confederate monuments inside union areas of battle held 1887 plaque near angle commemorating gen armistead s farthest advance on july 3 , 1884 2nd maryland infantry monument on culp s hill.

the battlefield used 1884 camp gettysburg , other summer encampments of pa national guard. commercial development in 19th century included 1884 round top branch of railroad round top, pennsylvania, , after march 1892, tipton park operated in slaughter pen—which @ trolley station of gettysburg electric railway operated 1894–1916.

the federal gettysburg national park commission established on march 3, 1893; after congressman daniel sickles initiated may 31, 1894, resolution “to acquire purchase (or condemnation) … such lands, or interests in lands, upon or in vicinity of said battle field. memorial association era ended in 1895 when sickles gettysburg park bill (28 stat. 651) designated gettysburg national military park (gnmp) under war department. subsequent battlefield improvements included october 1895 construction of war department s observation towers replace 1878 cemetery hill tower , 1881 big round top tower.

commemorative era





see list of monuments of gettysburg battlefield






statue of general wells j. otto schweizer.

for payment of gettysburg battlefield memorial association s debts of $1960.46, on february 4, 1896, war department acquired 124 gbma tracts totalling 522 acres (211 ha), including 320 monuments , 17 miles (27 km) of roads. commercial development after tipton park abolished in fall of 1901 included july 1902 hudson park picnic grove north of little round top (including boxing arena). dancing pavilion erected @ round top museum in 1902, , in saddle area between round tops, david weikert operated eating house moved tipton park after seized in 1901 eminent domain. landscape preservation began in 1883 when peach trees planted in peach orchard, , 20,000 battlefield trees planted in 1906 (trees periodically removed battlefield areas had been logged prior battle.)

battlefield visitors through 20th century typically arrived train @ borough s 1884 gettysburg & harrisburg rr station or 1859 gettysburg railroad station , used horse-drawn jitneys tour battlefield. borough licensed automobile taxis first in 1913, , war department expanded battlefield roads throughout commemorative era. 20th century battlefield excursions included hod carriers consolidated union of baltimore , annual topton day autumn foliage tours near berks county, pennsylvania.

veterans reunions included 1888 25th battle anniversary, 1906 ceremony return gen armistead s sword south. , 53,407 civil war veterans attending 1913 gettysburg reunion 50th anniversary. battlefield had 1912 airfield @ camp stuart , wwi tank corps center @ brevet lt. col. dwight d. eisenhower s 1918 camp colt, , excursions round top park brought alcohol , prostitution. 1922 camp harding included marine corps reenactment of pickett s charge observed president warren harding , next-day simulation of same attack modern weapons , tactics.

the battlefield s commemorative era ended in 1927, , use of national park military camps continued under 1896 federal law (29 stat. 120), e.g., 1928 artillery , cavalry camp held @ culp s hill in conjunction president calvin coolidge s memorial day address in cemetery s rostrum.

development era

in 1933, administration of gnmp transferred 1916 national park service (nps), initiated great depression projects including 1933 civil works administration improvements, , 2 civilian conservation corps camps subsequently built battlefield maintenance , construction projects. after 1933 comfort station had been built @ pennsylvania state memorial, similar stone parkitecture structures built (the west ranger station completed may 21, 1937), , in april 1938, works progress administration added battlefield parking areas. numerous commercial facilities developed on private battlefield land, particularly during 1950s golden age of capitalism in united states (e.g., motels, eateries, & visitor attractions).

the battlefield s 2nd largest monument, eternal light peace memorial, accepted president franklin d. roosevelt , unveiled @ 1938 gettysburg reunion attracted on 300,000 battlefield visitors. in 1939, 1st of gettysburg national museum s 14 expansions completed (the electric map auditorium added in 1963 , closed april 13, 2008). pitzer woods site of world war ii camp sharpe, , mcmillan woods had german pow camp (the latter used post-war housing of migrant workers local production). heads-of-state @ battlefield included 1943 winston churchill auto tour president roosevelt, president eisenhower escorting president charles de gaulle (1960), , president jimmy carter hosting president anwar sadat , prime minister menachem begin (1978).

the 1956 mission 66 plan 1966 nps 50th anniversary included restoring battlefield houses, resurfacing 31 miles (50 km) of avenues, replacing railway cut bridge, , restoring 1884 gettysburg cyclorama.

1962–present

as mission 66 cyclorama building @ gettysburg new battlefield observation deck being completed in 1962, nearby 1896 zeigler s grove observation tower removed (the 1895 big round top observation tower removed in 1968). in 1967, nps purchased 1921 gettysburg national museum, nps operated 1971-2008. in 1971, nps acquired round top station , round top museum, using latter environmental resource center until demolished c. july 1982. private gettysburg national tower of 393 ft (120 m) completed in 1974 provide several observation levels viewing battlefield, purchased under eminent domain , demolished in 2000. in devil s den area, trees removed in 2007, , comfort station razed april 8, 2010. similarly, gettysburg national museum demolished in 2008.

in 2008, gettysburg national military park had 1,320 monuments, 410 cannon, 148 historic buildings, 2½ observation towers, , 41 miles (66 km) of avenues, roads, , lanes; (8 unpaved). 1 of largest collections of outdoor sculpture in world.

in february 2013 landmark modernist cyclorama building , visitor center, designed renowned architect richard neutra, destroyed. 19th century gettysburg cyclorama depicting battlefield had been removed restoration, , reinstalled in new rustic style gettysburg museum , visitor center.

the gettysburg national military park receives annual 3 million visitors per year.

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