This is the
largest Monument on the Battlefield. It is located in the center of
the Union line. There are bronze plaques around the base with
the names of all of the Pennsylvania soldiers that fought at
Gettysburg (something like the
Vietnam Wall). Around the monument are large statues of
important Pennsylvanians that were involved with the Civil War. There
were over 30,000 home state warriors. It represented 1/3 of Meade's
force. This impressive memorial is exciting to return to every time I
get to the field.
The Massive Pennsylvania Monument
The largest monument at Gettysburg
Along this
famous ridge thousands of Union soldiers watched and then fought in
the great Pickett's Charge. All you can do when you get to this point
is just wonder (what if they lost ?). When you
read the many books on Gettysburg or the Civil War the possibilities
of different outcomes become vividly real. That is why we should all
be proud of the unsurpassed valor
that occurred on this ground. North and South alike they were all
Americans.
View looking to the Southwest
This single monument dominates the field
Can you imagine what it was like for 150,000 men fighting and dying
for three hot July days. I have studied the trials and tribulations of
the Army Surgeons at Gettysburg.
That is another story by itself.
