Summer of 21 - #15 - Gettysburg Battlefield#4 -July 2nd,1863 - Little Round Top

May 11th, 2021 - Battlefield Tour Part 4 of 8

July 2nd, 1863 - Day 2-Part 2, of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Stop 8 - Little Round Top  

Quick action by Brig. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren, Meade's chief engineer, alerted Union officers to the Confederate threat and brought Federal reinforcements to defend this position.

We spent the most time of the day at Little Round Top and it ended up being our last stop of the day.  It was my favorite stop of the day as you got a real feel of the battle and how it must have been. You can almost feel the emotions here, but standing on top of this hill, in peacetime, is exhilarating and the views over the now quiet battlefield are amazing. I believe the men who died here are at peace that their story is still told. We need to remember and ensure they didn't die in vain. At the moment I feel we are on a precipice and pray that another civil war is not on the horizon.  

Our first view as we came up the path from the car park.

                       

The next thing we saw was this imposing statue of General Governeur Kemble Warren standing on a rock at the top of the hill.

The Eye of General Warren - This is a link to the story of General Warren & Little Round Top.  Here's an excerpt: "About 3:30 p.m. on July 2, the Union army's Chief Engineer, Brig. Gen. G.K. Warren, stepped out on these rocks with his binoculars. General Meade had sent him to examine battlefield conditions in the area. Warren found Union signalmen here, but no infantry. Little Round Top was undefended.

Warren discovered that Confederate troops were concealed in the woods just beyond the Emmitsburg Road (the second line of trees on the horizon). If these Southerners were allowed to seize Little Round Top, the Union army would be dangerously outflanked.

General Warren quickly dispatched aides to seek troops to defend the hill. Col. Strong Vincent's Brigade arrived just in time to meet the onrushing Confederates, and a bloody conflict ensued. When Vincent's men were nearly overwhelmed, Warren found Col. Patrick O'Rorke's 140th New York Infantry on the hillside behind you and rushed them into the fight to save the day for the Union."

Confederate troops were concealed in the woods behind the second row of trees.

Here he is looking out over the battlefield from his advantageous position. 

The large rocks protected Union soldiers from Confederate sharpshooters in and around Devil's Den(shown to the left in the picture below).  They also provided secure firing positions for Union troops.

The picture taken from the top of Little Round Top looks west over Plum Run & the Valley of Death. Devils Den & Slaughter Pen are to the left.  Union soldiers seized this strategic high ground during the afternoon of this second day and held it for the remainder of the battle. Many officers and men died from both sides in the struggle.

Looking North

Here's a closer view of the above picture. You can see the Pennsylvania Monument, which you can see from almost everywhere in the park, in the distance.  

Pennsylvania Monument

91st Penna Infantry Memorial

91st Penna. Infantry.

3rd Brig. 2nd Div. 5th Corps

From the front (east) panel of the monument:

July 2. Moving at the double-quick in the evening, the regiment took position here and  having aided in repulsing the attack of the enemy upon this line, remained until the close of the battle.

From the north panel of the monument:

Present at Gettysburg 258 officers and men. Killed and died of wounds 4 men. Wounded 2 officers 13 men.
—-
Recruited in Philadelphia.
Mustered in Sept & Dec. 1861,
Re-enlisted Dec. 26, 1863,
Mustered out July 10, 1865

Looking out from the Penna Memorial

In the distance was this mysterious looking tower poking out through the bushes, inviting you to go and visit.

On the way to the tower were more monuments.

Here's a LINK to the story of Col. Patrick O'Rourke, "the forgotten hero of Gettysburg". He was born in Ireland and is commemorated here at Round Top at the spot where he died, on the 140th New York Infantry Monument.

Devils Den

Devils Den/Slaughter Pen

Inscription on plaque above:

The 44th N.Y. Infantry, Lieut. Colonel Freeman Conner
commanding, held position about 100 feet in advance of
this monument, designated by a marker, from about 3 p.m. July 2, to about 11 a.m. July 3, 1863.

Number engaged 313.
Casualties.
Killed, 2 officers, 24 enlisted men
Wounded, 5 officers (of whom one died), 75 enlisted
men (of whom ten died).
Total loss, 106.
At noon of July 3rd, was placed in reserve at the right of Little Round Top where it remained until close of the battle.

Names of soldiers but they were very difficult to read.

We climbed the steps to the top of the tower.

Great View

Going Down

We saw this hawk as we were getting ready to leave.

Red Tailed Hawk

We will resume our tour another day at Devils Den. It's not actually part of the motor tour they give you but it looks really interesting to me so I've included it.