Granite Soldiers- Men and Monuments
Gettysburg National Military Park Kidzpage

Monuments at Gettysburg (National Park Service)

Soldiers still stand on the Gettysburg battlefield atop stone pedestals, their fixed gaze constantly searching the fields, looking for an unseen enemy. The statues on the Gettysburg Battlefield represent the last physical tokens of the men who fought here. Many of them were constructed and dedicated in the 1880's and 1890's. Some are very simple in design. Others are more elaborate. Many of the statues are to generals, though there are some that depict the typical private, corporal, or sergeant. The 74th Pennsylvania Infantry monument has a stone sculpture of a wounded sergeant, holding up the flag of his regiment despite his wounds. This simple design also tells a story. Most of the monuments on the Gettysburg Battlefield tell the story of what that particular group of men did during the battle.

The design of a monument is very important. A stone carving and a metal statue have no purpose unless they symbolize a particular event or personality. Sculptors and designers were very careful to relate the particular monuments at Gettysburg to the events that surrounded each unit that fought here. To add to the statue, there is often a narrative inscription in the stone, or it is placed on a bronze panel called a relief. It was also important that the seal of the states that contributed money to erect monuments be placed on them in a prominent fashion. Many of the monuments are unique in their designs.

(National Park Service)

The Pennsylvania Monument has stone carvings that illustrate different phases of the battle, bronze statues that represent different individuals, and bronze plaques that list the names of the Pennsylvania soldiers who were present at Gettysburg. It is the only state monument to record all of that state's participants in the battle, and was dedicated in 1910.

25th & 75th Ohio Infantry Monument (National Park Service)

116th Pennsylvania Infantry (National Park Service)

The monument to the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry is a beautiful granite sculpture of a fallen Union soldier lying behind a stone wall. This remarkable sculpture was made by J. Henderson Kelly, one of many artists employed by monument companies during the 1880's. It was placed here near "The Loop" west of the Wheatfield in 1888 and dedicated on September 11, 1889. The 116th was part of the famous "Irish Brigade".

5th New Hampshire Monument (National Park Service)

The design of the monument to the 5th New Hampshire Infantry is quite unique. A granite table with bronze narrative plaques sits on top of four boulders pulled from the battlefield, with an additional boulder placed on top into which is cut the badge of the Second Corps. This monument not only marks the location where the regiment fought, but also the sight where the regiment's colonel, Edward Cross, was mortally wounded on July 2, 1863.

There are also monuments to many individuals here at Gettysburg, including huge equestrian statues to many of the Union and Confederate generals who fought the battle. Among those honored are General George G. Meade, General John Reynolds, General John Sedgwick, General Winfield S. Hancock, General Oliver O. Howard, General Henry Slocum, and General James Longstreet. The only Union corps commander who does not have an equestrian monument at Gettysburg is General George Sykes who commanded the Fifth Corps. General Lee is also honored with an equestrian statue atop the Virginia Monument.

All of the Northern and Southern states that had troops who fought and died during the battle have erected state monuments at Gettysburg. There are many different styles of state monuments, some classic and some modernistic. Some good examples of classic-style monuments are the very elaborate Pennsylvania Monument, the towering New York Monument, and the picturesque Virginia Monument. Modernistic designs are represented by the Louisiana, Mississippi, and the Maryland monuments. The Maryland monument is unique because it has bronze figures of both a wounded Union and a wounded Confederate soldier side by side. One of the largest monuments in the park is the Eternal Light Peace Memorial, which stands on Oak Hill. It was dedicated in 1938 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and was a cooperative effort between veterans from North and South.

Here are some dates of when some of the park's special monuments were dedicated:

Irish Brigade Monument- July 2, 1888
Eternal Light Peace Memorial- July 3, 1938
Pennsylvania Monument- September 27, 1910
General Longstreet Monument- July 3, 1998
Virginia Monument- June 18, 1917
Georgia Monument- September 21, 1961
Alabama Memorial- November 12, 1933

A monument not only acts like a memorial, it also tells a story. Let's say that you were going to place a monument in your front yard to your family. Would you have your family's name on top with a bronze figure of your Mom and Dad? (They might really like that suggestion!) Would you put the names of brothers, sisters, cousins on it? How about a place for the family pet? Think about what you may put on there to help tell the story of your family and how you would describe to people what your family has experienced.

Let's test your skills! This bronze sculpture is on the 106th Pennsylvania Infantry monument. Can you figure out what it is meant to show? Find out here!

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Gettysburg Kidz Page

National Park Service
Gettysburg National Military Park
1195 Baltimore Pike, Suite 100
Gettysburg, PA 17325