Battery F, 5th U.S. Artillery Monument Returned to Original Location in the Park

NPS Personnel carefully lift the monument to Battery F, 5th U.S. Artillery during the relocation project.

(National Park Service)

News Release Date: September 24, 2014

Contact: Katie Lawhon, [phone], ext. 3121

Contact: Cindy Small, [phone]

Gettysburg National Military Park staff returned the granite Battery F, 5^th US Artillery monument to its original location, within the footprint of the old Cyclorama Center in Ziegler's Grove today, September 24. The monument was moved from its original location in the early 1960s to make way for the construction of the Cyclorama building. Now that the demolition of the building is complete, funded by the Gettysburg Foundation, the monument has been returned to its original location.

Since 2009, Gettysburg National Military Park and the Gettysburg Foundation have been returning key portions of the center of the Union battle line on North Cemetery Ridge to their appearance at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863. Completed phases include the demolition of the old visitor center in 2009; the planting 41 apple trees to reestablish the Frey orchard (North) in 2010; the removal of the former Visitor Center parking lot in 2013 and the demolition of the Cyclorama Center in 2013. 

The Gettysburg Foundation is now raising funds for changes to the National Cemetery parking lot which would allow the replanting of missing portions of Ziegler's Grove, and rehabilitation of the historic terrain of Cemetery Ridge and Ziegler's Ravine. 

Joanne M. Hanley, Gettysburg Foundation President, states, "The Cemetery Hill and Cemetery Ridge areas are central in Gettysburg National Military Park's and the Gettysburg Foundation's efforts to educate millions of visitors about the battle of Gettysburg, the causes and consequences of the American Civil War, and the lasting significance of this critical time in our nation's history. Preservation of this site will forever enhance the interpretive value of this critical portion of the Gettysburg battlefield."

"These actions continue to help us meet our goals of improving the integrity of the battlefield landscapes and improving our visitors' understanding of what happened at Gettysburg and why it's so important," said Rick Kendall, Gettysburg National Military Park.

The monument represents the 116 men of Battery F, 5th United States Artillery who were led at Gettysburg by First Lieutenant Leonard Martin, a twenty-two year old West Point graduate. They brought six ten-pounder Parrott rifles to the battlefield and belonged to Col. Charles Thompson's artillery brigade of the 6th Army Corps. OnJuly 3rd, following the repulse of Pickett's Charge and the two-hour artillery bombardment that preceded it, the battery was ordered to limber up and report to the front. Around4:00 p.m.the battery occupied a position in Ziegler's Grove on the northern extension of Cemetery Ridge. They remained here as a reserve for the rest of the battle, not engaged and suffering no casualties. Beginning in 1907 the United States War Department began marking the position of regiments and batteries belonging to the regular army. The granite marker indicating the position of Battery F, 5th US Artillery was placed during this time and is the battery's only representation on the field.

The Gettysburg Foundation has a broad preservation mission that includes land, monument and artifact preservation and battlefield rehabilitation, all in support of the National Park Service's goals at Gettysburg. Information is available at www.gettysburgfoundation.org.

Gettysburg National Military Park is a unit of the National Park Service that preserves and protects the resources associated with the Battle of Gettysburg and the Soldiers' National Cemetery, and provides an understanding of the events that occurred there within the context of American History. Information is available at www.nps.gov/gett.