Trostle House with Dead Horses from Bigelow's Battery Then & Now

Quick Facts

Location:

This photograph was taken near United States Avenue.

The Trostle farm was the site of desperate fighting on the afternoon of July 2, 1863 as the men of the 9^th Massachusetts (Bigelow’s) Battery made a couragious stand against overwhelming Confederate forces. In an attempt to stave off the advancing Confederates from Kershaw and Barksdale’s brigades, the men of Bigelow’s Battery fought desperately before they were overrun and forced to retreat to Cemetery Ridge. Their sacrifice provided valuable time for Union reinforcements to form along Cemetery Ridge and helped thwart the Confederate attack in this area. The dead horses that are visible in the yard of the Trostle house are all that was left of this courageous stand. The framework to the left of the house in the historic photograph is evidence of an 1863 addition.

This photograph is part of a series of Then & Now photos of the Trostle Farm.