The Longstreet Monument

One of the newer bronze monuments on the battlefield — and the only bronze dedicated solely to a Confederate General — is the monument to General James Longstreet.

Executed by sculptor Gary Casteel, this monument is located in what are known as Pitzer’s Woods, just behind West Confederate Avenue on Seminary Ridge.

Longstreet (January 8, 1821 – January 2, 1904), commanded Lee’s First Corps.  Longstreet is well known by Gettysburg and Civil War afficiandados, so a description of his life and career (as well as his time at Gettysburg) is a bit beyond the scope of this brief entry.

The monument was dedicated on July 3, 1998.  The monument has been criticized for the horse seems disproportionately small.  Also the lack of a pedestel makes the monument unlike others on the battlefield.

The monument fund was started by North Carolina Division Sons of Confederate Veterans.  The site of the monument was chosen in part because of its proximity to Longstreet’s headquarters; the monument site is approximately .2 of a mile north of Longstreet’s headquarters on the Pitzer Farm.

The fact sheet for the monument notes:

The monument will be a life size equestrian statue which has been designed by Mr. Gary Casteel, noted sculptor from Maurertown, VA. It will consist of a bronze horse and rider at ground level. This will give the appearance of movement in a classical design. The bronze inscription will be mounted on two stone pedestals placed in front of the monument. The reforestation will continue up to the monument giving the appearance of the General observing the lines on the third day of battle. Approval of the monument and landscaping designs was granted by the National Park Service on September 13, 1995. A sign marking the site of the monument was erected by the Longstreet Memorial Fund and National Park Service personnel on September 25, 1995.

As previously stated, this is the only monument at Gettysburg dedicated solely to a Confederate general.  The only other CSA general depicted is Robert E. Lee on the top of the Virginia State Monument.

Tags: Army of Northern Virginia, Commemoratives, Confederate Avenue, Gettysburg, Monument Project