Draw the Sword

Location: Hancock Avenue south of the copse of trees and the Angle.

Monument Specifications: Monument consists of a five-course shaft on an elevated terrace. An eagle in relief with spread wings appears on each side of the shaft at the base. A sphere tops each corner of the terrace. This monument was authorized by Congress in acts passed on Feb. 18, 1903 and March 3, 1903. It is the only monument at Gettysburg commissioned by Congress to honor the regular Army who served at Gettysburg. In planning the monument, the Committee of Survivors of the Regular Army worked with the National Park Commission in summer 1906. The veterans opted for one major monument to be erected for the regular Army with leftover funds to be used for monuments to individual commands. Reportedly, Capt. Frank Furness, a consultant to Secretary of War William H. Taft, ultimately chose the design regardless of the opinions of the Committee and the Commission. Previously, vehicular traffic had access to the monument on its east and west sides. Hancock Avenue later became the only vehicular route near the monument. The monument cost $50,000 and the bronze plaques around it cost $13,000. It was constructed of Mt. Airy granite.

Dedication Date: Commissioned ca. 1903-1906. Dedicated May 30, 1909.

Sculptor/Artist/Company: Bitter, Karl, 1867-1915, sculptor.

Main Inscription: ERECTED BY THE CONGRESS/TO COMMEMORATE THE SERVICES/OF THAT PORTION OF THE/ARMY OF THE POTOMAC/COMPOSED OF/CAVALRY ARTILLERY INFANTRY AND ENGINEERS/OF THE REGULAR ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES/IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN JUNE-JULY 1863

Other Monuments and Memorials: Each unit of the U.S. Regular Army is honored by a unit level monument located where the unit fought on the battlefield.