About
Draw the Sword is a Gettysburg Monument Project — in blog format.
This page explains what the Draw the Sword Gettysburg Monument Project is all about. If you were looking to to learn more about the webmaster for some reason, please visit the about the webmaster page.
Writing almost fifty years after the end of the Civil War, Union General Joshua Chamberlain, who commanded the 20th Maine Regiment in the fighting on Little Round Top at Gettysburg, put into words the importance of this “deathless field:”
No chemistry of frost or rain, no overlaying mould of the season’s recurrent life and death, can ever separate from the soil of these consecrated fields the life-blood so deeply commingled and incorporate here. Ever henceforth under the rolling suns, when these hills are touched to splendor with the morning light, or smile a farewell to the lingering day, the flush that broods upon them shall be rich with a strange and crimson tone,–not of the earth, nor yet of the sky, but mediator and hostage between the two.
The monuments at Gettysburg were for the most part placed by the veterans who fought here — to honor their role in the battle and to remember the sacrifices of their comrades who died here. Gifted with the pen, Chamberlain wrote of “generations we know not of” coming to visit Gettysburg. We are those generations and it is in our hands the care of the battlefield and its monuments falls.
To that end, Draw the Sword exists to honor the sacrifices of the men of both armies who fought at Gettysburg by featuring each monument on the battlefield. Through this site the visitor can hopefully learn more about Gettysburg’s monuments — their locations, their symbolism, the men they represent.
What monuments did you decide to include?
What is a monument? That may be one of the hardest parts of starting a monument project — deciding what to include. This monument project features all of the monuments erected to honor the Civil War battle of Gettysburg. It excludes the modern interpretive markers placed by the National Park Service and monuments unrelated to the Civil War battle (for example the Tank Corps Monument). Major monuments and position markers are included, but this project does not include photographs of the flank markers.
I have also chosen to occasionally include markers from outside the Gettysburg National Military Park proper, including the hospital monuments and the marker in Frederick, Maryland where General Meade took command of the Army of the Potomac. You will also find photographs of the towers, farms, and some of the specific areas of the battlefield as well.
When were the photographs taken? And what did you take them with?
All of the photographs date from 2005 to 2010. The majority were taken between 2007 and 2010. I took them with a Pentax K100D and an Olympic Stylus 750. I own the copyrights on all of these photographs and they can be used by contacting me for permission (see below for my contact information). I think I am very generous in allowing use of my photos (I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone no, ever…), but I do want to be properly credited. So please ask and don’t just take.
I will continue to work on improving the photos on this site; my aim is to obtain and produce the highest quality photo I can of each monument. This can be difficult as some monuments receive very little sunlight, but I keep trying.
I’d like to help support the site.
If you would like to support the site, you can:
1) Comment on entries and provide additional information. Please help make the site better by adding your expertise. I certainly can’t be an expert on every unit to fight at Gettysburg.
2) Drop me a line, let me know what you think. I always like to hear from my visitors. You can drop me a line via email (see below) or you can just leave a comment.
3) Make a money donation. There is a lot of cost associated with running a site like this one. If you enjoy the site and would like to make a donation towards its upkeep, you can do so through PayPal by clicking on the link below.
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Can I contact the site?
Sure, but I’ll warn you I’m not always the fastest person to respond and my spam filter is pretty aggressive — so please make sure you give your email an appropriate subject line. You can send me an email at jgoellnitz@gmail.com. And by the way, I am not a male, so please do not send me a generic email addressed “Dear Sir.” I know in the Civil War military history field the guys vastly outnumber the girls, but some of us ladies are interested in the War too you know. :)
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