This page answers a few Frequently Asked Questions about my Monument Project and this website.

Questions About the Monuments

How many monuments are there at Gettysburg?

This is an excellent question, but not an easy one to answer directly. The National Park Service puts the number of monuments and markers on the battlefield at around 1,400. But how many monuments and markers there are actually depends on how you actually define what constitutes a monument or marker. It also in part depends on how far afield you wish to go. There are monuments and markers to the Gettysburg Campaign in places miles and miles from the National Military Park such as Frederick, Maryland or Fairfield, Pennsylvania.

So how did you define a monument or marker and how many monuments and markers did you include?

My main interest is in the battle of Gettysburg, so the first limitation I placed on my project was that I would not include monuments or markers that honor events or people outside the Civil War period. For example, there is a Tank Corps monument at Gettysburg that is not included here.

The second limitation I placed on my project was that I would not include the modern day interpretive markers placed by the National Park Service. (If you are interested in those, I would recommend checking out Craig Swain’s extensive Historical Monument Database for the Gettysburg Campaign.) I also initially decided not to include the avenue or place designation signs, although I have been slowly collecting those and am adding them to the site. (One can certainly consider the iron place and avenue signs on the battlefield as historic; they were placed by the War Department on the battlefield around 1900.)

Finally, I decided in most cases not to include flank markers, although as with the avenue and site tablets, I’ve collected and added a few of them. There are approximately 428 flank markers on the battlefield. This is not to say the flank markers to each unit aren’t important because they are, but most of them are just not particularly visually interesting. However, I did in most cases include “advance position” or placement markers to units, as well as the occasional battle oriented rock carving.

With those limitations in place, I ended up with just over approximately 900 monuments and markers. The vast majority of the monuments are located within the proper confines of the Gettysburg National Military Park, but I have occasionally included a monument or marker of special interest outside the Park proper, such as the stone marker at Prospect Hall in Frederick, Maryland where General Meade took command of the Army of the Potomac. I plan to continue to add these special interest monuments and markers as I get the opportunity to photograph them.

If you don’t agree with my choices for what constitutes a monument or marker worthy of inclusion, you can write me, but I’m not really liable at this point to change my mind. Or, you can always also start your own Gettysburg Monument Project and include whatever you like!

Do you have a list of all the monuments on the website?

Yes, I do. It is currently a work in progress and is located here. There are almost 1,400 monuments (including flank markers) on my list. As other alternatives …. On the web, I would suggest Stephen Recker’s Virtual Gettysburg as a great place to start, or in print I would suggest Kathy Georg Harrison’s The Location of the Monuments, Markers, and Tablets on Gettysburg Battlefield which is available through Amazon.com. Craig’s site, the Historical Monument Database is also very good.

Questions About the Website

How many pages are in this website?

There are over 800 separate pages in this website. There are approximately 770 separate monument and memorial entries. Many of the markers are contained on the respective regimental pages, so if you are looking for a marker for example to a wounded officer, it will generally be located under the regimental designation.

When did you begin working on this website?

I began working on this website in May 2007. So I have been working on it for about five years.

What blog software do you use?

I am using the latest version of WordPress. WordPress is available free from WordPress.org. I’m a long-time user; I’ve been using WordPress in one form or another since version 1.5. I’m also using several plugins to run this site, including Comprehensive Google Map and NextGen Gallery.

How did you build the menus?

I built the menus on this site by hand. Basically, each monument entry contains special “tags” and I use a call to bring up the monuments for each tagged section.

May I link to this website?

Yes. If you let me know you’re linking here, I’ll probably reciprocate.

Do you still add things here? Or is this blog closed?

I still add things, just not as frequently as I did between May 2007 and July 2009. The blog section features an occasional topical post of interest or sometimes a new gallery of photos from a recent Gettysburg trip. I do also update monument entries with new information or new photographs from time to time.

Other Questions

My great grandfather fought at the battle of Gettysburg. Can you tell me more about him?

Probably not. Unfortunately, I’m not even semi-knowledgeable about every unit to fight at Gettysburg. I would suggest leaving a comment on the appropriate monument entry and hopefully you can connect with someone who is an “expert” and may know more about that unit and the men who fought in it.

May I print or use materials from here?

You may print or use materials here for non-commercial, private purposes only. All materials must be attributed to me, Jen Goellnitz. If you would like to download a full resolution photograph for personal use, please contact me.