97th New York Infantry

The 97th New York Infantry was nicknamed the Conkling Rifles.  (New York regiments tend to have nicknames, if you haven’t already noticed.)  The regiment was recruited from the counties of Herkimer, Lewis, and Oneida and was mustered in at Boonville in February 1862.  It was 255 strong at Gettysburg.

The regiment was commanded by Col. Charles Wheelock (1812-1865).  He was wounded and captured on July 1; he died in Washington of disease on January 21, 1865.  When Wheelock fell wounded, Maj. Charles B. Northup (1828-1918), a banker, took command.

The 97th’s monument is similar to that of the 76th New York in form, with the regimental number contained in the capstone.  It is located on Oak Ridge, Doubleday Avenue, where the 97th fought Iverson’s brigade, capturing the colors of the 20th North Carolina.

97th New York Infantry

1st Corps, 2nd Division, 2nd Brigade

Engaged: 255; 12 killed, 36 wounded, 78 missing

Monument: Doubleday Avenue

88th Pennsylvania Infantry

The 88th Pennsylvania’s monument is located on the regiment’s July 1 battle line on Oak Ridge along current day Doubleday Avenue. The monument was designed by the regiment’s surviving members. It cost $3,000.00 and consists of Quincy and Concord granite. It was dedicated on September 11, 1889.

The monument is supposed to represent a “remembrance of the suffering and sacrifice of the citizen-soldier.” A large eagle with outstretched wings perches atop a stack of virtually every war article you can imagine (nearly twenty in all) that a soldier might carry. A symbolic laurel wreath of victory is also included.

The sculptor was John Lacmer, an artist from San Francisco.

The 88th was also known as the Cameron Light Guards; it was recruited from Philadelphia and Berks County in September 1861. The regiment went through several commanders. The first was Maj. Benzet F. Foust (1840-1870), a Philadelphia lawyer. When Foust was wounded on July 1, Capt. Edmund A. Mass (1834-1894), a railroad baggage master from Reading, took command until he was captured. The final commander was Capt. Henry Whiteside (1835-1905), a cooper in Reading.

A secondary monument is located at Ziegler’s Grove.

88th Pennsylvania Infantry

1st Corps, 2nd Division, 2nd Brigade

Maj. Benzet F. Foust

Engaged: 296; 4 killed, 55 wounded, 51 missing

Monument: Oak Ridge

13th Massachusetts Infantry

The beautiful monument to the 13th Massachusetts is located on the slope of Oak Ridge near the Robinson staute. The monument cost only $500.00 and was dedicated on September 25, 1885. It depicts a color bearer and is said to stand where the 13th’s color sergent was killed.

The regiment was raised form the counties of Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Worchester in the summer of 1861. Their commander was Col. Samuel H. Leonard (1825-1902). When Leonard fell wounded, Lt. Col. Nathaniel W. Batchelder (1825-1868) took command.

13th Massachusetts Infantry

1st Corps, 2nd Division, 1st Brigade

Col. Samuel H. Leonard (1825-1902)

Engaged: 284; 7 killed, 77 wounded, 101 missing

Monument: Oak Ridge, Robinson Avenue

104th New York Infantry

The 104th New York was also known as the “Wadsworth Guards.”  The unit was raised from the counties of Livingston and Rensselaer in the fall of 1861 into the spring of 1862.  Their commander at Gettysburg was Col. Gilbert G. Prey (1822-1903), a carpenter in Eagle.

The simple monument to the 104th features the unit number, a bronze New York seal, and a small bronze sculpture of soldier’s equipment near the base.  The monument is located on Robinson Avenue where the regiment fought on July 1, 1863, taking fearful casualties in defense of Oak Ridge.  In the background, Gettysburg College and the Oak Ridge “railroad cut” are visible.

104th New York Infantry

1st Corps, 2nd Division, 1st Brigade

Col. Gilbert G. Prey (1822-1903)

Engaged: 309; 11 killed, 91 wounded, 92 missing

Monument: Robinson Avenue, Oak Ridge

John C. Robinson

The New York statue to General John C. Robinson (1817-1897) sits on Oak Ridge near one of the park’s three remaining steel observation towers. A native of Binghamton, Robinson went to West Point, was a lawyer, won a Medal of Honor at Spotsylvania in 1864, AND, last but most certainly not least, earned the distinction of the hairiest general in the Army of the Potomac.

Robinson commanded a 1st Corps Division at Gettysburg that was engaged on Oak Ridge. He lost his leg the following year in action at Spotsylvania. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

In 1872, he was elected Lieutenant Governor of the State of New York. He later also served as commander of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Yet, the Army of the Potomac was marked by similarly able and brave men. It was an Army that had a lot of bumblers, but also some real gems (Hancock, Reynolds, etc). So Robinson for all the good stuff he did doesn’t really stand out that much as anything other than a good general.

Except, there was one cosmetic feature that set him apart: his luxurious facial hair. It was not so famous that he got side burns named after him like a certain general who did not do well around water (including such notable bodies of water as Antietam Creek, the Rappahannock River, and rain water), but …

Describing Robinson in his famous book Glory Road, Bruce Catton notes:

Doubleday sent the last of his reserves up to meet this threat — a division led by General John C. Robinson, a salty old regular of whom a soldier said that “in a much -bearded army, he was the hairiest general I ever saw.”

There you have it, folks, the hairiest general in the Army of the Potomac. And there was plenty of competition, so that’s really saying something.

12th Massachusetts Infantry

The 12th Massachusetts Infantry was known as the “Webster Regiment.” It was named for Fletcher Webster, the first commander of the regiment.  Fletcher Webster was a son of Daniel Webster, the famous American statesman.

Raised from the counties of Essex, Norfolk, Plymouth, and Suffolk, the 12th had 300 men in it at Gettysburg and was commanded by Col. James L. Bates (1820-1875).  When Bates fell wounded on July 1 in action on Oak Ridge, Lt. Col. David Allen, Jr. took command.  Allen (1829-1864) was a carpenter in Gloucester; he survived Gettysburg by less than a year; he was killed in action at the Wilderness.

Like the 7th New Jersey, the 12th Massachusetts monument is shaped like a minie ball.  The minie ball shape is wrapped with a carved American flag.  A medallion likeness of Daniel Webster — for whom the regiment took its nickname — appears on the front of the monument.  A carved cartridge box and bayonet scabbard appear on the monument’s base.  The monument was dedicated on October 8, 1885 and cost $500.00.

12th Massachusetts “Webster Regiment”

Members of the 1st Corps, 2nd Division, 2nd Brigade

Commanded by:  Col. James L. Bates (1820-1875)

Engaged: 301; 5 killed, 52 wounded, 62 missing

Monument: Oak Ridge, Doubleday Avenue.  Markers located on Hancock Avenue and at Ziegler’s Grove.

83rd New York Infantry

Today’s monument study takes us to the First Day’s battlefield and Oak Ridge.

The 83rd New York Infantry was nicknamed the “9th Milita” and the “City Guards.” Recruited from New York City, the regiment numbered just over 200 at Gettysburg. Their commander was Lieutenant Colonel Joseph A. Moesch (1829-1864), a native of Switzerland who was later killed at the battle of the Wilderness on May 6, 1864.

Although the 83rd New York was a small regiment, they have a very large monument at Gettysburg.

The shaft stands 51 feet tall and consists of alternating red and white granite blocks. The base of the shaft features a bronze medallion with the regimental badge and the motto “Ratione Aut Vi” — By reason or by force. At the top of the shaft, a 700 pound bronze eagle with a wing span of nearly six feet balances on top a large cannonball.

This monument cost $6,000.00 and was dedicated at a very large cermony on July 1, 1888. It was the third New York monument erected at Gettysburg and the first to a regiment recruited from New York City.

83rd New York Infantry “City Guards” “9th Milita”

Members of the 1st Corps, 2nd Division, 2nd Brigade

Commanded by Lt. Col. Joseph A. Moesch (1829-1864)

Numbered: 215; 6 killed, 18 wounded, 58 missing

Monument: Doubleday Avenue, Oak Ridge

107th Pennsylvania Infantry

We head to the First Day’s battlefield for today’s monument: the 107th Pennsylvania Infantry.

  Raised from the counties of Cumberland, Daulphin, Franklin, Lebanon, and York and organized in the state capital at Harrisburg, this regiment was mustered in during March 1862.  Numbering just over 250 at Gettysburg, it was commanded by Colonel James M. Thomson (1834-1893), a native of Adams County.  Thomson was wounded on July 1, and command fell to Capt. Emanuel D. Roath (1820-1907), a former member of the state legislature.

In addition to this monument which is located along Doubleday Avenue (Oak Ridge), there is also a marker along Hancock Avenue marking the unit’s position later in the battle.

107th Pennsylvania Infantry

Members of the 1st Corps, 2nd Division, 1st Brigade

Commanded by Col. James M. Thomson (1834-1893).

Engaged: 255; 11 killed, 56 wounded, 98 missing

Monument: Doubleday Avenue (Oak Ridge); marker on Hancock Avenue

Focus: 90th Pennsylvania “The Tree”

Among the more unique monuments on the battlefield is the 90th Pennsylvania’s monument located along Doubleday Avenue and the Mummasburg Road near the “Robinson Tower” on Oak Ridge.

Carved to look like a tree stump, the monument represents a “stalwart oak tree.” It was dedicated on September 3, 1888. It features various soldier’s accoutrements including a knapsack, a musket, etc.

The most notable feature of the monument is the bird’s nest with baby birds nestled inside while the mother bird keeps close watch over her brood. It is alleged that during the battle a soldier saw a robin’s nest tumble to the ground and he climbed up to replace it with the babies still alive inside. The “tree” stands fourteen feet high. Interestingly, the flank markers that mark the right and left flank of the regiment are also minature tree stumps.

This is a detail shot of the mother bird and her nest of babies on the 90th Pennsylvania monument. The 90th Pennsylvania, recruited from the Philadelphia area, took 208 men into battle under the command of Colonel Peter Lyle at Gettysburg. 8 men were killed, 45 were wounded, and 40 were missing. T

he regiment also has a marker near Christ Luthern Church where its chaplin, Rev. Horatio Stockwell Howell was killed and another along Hancock Avenue marking its position later in the battle.

Major Alfred Sellers of the 90th Pennsylvania won the Medal of Honor at Gettysburg.

Members of the 1st Corps, 2nd Division, 2nd Brigade

Commanded by Col. Peter Lyle (1821-1879)

Engaged 208; 8 killed, 45 wounded, 40 missing

Monument: Doubleday Avenue and Hancock Avenue near the Cyclorama (Ziegler’s Grove)

Focus: the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry

One of the battlefield’s most popular regimental monuments, the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry’s memorial stands on Oak Ridge. This area has been cleared of trees relatively recently.

The “Bloody Eleventh” was recruited in Latrobe and mustered-in in April 1861. The regiment recieved its nickname at the July 21, 1861 battle of Falling Waters.

The 11th Pennsylvania was a “fighting” regiment — of the almost 1,900 men carried on its rolls throughout the course of the Civil War, 1,650 were lost. The regiment lost 12 officers and 224 men killed and mortally wounded during the War.

The 11th Pennsylvania’s monument is located along the National Park Service tour route, but visitors driving down the road will see only the back of the monument; it fronts to the west, towards where the 11th did its fighting. The real attraction of the monument is “Sallie.”

The regiment’s mascot, Sallie was a brindle-colored bull terrier. She joined the regiment in 1861 as a puppy and loyally served alongside her human comrades. At Gettysburg, Sallie was seperated from the 11th when the unit was forced to retreat underneath the relentless Confederate onslaught. She found her way back to the regiment’s position on Oak Ridge and remained there, guarding the regiment’s fallen. She was found days after the battle by members of a burial team. Weakened and dehydrated, she was returned to the regiment.

Sallie was wounded in battle on May 8, 1864. She was killed by a bullet at the battle of Hatcher’s Run on February 6, 1865. The men of the 11th buried her on the battlefield, despite a heavy enemy fire. And when it came time to honor their deeds at Gettysburg, they included a bronze likeness of their loyal friend.

Located on Doubleday Avenue, the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry monument also contains a six foot tall staute of an infantry soldier, a skirmisher preparing to fire his musket.

Members of the 1st Corps, 2nd Division, 2nd Brigade

Commander: Col. Richard Coulter (1827-1908)

Engaged 292, 5 killed, 52 wounded, 60 missing

Monument Doubleday Avenue (Oak Ridge)