Pennsylvania Memorial at Gettysburg

One of my favorite monuments on the Gettysburg Battlefield is the Pennsylvania Memorial. The size in and of itself is monumental. Its the largest monument on the battlefield. But what I like the most about this particular monument is the artwork on it. Now, I'm not an artist and I don't have an artist's eye, but there are some things on this monument that have really caught my eye.

Just below the dome and above the arches, on all four sides, are bas relief carvings of the four Corps that were here at Gettysburg. One the first side it the Infantry Corps, then the Cavalry Corps, then the Artillery Corps, and last but not least (and the one people seem to forget about the most) is the Signal Corps. Each scene shows an "average" scene of each Corps in battle. Take a good look at each one....they are pretty cool.

Then on either side of the arches are statues of folks from Pennsylvania who played a role in the battle. The only exception to this is that there is a statue of President Lincoln and as far as I know, he never lived in Pennsylvania. Governor Andrew Curtain (the governor of PA at the time of the battle) is also represented up there. He played a major role in the forming of the National Cemetery. There are also statues of different generals up there as well. Now, sitting here, I can't name them all, but let's see who I can remember: Gregg, Hancock, Meade, Birney....that's it....I'm drawing a blank. Oh well.

On one of the pillars, you can see a doorway. Go through that door and head up the steps. The stairs are circular and VERY narrow but once you get to the top, I promise, it will be worth the trouble. This brings you to an observation deck that is right below the dome. From up there you can see most of the battlefield. Thankfully, there are signs on the walls that show you exactly which direction to look for what landmark. I know that you can see Oak Hill, Culp's Hill, both Round Tops, and most importantly, the field that Pickett, Pettigrew, and Trimble's men crossed on July 3. This field is actually the easiest to see. The view from up there lets you make out some of the undulations of the ground the men crossed. Now, its easier to experience on the field, but from up there you can sort of see it.

On the bottom of the monument are bronze plaques. These are a listing of every single soldier who was on the roles from Pennsylvania at the time of the battle. Now, there are mistakes....it can't be perfect, but they have done the best job that they can to make sure that every name that belongs up there IS up there. Its neat to be able to walk around the base and see the names of the Pennsylvanians who fought here. There were SOOOO many of them. And each name represents an actual person....a person who had family, and a life, and hopes and dreams. There are markers behind each person that was mortally wounded or killed. Its so sad to see these names. So many people come to the monument to find the names of their ancestors. I often see people rubbing over the names of their family members who fought here. What an awesome thing to be able to do and see.

This monument is one of the few that is REALLY identifiable on the battlefield. When you see a picture of it, you know exactly what it is that you are looking at. I find it one of the more fascinating monuments on the field because I really like the art on it!