May 08, 2013

**I'll be away on Friday, so my next post will be Monday, May 13**

 

The farms of Gettysburg come in a variety of shapes and sizes. I’ve always been very interested in the tiny Philip Snyder farmhouse along West Confederate Avenue at Warfield Ridge, mostly because you could never tell if it was lived in or not. There was never anyone there, yet the house didn’t appear to have any curtains on the bottom windows. I later discovered it was unoccupied and was also an original structure that witnessed the battle.

The Snyder house dates from the early 1830s and was certainly noticed by Hood’sTexans before they began their immortal march to Triangular Field and Devil’s Den on the afternoon of July 2^nd, 1863. The Texans’ step-off point was to the right of this photo where Emmitsburg Road and West Confederate Avenue intersect. Though the lower portion of the house was redone about forty years ago, it has now been restored and looks much as it would have during the battle. One of the nicest features of this farm is the picturesque rock wall that borders the road. I’m not sure if this wall is original.

I’ve recently noticed that despite the battlefield seeming so large at times, most places are relatively close to one another, which is more evident during the bare-bones winter months. For instance, if you click and enlarge the second photo you’ll see a red barn with white trim in the distance. This is the Joseph Sherfy barn along Emmitsburg Road across from the Peach Orchard. Yet when standing at the Snyder house, you don’t realize you’re so close to that part of the field.

**HONORED TODAY**

PVT. JAMES MADISON COLEMAN

Co. H, 24^th Virginia Infantry

Born 1829 --- Died July 02, 1863 at age 34

Pvt. Coleman’s life ended on July 3^rd during the Pickett-Pettigrew-Charge, putting him in sad company with so many other Southern soldiers who fell at Gettysburg. His civilian life had been enriched by his wife Mary Ann and four children, thirteen-year-old Nannie, eleven-year-old Pricey, six-year-old Jonathan, and a three-year-old daughter. A fifth child is mentioned but cannot be correct, as she was born in 1865. Pvt. Coleman is buried at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. A picture of him can be found here.


(c) 2013 Skies of Blue and Gray