June 19, 2013

There are places on the battlefield that seem even more somber than others, at least in my opinion. I'm inclined to think that one of these places is the area just behind the Wheatfield and near the George Rose farm, the “back” network of roads along the Loop such as DeTrobriand Avenue, Brooke Avenue, etc. These roads aren’t part of the main tour and must be reached by turning left in the Rose Woods before reaching the Wheatfield. Along these paths one can find the scene above, complete with an old wooden face and a compelling plaque titled “Images of Death.” This area is quiet. Dark. Lightly-traveled. And on a rainy day, as it was when these photos were taken, the ambiance is even more chilling. At one point you can see the old fieldstone George Rose farm.

This area was overrun by South Carolinians on the afternoon of July 2^ND, 1863. The men belonged to Kershaw’s Brigade (second photo) and consisted of the 2^ND, 3^RD, 7^TH, and 15^TH South Carolina and the 3^RD Battalion under Gen. Joseph Kershaw. I remember feeling particularly sorrowful in this area, perhaps partially because of the grief-inducing maker that evokes “images of death” in a quite powerful way. If you’ve seen the photographs of dead Confederate soldiers on the nearby Rose farm, many of them likely came from Kershaw’s Brigade. In my quest to create a list of the Gettysburg Dead I found many South Carolinians and Georgians buried at the farm in an orchard, under a particular tree, by the springhouse, alongside a gravel path, etc. Thus was the fate of these brave men.

**HONORED TODAY**

PVT. HARRISON AMBROSE

Co. H, 20^TH Indiana Infantry

Born June 15, 1839 --- Died September 08, 1863 at age 24

Pvt. Ambrose survived his Gettysburg wound for over two months, yet in September it became evident that he could fight no longer. Eventually he succumbed to an infection that had raged in his amputated leg, dying at Camp Letterman. He was later buried at Gettysburg National Cemetery.


(c) 2013 Skies of Blue and Gray