July 10, 2013

While going through a family “photo vault” I discovered a photo showing an angle I’ve rarely, if ever, seen. It’s the downward slope of Little Round Top seen from the “back”, taken from Sykes Avenue. I really like this picture because there are some stark landmarks and, of course, monuments to identify. The monument at far left just below the large rock honors Battery L of the 1ST Ohio Light Artillery. Note the cannonballs topping the memorial. At right, down over the slope and with a pointed top, is the 98TH Pennsylvania Infantry monument. The large statue monument at right belongs to the 121ST New York Infantry.

The more distant monuments are trickier and I can only identify one for certain. Just to the left of the large portrait statue is the standing figure of Gen. Samuel Wylie Crawford on Crawford Avenue. As for landmarks, the sloping hill at the center of the photo is known either as Day’s Hill or Houck’s Ridge. The wide open expanse of field at top right is the Bloody Wheatfield itself. The solitary tree beyond the Wheatfield, located near the right center of the photo, is located on George Rose’s land (owner of the Rose farm). Out of sight past this point is the Peach Orchard. The tree-line running along the entire center of the photo is probably Rose Woods.

**HONORED TODAY**

PVT. HUGH THOMAS PENDLETON

2^ND Co., Richmond Howitzers

Born 1843 --- Died July 03, 1863 at age 20

Pvt. Pendleton was just a typical young man from Virginia. He came from a family of five children, grew up in uncertain times, and probably had a sweetheart. But in July 1863, after his army travels took him to a small Pennsylvania town called Gettysburg, his death would immortalize his name forever. Find A Grave has some touching words concerning this soldier, saying that, “He was nobly discharging his duty at his gun when the messenger of death struck him, and when his brave comrades came to his assistance his last words were, ‘tell my mother I died doing my duty.’ His mother would live for eighteen more years. She couldn’t hold her son in her arms, but his words must have been a comfort. Pvt. Pendleton was buried at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, along with many other Gettysburg casualties.


(c) 2013 Skies of Blue and Gray