March 17, 2014

A shout-out to the Irish Brigade today – Happy St. Patrick’s Day, boys in blue!

On my most recent trip to Gettysburg, I realized I had no photos of the McPherson barn except for the typical view from Reynolds Avenue, so I set out to capture some different angles. I stopped along Stone-Meredith Avenue to snap a photo that shows how little Gettysburg has changed since 1863. Except for one modern building to the left of the barn, everything appears to be authentic to the period. The side of the Leister house / Gen. Lee’s headquarters can be seen at left. The Lutheran Seminary cupola, which resembles the original, towers above the trees at right.

The second view is broader, showing the barn at right. Though little is visible besides fencing and trees, there are two monuments, or rather one monument and a flank marker. I haven’t been able to identify the flank marker, but the monument at far left is the 149^TH Pennsylvania Infantry, known as the “Bucktails.”

**HONORED TODAY**

PVT. WILLIAM D. HUDSON

Co. H, 32^ND Massachusetts Infantry

Born January 26, 1838 --- Died July 03, 1863 at age 25

Pvt. Hudson gave up a life of farming to join the Union army in July 1862, but he survived less than a year. He was wounded on the second of July while repulsing Confederates at Stony Hill (the 32^ND’s monument is shown in last Friday’s post) and died on the third. Pvt. Hudson was buried at Gettysburg National Cemetery and has a memorial stone at the Old Burying Ground in Framingham, Massachusetts.


(c) 2013-2014 Skies of Blue and Gray