March 11, 2013

The longer I study Gettysburg and all its nooks and crannies, the more I find myself inexplicably drawn to certain regiments for no particular reason other than that they strike a chord with me. One of these is the 114^th Pennsylvania, “Collis’ Zouaves.” (The ‘honored today’ section in my January 2^nd post explains how wounded members of this unit met a horrific fate when the barn in which they were resting burned down during the battle). As I studied where exactly the 114^th had been on the field, I was surprised to note that I had taken a photo showing their route without being aware of it at the time. This happens often . . . I find myself wanting to take a particular shot without it having much meaning, then later I learn that a unit in which I’m interested actually fought at that spot.

The above image shows many battlefield features. The part of the photo that involves the 114^th Pennsylvania ranges from the area of the George Weikert farm where the regiment camped out on the night of July 1^st (at right; it’s not visible here); the Abraham Trostle farm visible in the top center; and the fields now known as “Excelsior Field,” which the 114^th had to cross before passing through the Peach Orchard to the Joseph Sherfy farm. The Peach Orchard is directly to the left and out of the photo. However, this image is significant for more than the 114^th Pennsylvania. Various other events took place here during the battle of Gettysburg, including the 9^th Massachusetts Battery’s stand at the Trostle Farm and the Excelsior Brigade’s tussle in the field shown here in the center.

**HONORED TODAY**

2^nd LT. ROBERT WHITFIELD MORGAN

Co. K, 16^th North Carolina Infantry

Born 1835 --- Died July 1863 at age 28

Lt. Morgan seems to have gone by the name “Whitfield Morgan.” He held various jobs before the war, including Court Clerk and teacher. His star rose quickly --- he became a lieutenant in just a little over a year --- and he participated in quite a few battles including Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. Lt. Morgan’s last stand came at Gettysburg on the 3^rd day of battle, when he fell during the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble Charge.


(c) 2013 Skies of Blue and Gray