High
on the summit of Culp’s Hill there stands a man whose bronze visage glints in
the sun, whose finger points eternally toward the enemy. No, he’s not a figment
of an overactive imagination . . . he’s Gen. George Sears Greene in statue
form. There are a few features in this photo that might get overlooked, but if
you analyze the background carefully, you’ll find some interesting things.
First,
being a cannon lover, I couldn’t help but notice the Napoleon peeking out just
to the right of the monument. This piece represents Battery K of the 5TH U.S. Artillery. The plaque (read from the “Gettysburg Stone Sentinels” website)
says that on the second of July the battery “assisted in silencing Confederate
Batteries on Benner’s Hill.” It was also responsible for giving the Southerners
quite a wake-up call early the next morning.
To the right of Battery K stands a granite monument. It honors the 7TH Indiana Infantry, which fought on the third day of battle. “Stone Sentinels” mentions that this unit formed up alongside the surviving men of the Iron Brigade who had somehow escaped the firestorm of July 1ST. The large structure in the background is one of the Gettysburg National Military Park’s three observation towers, constructed just thirty years after the war and rising over fifty feet above what was once a chaotic battleground.
To the right of Battery K stands a granite monument. It honors the 7TH Indiana Infantry, which fought on the third day of battle. “Stone Sentinels” mentions that this unit formed up alongside the surviving men of the Iron Brigade who had somehow escaped the firestorm of July 1ST. The large structure in the background is one of the Gettysburg National Military Park’s three observation towers, constructed just thirty years after the war and rising over fifty feet above what was once a chaotic battleground.
**HONORED TODAY**
PVT. LIVINGSTON G. COBB
Co. H, 45TH North
Carolina Infantry
Born 1827 --- Died August 16,
1863 at age 37
(c) 2013 Skies of Blue and Gray
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