September 30, 2013

Favorite Close-ups, Part Three

Human figures aren’t the only close-ups I noticed on Gettysburg monuments. While sitting along Sedgwick Avenue, I captured this neat headshot of a horse on the 1^ST Massachusetts Cavalry monument. This handsome hunk of stone has stood at this spot since 1885, likely a favorite for horse-lovers everywhere. Sedgwick Avenue can be reached by going straight after coming down off Little Round Top / Sykes Avenue instead of turning left on Wheatfield Road.

The second photo is the 96^TH Pennsylvania Infantry along Wheatfield Road near the “Valley of Death” and Devil’s Den. With the trees behind him providing a backdrop that wouldn’t have been so different in the 19^TH century, it almost seems as if a real-life soldier has been frozen in time and encased in granite. This is one of my favorite monuments and definitely packs a punch when seen up-close.

**HONORED TODAY**

2^ND LT. WILLIAM ALEXANDER BRAY

Co. B, 2^ND North Carolina Infantry

Born November 28, 1834 --- Died July 01, 1863 at age 28

Lt. Bray had already had a few brushes with the enemy before Gettysburg, and not all on the battlefield. In February of 1862 he was captured while stationed on Roanoke Island and was released thirteen days later. His wife Martha must have been relieved to learn of that fact, at home with daughter Susan (born 1857) and son Thomas (born 1860), but soon their sorrow would manifest in an even graver way: Lt. Bray was killed at Gettysburg four months before his 29^TH birthday. He was later buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh, North Carolina. A photo can be found here.


(c) 2013 Skies of Blue and Gray