June 04, 2014

If you’ve been to Gettysburg during peak season, you probably know how hard it is to stop and get photos of the Irish Brigade monument without sharing the space with a gaggle of other people. There’s just something about the monument, or its lovable Irish wolfhound, that seems to attract visitors. When I finally got the chance to stop, I made sure to really take in the area, not just the monument.

The first photo is one of my favorite monument shots, taken during my last trip this May. The second shows the Irish Brigade’s position (at least the New York regiments; the 28^TH Massachusetts and the 116^TH Pennsylvania, also part of the brigade, were positioned elsewhere), and there’s something eerie about those woods. Of course, there’s something eerie about most of Gettysburg’s woods . . .

**HONORED TODAY**

PVT. JOHN BRUNDAGE

Co. C, 137^TH New York Infantry

Born about 1838 --- Died July 23, 1863 

Pvt. Brundage, who enlisted in late August 1862, is surrounded by mystery. One source states that he had the sad distinction of being the first soldier to die of his wounds in the very new Camp Letterman general hospital, while his roster says he died at the Twelfth Corps field hospital. He was 23 at enlistment and was wounded on the third of July. It is rumored that he was buried at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond by mistake.


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