William Howard Taft (1857-1930) was the twenty-seventh President of the United States and the and the tenth Chief Justice of the United States’ Supreme Court. He visted Gettysburg a couple of times, including Memorial Day in 1909. The purpose of his visit on May 30, 1909 was to dedicate the monument to the United States Regulars. This view, courtesy of the Library of Congress was taken circa 1915.
Arlington National Cemetery, overlooking Washington, D.C., has many connections to Gettysburg and to the Gettysburg Campaign. There are many more connections than to only Robert E. Lee’s residence, and John F. Kennedy’s grave. Almost every row in the older sections have someone buried there who had a link to Gettysburg.
Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr shows us the individuals connected to Gettysburg who are buried at Arlington.
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To see the previous posts on Gettysburg at Arlington, click here.
In today’s Arlington post, Rich Kohr shows the graves of William Howard Taft, Omar Bradley, Robert Todd Lincoln, and Thomas Ottenstein.
This map shows us the locations taken of videos for our Gettysburg at Arlington series. Videos #1-#53 were shown in our previous Arlington posts. Video #54 was taken near the graves of William Howard Taft and Omar Bradley. Video #55 was taken near the gravesite of Robert Todd Lincoln. Video #56 was taken in the columbarium where Thomas Ottenstein’s ashes are located. This map was created facing north at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 5, 2010.
Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr is standing near the monument and grave of President William Howard Taft. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 3:15 PM on Sunday, August 8, 2010.
In Video #54 (Videos #1 – #53 were shown in our previous Arlington posts) Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr shows the final resting places of President William Howard Taft and General Omar Bradley. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 3:15 PM on Sunday, August 8, 2010.
Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr is standing by the grave of General Omar Bradley. The bottom of the monument to William Howard Taft is visible in the background. This view was taken facing west at approximately 3:15 PM on Sunday, August 8, 2010.
This is West Point’s Class of 1915, also known as “The Class the Stars Fell On.” They are sitting on the steps of Gettysburg’s Christ Lutheran Church. Of the 164 graduates, 59 earned at least one star (attained the rank of General), the most of any class in the history of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Two reached the second highest rank, five-star General of the Army (General of the Armies being the highest). The two five-star Generals were Dwight Eisenhower and Omar Bradley. We have circled Eisenhower on the left and Bradley on the right. This view, courtesy of the Christ Lutheran Church, was taken facing south around noon on May 3, 1915.
Robert Todd Lincoln (1843-1926) was the only child of Abraham Lincoln to live past his teenage years. He served as Secretary of War under James Garfield and Chester Arthur. This image, painted by Daniel Huntington, was created while Lincoln was Secretary of War (1881-1885), and is courtesy of the United States Army Military Institute.
Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr is standing by the grave of Robert Todd Lincoln, who was at the Peterson House when his father died, and was present at the assasinations of Presidents Garfield and McKinley. This view was taken facing north at approximately 3:15 PM on Sunday, August 8, 2010.
In Video #55 Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr shows the grave of Abraham Lincoln’s oldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln. This view was taken facing west to north at approximately 3:15 PM on Sunday, August 8, 2010.
Rich Kohr is standing in the Columbarium, a large area where urns holding ashes of cremated individuals are stored. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 3:15 PM on Sunday, August 8, 2010.
Rich Kohr is pointing to the space holding the remains of Thomas Ottenstein, a Maryland real estate developer who created the Gettysburg National Tower. This view was taken facing east at approximately 3:15 PM on Sunday, August 8, 2010.
In Video #56 Rich Kohr shows the final resting place of Thomas Ottenstein, who besides owning the 307 feet tall National Tower, was also involved in book, newspaper, and magazine distribution. This view was taken facing southeast to east at approximately 3:15 PM on Sunday, August 8, 2010.
Thomas Ottenstein’s “Classroom in the Sky”/Gettysburg National Tower existed from 1974 to 2000. This view was taken facing east at approximately 3:15 PM on Sunday, August 8, 2010.
To see other posts by Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guides, click here.