Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Bobby Housch is standing on East Cemetery Hill near the artillery pieces marking the position for Captain Michael Wiedrich’s Battery I, First New York Artillery. The equestrian monument is to Major General Oliver O. Howard. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 1:00 PM on Sunday, January 2, 2011.
Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Bobby Housch is a history teacher in a local public school district, and the editor of this website, the Gettysburg Daily. He grew up studying the “western theater” of the American Civil War. He also has more than a few relatives in the American Civil War, most of them from Georgia and Alabama.
In the first East Cemetery Hill post, Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Bobby Housch introduced himself, showed Cemetery Hill in relation to other pieces of “high ground,” and showed roads and other landmarks on East Cemetery Hill.
In today’s East Cemetery Hill post, Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Bobby Housch discusses the positions of some of the first artillery and infantry units on East Cemetery Hill, and the location of the Cemetery Hill signal stations.
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This map shows the location of the videos for the East Cemetery Hill posts. Video #1 was taken on East Cemetery Hill, north of the Evergreen Cemetery Gatehouse. Video #2 was taken in Evergreen Cemetery on the south slope of Cemetery Hill. Video #3 was taken on East Cemetery Hill covering an area beginning at Rickett’s Battery to the stone wall where the tulip poplar tree was located during the battle. Video #4 was taken near the position of Wiedrich’s Battery. Video #5A was taken near Howard’s Headquarters Marker. Video#5B was taken near the Lincoln Speech Memorial in the National Cemetery. Video #6 was taken near the location of the Hancock Equestrian Statue. This map was created facing north at approximately 8:00 PM on Friday, January 7, 2011.
In Video #4 Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Bobby Housch is standing by artillery pieces marking the position of Wiedrich’s Battery I, 1st New York Artillery. He explains the positions of Steinwehr’s Division when they first arrived on Cemetery Hill, some actions by Wiedrich’s guns, and an event with Elizabeth Thorn. This view was taken facing northwest to west to northwest to southwest to northwest at approximately 1:00 PM on Sunday, January 2, 2011.
Licensed Battlefield Guide Bobby Housch is standing on East Cemetery Hill and is pointing to the headquarters marker for Oliver Otis Howard. On East Cemetery Hill was the first location of the Cemetery Hill signal station on July 1, 1863. This view was taken facing south at approximately 1:00 PM on Sunday, January 2, 2011.
In Video #5A Licensed Battlefield Guide Bobby Housch is standing on East Cemetery Hill near the area of the Howard Equestrian Statue. He explains that while Howard was attempting to communicate with couriers, he also would have used the signal corps. The first Cemetery Hill signal station was located on East Cemetery Hill. In Video #5B Bobby shows the final location of the Cemetery Hill signal station and how it was a good location to communicate with other signal stations at McKnight’s Hill (Stevens Knoll), Powers Hill, Meade’s Headquarters, and Little Round Top. This video was taken starting facing to the northeast, and then faced a bunch of different locations at approximately 1:00 PM on Sunday, January 2, 2011.
Licensed Battlefield Guide Bobby Housch is standing on East Cemetery Hill. He is pointing to the current cupola at the Lutheran Theological Seminary (Schmucker Hall) where Lieutenant Aaron B. Jerome of the Cavalry had established a signal station. Some sources state a Union signal station was also at Pennsylvania Hall on what is now the campus of Gettysburg College. Lieutenant Jerome moved back to the Adams County Courthouse before the Union army retreated to Cemetery Hill. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 1:00 PM on Sunday, January 2, 2011.
This is the best known location for the Cemetery Signal Station during the Battle of Gettysburg. It was placed near the Lincoln Speech Memorial now stands, and where the artillery piece marks the location of Hall’s 2nd Maine Artillery. This view was taken facing east at approximately 4:45 PM on Friday, May 16, 2008.
Bobby Housch is on East Cemetery Hill with the Baltimore Pike and the Evergreen Cemetery Gatehouse in the background. The New York State Monument, in the Soldiers National Cemetery is in the right background. The artillery pieces on the right mark the position of Lieutenant James Stewart’s Battery B, 4th U.S. Artillery. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 1:00 PM on Sunday, January 2, 2011.
In Video #6 Bobby Housch is back on East Cemetery Hill. He describes the arrival of a couple of artillery units on Cemetery Hill, and how Greenleaf Stevens’ Battery E, 5th Maine Artillery was placed on McKnight’s Hill (Stevens Knoll). In the video, Bobby talked about Winfield Scott Hancock placing Stevens battery on McKnight’s Hill. Other sources give Colonel Charles Wainwright, the First Corps artillery commander credit for placing Stevens in that position. Bobby also talked about the dirt on the left (west) side of the Baltimore Pike. Of course that’s not dirt, it’s a pile of rocks. This video starts by facing to the northwest, and faces in almost every other direction at approximately 1:00 PM on Sunday, January 2, 2011.
This photograph taken on top of the Evergreen Cemetery Gatehouse shows the town of Gettysburg in the background, and the tents of a military encampment where busses from the Gettysburg Tour Center are now parked. The Baltimore Pike in the foreground shows a stone wall on the other (east) side of the pike, and the remains of a post and rail fence on the left (west) side of the pike. Also on the left side of the road is a pile of stones that Union soldiers constructed, and that cover part of the Baltimore Pike. It is possible that one gun of Stewart’s Battery B, 4th U.S. artillery was placed behind that stone wall on the left (west) side of the Baltimore Pike. This view by James Gibson was taken facing north in July, 1863 and is courtesy of the Library of Congress.
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