The fields of the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble Charge, or Longstreet’s Assault, from the Confederate position on Seminary Ridge. The United States’ position on Cemetery Ridge is in the distance. This view was taken from the east facing west at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 7, 2008.
We felt it was time to sit back, take a deep breath, and think about what what draws us to Gettysburg so often. And it’s certainly not the controversy at the new Visitor Center. It’s what approximately 160,000 individuals did here seven score and five years ago. Let’s go to one of the many spots where the National Park Service has done a great job in preserving the field.
Here are some photographs of the Pickett’s Charge fields from the area of the North Carolina State Monument. The colors haven’t changed much on the trees in this area. We just want to remind you what it is like to stand here, and look in every direction. Remember that you can “click” on any of our photographs to enlarge them.
See our post near the North Carolina State Monument on the foggy morning of May 4, 2008.
We’ve stitched together today’s photographs into a 360 degree panorama.
For a medium-sized version of the panorama click here. For the larger JPEG version, click here. If you’d like to see the uncompressed TIFF file, you can download it here (50.3 MB).
For a panoramic view of early autumn from Little Round Top, see our post for October 4, 2008.
We will begin at the North Carolina State Monument this afternoon, even though the best time to photograph it is when the morning sun hits it. This view was taken from the southeast facing northwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 7, 2008.
To the left of the photograph is the fence to the North Carolina Monument. Above the fence is a light-colored marker for the northwest corner of the lot purchased by North Carolina in 1927. This view was taken from the southeast facing northwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 7, 2008.
We’re looking towards the Borough and the Gettysburg Recreation Park. The light colored marker for the northeast corner of the lot purchased by North Carolina in 1927 is in the right background. This view was taken from the south facing north at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 7, 2008.
The northeast boundary marker of the North Carolina lot is towards the left of the photograph, and Colt Park and its houses and trees is visible in the center and right of the photograph. The tallest trees are on Cemetery Hill. This view was taken from the southwest facing northeast at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 7, 2008.
Colt Park and the trees on Cemetery Hill are in the left background. The white buildings at the Bryan Farm are visible near the center, where Ziegler’s Grove ends on Cemetery Ridge. The Copse of Trees/Clump of Trees is on the far right. The tree growing out of the outer angle at the stone wall is the first tree to the left of the Copse of Trees. This view was taken from the west facing east at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 7, 2008.
The Copse of Trees is near the center of this photograph. Colt Park and Cemetery Hill are on the left. The light colored Pennsylvania Monument is in the right background. This view was taken from the west facing east at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 7, 2008.
The light colored Pennsylvania Monument is in the center background. Little Round Top is in the right background. The light colored marker for the southeast corner of the lot purchased by North Carolina in 1927 is in the right foreground, directly below Little Round Top. This view was taken from the northwest facing southeast at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 7, 2008.
The southeast boundary marker of the lot purchased by North Carolina is towards the left of the photograph, directly below Little Round Top. Big Round Top is in the center background. The Emmitsburg Road ridge, near the Klingle Farm, is the cleared area to the right of Big Round Top. The tree line extending into the field from the right separates the open ground around the North Carolina Monument from the open ground around the Virginia Monument. This view was taken from the northwest facing southeast at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 7, 2008.
The treeline which separates the high, open area around the North Carolina Monument from the high, open area around the Virginia Monument is in the left and center background. The Tennessee State Monument is barely visible in the right background. To the right of the Tennessee State Monument stands a man in a light blue shirt. This view was taken from the northeast facing southwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 7, 2008.
The Tennessee State Monument is in the left background. The man with the light blue shirt is standing to the right of the Tennessee Monument. The fields around the Brown Farm are visible through the trees in the right background. This view was taken from the northeast facing southwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 7, 2008.
The light colored marker for the southwest corner of the North Carolina lot is in the center. The gravel area around the North Carolina Monument is on the right. This view was taken from the northeast facing southwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 7, 2008.
The light colored marker for the southwest corner of the North Carolina lot is on the left. The Brown Farm fields are visible through the trees in the background. The gravel pathway leading to the North Carolina Monument is on the right. The cannon which Licensed Battlefield Guides frequently use to explain about artillery to visitors is at the end of the gravel path. This view was taken from the east facing west at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 7, 2008.
The cannon which Licensed Battlefield Guides frequently use to explain about artillery to visitors is in the left background. Now a white car has shown up to the right of the cannon. This view was taken from the southeast facing northwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Tuesday, October 7, 2008.