Camp Letterman Part 6: A Tour With Licensed Battlefield Guide Phil Lechak

In today’s Camp Letterman segment Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Phil Lechak shows us the hospital area near the York Road. The marker lists the United States Army’s General Hospitals following the Battle of Gettysburg. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, January 25, 2009.

Today’s Camp Letterman segment concludes our tour of the site with Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Phil Lechak. Today’s post covers the kitchen site, and shows this area from the York Road. Phil also has provided us photographs with the removal of trees from this site last week.

This is the sixth installment of Licensed Battlefield Guide Phil Lechak’s tour of Camp Letterman. In our previous posts, we covered the general history of the site, the Operating Tent Area, the view from what Phil calls “Hospital Hill,” and the embalming tent. In our fourth post we viewed the location of the Camp Letterman Graveyard. In the fifth presentation, Phil showed us the Camp Letterman locations for the United States Sanitary Commission, and the United States Christian Commission.

To contact Phil Lechak, click here to reveal his email address.

See the following related posts:

Camp Letterman Part 1 with Licensed Battlefield Guide Phil Lechak on November 15, 2008.
Camp Letterman Part 2 with Licensed Battlefield Guide Phil Lechak on November 17, 2008.
Camp Letterman Part 3 with Licensed Battlefield Guide Phil Lechak on February 4, 2009.
Camp Letterman Part 4 with Licensed Battlefield Guide Phil Lechak on February 9, 2009.
Camp Letterman Part 5 with Licensed Battlefield Guide Phil Lechak on February 11, 2009.
National Park Service seasonal ranger program on Civil War Medicine on August 5, 2008.
National Park Service seasonal ranger program on nurse Salome “Sallie” Myers on August 1, 2008.
National Park Service seasonal ranger program on nurse Cornelia Hancock on July 24, 2008.

This is a view of the site with locations where we took the videos numbered inside a white star. The mobile homes are no longer in this location. Videos 1-21 may be seen in our previous posts on Camp Letterman. This map was created on January 31, 2009. Videos #1, #10, and #25 were taken in the same location. Videos 16-18 were taken at the same location. Videos 19-21 were taken at the same location. Videos 22-24 were taken at the same location.

Here is a map of the Camp Letterman area in 1863. In the first three videos we are standing in the area near the red X by what, in 2005, used to be an Amoco Station. It is near what used to be the 1863 entrance lane to Camp Letterman. This map was created on February 22, 2005 by the United States Department of the Interior, and the National Park Service.

Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Phil Lechak is pointing out the location of the first three videos taken for today’s post. This view was taken looking southwest at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, January 25, 2009.

Here is a closer view of the map showing the area where we were standing. This view was taken looking southwest at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, January 25, 2009.

In Video #22 Phil shows us the kitchen area, and the areas where the springs were located. This view was taken facing southwest to south to southeast and back to southwest at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, January 25, 2009.

Here is the photograph of the kitchen that Phil showed us in Video #22. Because most of the leaves are off the trees, this photograph was probably taken in October or November, 1863.

Hospital marker on the south side of the York Road (US Highway 30). It is located near the 1863 entrance lane to Camp Letterman. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, January 25, 2009.

A closer view of the hospital marker. It not only documents the Camp Letterman site, it documents the location of the Army of the Potomac Corps hospital sites. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, January 25, 2009.

In video #23, Phil gives an overall view of Camp Letterman beginning by facing north behind the hospital marker to the area of the recovery tents. This view was taken facing northwest to southwest at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, January 25, 2009.

In Video #24, Phil Lechak reads three quotes from those who were here at the time of the battle, or soon after the battle, and who wondered why the United States government did not preserve Camp Letterman as it did other sites around Gettysburg. Although we believed Phil was concluding the video with these quotes, we do have one more video stop… This view was taken looking northwest clockwise back to the northwest at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, January 25, 2009.

We have now moved back to the area near the waysides where we began our tour of Camp Letterman in November. The kitchen area would be in the woods behind Phil. This view was taken looking northeast at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, January 25, 2009.

In Video #25, Phil concludes our visit to Camp Letterman. One of the most impressive statistics which he points out is that there was a 6% mortality rate for those brought to Camp Letterman. Only 6% of some of the worst wounded soldiers during the battle.

The following photos, taken by Phil Lechak, are an update on the deforestation (tree cutting) that is occurring in the Camp Letterman area. Please look at the map with the white stars that show where we took videos. This picture was taken from the location of video #5. This view was taken looking northeast on Saturday, February 7, 2009.

Another picture taken from the location of video #5. The treeline in the background is the area where the United States Sanitary Commission tents were located. This view was taken looking northeast on Saturday, February 7, 2009.

Another picture taken from the location of video #5. In the area where the trees are now cut down in the open area in the right background, the tents for the United States Christian Commission were located. This view was taken facing northeast on Saturday, February 7, 2009.

This picture taken from the location of video #13, but Phil walked straight to the fence to take the photograph. Here are the buildings we saw in the last photograph. This view was taken facing north on Saturday, February 7, 2009.

This picture taken from the location of video #14, but Phil walked straight to the fence to take the photograph. The open ground on this (west) side of the treeline is where the Camp Support Staff and Surgeons’ Quarters were located. You can see that area on the map showing the 1863 Camp Letterman sites in this post. This view was taken facing northeast on Saturday, February 7, 2009.

This picture taken from the location of video #15, but Phil walked straight to the fence to take the photograph. Where the two treelines come together is the area where the United States Sanitary Commission tents were located. You can see that area on the map showing the 1863 Camp Letterman sites in this post. This view was taken facing northeast on Saturday, February 7, 2009.

This picture taken from the location of video #15, but Phil walked straight to the fence to take the photograph. A lot of trees are now missing from this location. This view was taken facing north on Saturday, February 7, 2009.

This picture taken from the location of video #15, but Phil walked straight to the fence to take the photograph. Again, these buildings are in the area where the United States Christian Commission tents were located. The Hilton Garden Inn is in the background. This view was taken facing northwest on Saturday, February 7, 2009.

Phil moved back down to the York Road near the Hospital Marker, a little bit of which is seen in the right corner. This is near the location of videos 22-24. The treeline, especially in the right background, has been significantly reduced. This view was taken facing southeast on Saturday, February 7, 2009.

Phil moved back down to the York Road near the Hospital Marker, a little bit of which is seen in the left corner. This is near the location of videos 22-24. The treeline at the top of the hill in the right background, has been significantly reduced. This view was taken facing southeast on Saturday, February 7, 2009.

Camp Letterman Part 5 with Licensed Battlefield Guide Phil Lechak on February 11, 2009.

See our previous posts on Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guides:

Gettysburg Guide Room: The Final Days on March 8, 2008.
Lights Out at the Electric Map on April 13, 2008.
New Guide Room at the New Visitor Center on April 19, 2008.
New Association of Licensed Battlefield Guide Office and Library Opens on August 25, 2008.
Evergreen Cemetery Headstone Damage with LBG Deb Novotny on October 20, 2008.
Camp Letterman Part 1 with LBG Phil Lechak on November 15, 2008.
Camp Letterman Part 2 with LBG Phil Lechak on November 17, 2008.
Camp Letterman Part 3 with Licensed Battlefield Guide Phil Lechak on February 4, 2009.
Camp Letterman Part 4 with Licensed Battlefield Guide Phil Lechak on February 9, 2009.
Camp Letterman Part 5 with Licensed Battlefield Guide Phil Lechak on February 11, 2009.
Gettysburg Artillery Part 1 with LBG George Newton on November 21, 2008.
“Mammy’s Little Baby Loves Guided Tours” with LBG Charlie Fennell on November 23, 2008.
Bucktails on McPherson’s Ridge Part 1 with LBG Rich Kohr on November 26, 2008.
Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Exam 2008 on December 6, 2008.
Gettysburg Hawk Hunting with Licensed Battlefield Guide Dave Weaver on December 14, 2008.
Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Bellamy: Colonel Edward Ephraim Cross Part 1 on January 3, 2009.
Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Bellamy: Colonel Edward Ephraim Cross Part 2 on January 5, 2009.
Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr: William Wible’s Gettysburg Quarry on January 21, 2009.
Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr: The Gettysburg Electric Trolley Part 1 on January 23, 2009.
Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr: The Gettysburg Electric Trolley Part 2 on January 26, 2009.
Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr: The Gettysburg Electric Trolley Part 3 on January 29, 2009.
Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr: The Gettysburg Electric Trolley Part 4 on February 2, 2009.
Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr: The Gettysburg Electric Trolley Part 5 on February 6, 2009.
ACHS Battle of Gettysburg Civil War Research Room with LBG Tim Smith on February 10, 2009.
Lutheran Theological Seminary Cupola Part 1: With LBG Tim Smith on February 12, 2009.