BGuthrie Photos: PA -- Gettysburg Natl Battlefield -- Day 1 -- Lee HQ

PA -- Gettysburg Natl Battlefield -- Day 1 -- Lee HQ:

Bruce Guthrie Photos Home Page: [Click here] to go to Bruce Guthrie Photos home page.

Recognize anyone? If you recognize specific folks (or other stuff) and I haven't labeled them, please identify them for the world. Click the little pencil icon

underneath the file name (just above the picture). Spammers need not apply.

Slide Show: Want to see the pictures as a slide show? [Slideshow]

Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

Help? The Medium (Email) links are for screen viewing and emailing. You'll want bigger sizes for printing. [Click here for additional help]

[1] GETLEE_160321_001_STITCH.JPG

Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

[2] GETLEE_160321_006_STITCH.JPG

Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

[3] GETLEE_160321_007_STITCH.JPG

Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

[4] GETLEE_160321_009.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[5] GETLEE_160321_013.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[6] GETLEE_160321_023.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[7] GETLEE_160321_025.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[8] GETLEE_160321_028.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[9] GETLEE_160321_033.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[10] GETLEE_160321_037.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[11] GETLEE_160321_041.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[12] GETLEE_160321_050.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[13] GETLEE_160321_053.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[14] GETLEE_160321_063.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[15] GETLEE_160321_066.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[16] GETLEE_160321_076.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[17] GETLEE_160321_080.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[18] GETLEE_160321_094.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[19] GETLEE_160321_101.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[20] GETLEE_160321_104.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[21] GETLEE_160321_111.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

[22] GETLEE_160402_001_STITCH.JPG

Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

[23] GETLEE_160402_003_STITCH.JPG

Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

[24] GETLEE_160402_006_STITCH.JPG

Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

[25] GETLEE_160402_009_STITCH.JPG

Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

[26] GETLEE_160402_011_STITCH.JPG

Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

[27] GETLEE_160402_014_STITCH.JPG

Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

[28] GETLEE_160402_018.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[29] GETLEE_160402_020.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[30] GETLEE_160402_025.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[31] GETLEE_160402_027.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[32] GETLEE_160402_030.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[33] GETLEE_160402_034.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[34] GETLEE_160402_042.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[35] GETLEE_160402_045.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[36] GETLEE_160402_056.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[37] GETLEE_160402_060.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[38] GETLEE_160402_062.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[39] GETLEE_160402_068.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[40] GETLEE_160402_070.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[41] GETLEE_160402_075.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[42] GETLEE_160402_090.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[43] GETLEE_160402_096.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[44] GETLEE_160402_097.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[45] GETLEE_160402_101.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[46] GETLEE_160402_106.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[47] GETLEE_160402_111.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[48] GETLEE_160402_113.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[49] GETLEE_160402_114.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[50] GETLEE_160402_118.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[51] GETLEE_160402_121.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[52] GETLEE_160402_134.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[53] GETLEE_160402_142.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[54] GETLEE_160402_146.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[55] GETLEE_160402_151.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[56] GETLEE_160402_156.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[57] GETLEE_160402_159.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[58] GETLEE_160402_165.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[59] GETLEE_160402_167.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[60] GETLEE_160402_176.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[61] GETLEE_160402_180.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[62] GETLEE_160402_185.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[63] GETLEE_160402_190.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[64] GETLEE_160402_194.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[65] GETLEE_160402_201.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[66] GETLEE_160402_209.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[67] GETLEE_160402_213.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[68] GETLEE_160402_219.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[69] GETLEE_160402_224.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[70] GETLEE_160402_227.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[71] GETLEE_160402_232.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[72] GETLEE_160402_235.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

[73] GETLEE_160601_01_STITCH.JPG

Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

[74] GETLEE_160601_04_STITCH.JPG

Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

[75] GETLEE_160601_12.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[76] GETLEE_160601_18.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[77] GETLEE_160601_26.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[78] GETLEE_160601_29.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[79] GETLEE_160601_33.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[80] GETLEE_160601_37.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[81] GETLEE_160601_43.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[82] GETLEE_160601_49.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[83] GETLEE_161028_012.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[84] GETLEE_161028_015.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[85] GETLEE_161028_019.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[86] GETLEE_161028_026.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[87] GETLEE_161028_028.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[88] GETLEE_161028_029.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[89] GETLEE_161028_032.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[90] GETLEE_161028_033.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[91] GETLEE_161028_035.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[92] GETLEE_161028_037.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[93] GETLEE_161028_039.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[94] GETLEE_161028_048.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[95] GETLEE_161028_050.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[96] GETLEE_161028_052.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[97] GETLEE_161028_054.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[98] GETLEE_161028_056.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[99] GETLEE_161028_058.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[100] GETLEE_161028_066.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[101] GETLEE_161028_067.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[102] GETLEE_161028_075.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[103] GETLEE_161028_086.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[104] GETLEE_161028_093.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[105] GETLEE_161028_097.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[106] GETLEE_161028_102.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[107] GETLEE_161028_108.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[108] GETLEE_161028_113.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[109] GETLEE_161028_116.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[110] GETLEE_161028_124.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[111] GETLEE_161028_125.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[112] GETLEE_161028_127.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[113] GETLEE_161028_131.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[114] GETLEE_161028_136.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[115] GETLEE_161028_139.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[116] GETLEE_161028_142.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[117] GETLEE_161028_145.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[118] GETLEE_161028_149.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[119] GETLEE_161028_153.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[120] GETLEE_161028_155.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[121] GETLEE_161028_158.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[122] GETLEE_161028_164.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[123] GETLEE_161028_167.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[124] GETLEE_161028_176.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[125] GETLEE_161028_179.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[126] GETLEE_161028_181.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[127] GETLEE_161028_187.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[128] GETLEE_161028_204.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[129] GETLEE_161028_213.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[130] GETLEE_161028_216.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[131] GETLEE_161028_220.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[132] GETLEE_161028_222.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[133] GETLEE_161028_225.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[134] GETLEE_161028_227.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[135] GETLEE_161028_229.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[136] GETLEE_161028_232.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[137] GETLEE_161028_234.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[138] GETLEE_161028_236.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[139] GETLEE_161028_238.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[140] GETLEE_161028_241.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[141] GETLEE_161028_245.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[142] GETLEE_161028_250.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[143] GETLEE_161028_257.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[144] GETLEE_161028_259.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[145] GETLEE_161028_263.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[146] GETLEE_161028_265.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)
[147] GETLEE_161028_267.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[148] GETLEE_161028_278.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)	[149] GETLEE_161028_285.JPG Medium (Email) (Bigger?)

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. GETLEE_160321_013.JPG: General Lee's Headquarters Site Restoration in Progress
2. GETLEE_160321_023.JPG: General Lee's Headquarters You now stand where the last remnants of organized Union forces held off determined Confederates on July 1, 1863. The Federals were soon forced to retreat, however, and the Southerners took possession of Seminary Ridge and Gettysburg itself. Confederate General Robert E. Lee arrived in time to witness his victorious soldiers advancing toward the town. General Lee's staff selected this site at the widow Mary Thomson's house as army headquarters. This nerve center bustled with activity with couriers moving in and around the stone house and numerous headquarters tents spread out in the nearby fields. Key decisions that led to the Confederate assaults at Gettysburg were made here> In the battle's wake, dead and wounded soldiers littered the ground around you. In the years and decades after the battle, the Thompson house became a popular attraction among battlefield visitors. In 1913, the Chambersburg Pike became part of the famed Lincoln Highway, and the road soon bustled with automobiles. Before long, campgrounds and cottages occupied the site and a museum was opened in the Thompson house. By the 1960s, Larson's Motel complex and a large restaurant surrounded Lee's Headquarters Museum. In 2014, the Civil War Trust purchased the Thompson house and the surrounding properties and is now restoring the site to its 1863 appearance. When completed, the grounds and a new interpretive trail will be opened to the public. On July 1, 1863, the 143rd Pennsylvania Infantry was posted behind the fence at the western boundary of this property along with three pieces of James Stewart's Battery B, 4th US Artillery. This was part of a much larger Union line that buckled under the weight of the Confederate attack. Southerners placed artillery on this site for the next two days of the battle. This stone house was built in the 1830s and during the Battle of Gettysburg was owned by Thaddeus Stevens, in trust for Mary Thompson. By 1850, Mary was widowed and living with her eight children in this house. When the battle raged here in 1863, Mary Thompson, visible at center, was the sole resident.
3. GETLEE_160321_025.JPG: On July 1, 1863, the 143rd Pennsylvania Infantry was posted behind the fence at the western boundary of this property along with three pieces of James Stewart's Battery B, 4th US Artillery. This was part of a much larger Union line that buckled under the weight of the Confederate attack. Southerners placed artillery on this site for the next two days of the battle.
4. GETLEE_160321_028.JPG: This stone house was built in the 1830s and during the Battle of Gettysburg was owned by Thaddeus Stevens, in trust for Mary Thompson. By 1850, Mary was widowed and living with her eight children in this house. When the battle raged here in 1863, Mary Thompson, visible at center, was the sole resident.
5. GETLEE_160321_050.JPG: This Appalachian Brewing Company location has closed to make way for a national park. Please visit us at our Gateway Brewpub located at: Presidential Circle, Gettysburg
6. GETLEE_160321_094.JPG: Highway Headquarters General Robert E. Lee and his staff planned one of America's greatest battles at this site. Almost a century later the site began offering overnight accommodations to travelers coming to pay homage to their heroes. Gutted by fire in 1896, the rebuilt house (owned by Clyde F. Daley) was converted to a souvenir shop and museum. Next door to "Lee's Headquarters," the home (owned by Eric and Sarah Larson) was converted to a tourist home. With the increased visitation to Gettysburg, especially for the 75th Anniversary and Reunion in 1938, Daley and the Larsons constructed cottages, two of many tourist camps that sprang up along the Lincoln Highway. Lee's Headquarters camp offered seven cabins. Each had a bath, shower, steam heat, and beds with innerspring mattresses for $1 to $4 a night. In 1945, the Larsons purchased Lee's Headquarters property from Daley and over the years made numerous improvements. The resulting motel eventually became affiliated with the Quality Inn motel/hotel chain.
7. GETLEE_160402_227.JPG: Army of the Potomac First Corps Artillery Brigade Battery B Fourth U.S. Artillery Six 12 pounders Lieut. James Stewart commanding July 1 In position about 200 yards south of the Lutheran Theological Seminary until 3 p.m. when ordered to support the Second Division First Corps and took position on Seminary Ridge half of the Battery in command of Lieut. James Davidson between the Chambersburg Pike and Railroad cut. The other half north of the cut in corner of the woods was actively engaged. The Battery afterwards retired with the troops to Cemetery Hill and went into position on the Baltimore Pike opposite Evergreen Cemetery commanding the approach from the town two guns on the pike and two in the field two having been disabled. Casualties killed 2 men, wounded 2 officers and 29 men, missing 3 men. Total 36.
8. GETLEE_161028_012.JPG: Civil War Trust Gettysburg Battlefield: Lee's Headquarters July 1-3, 1863 Gettysburg Campaign This land has been preserved by the Civil War Trust in partnership with the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission and the Land Conservancy of Adams County, with the assistance of a federal grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (administrated by the American Battlefield Protection Program of the National Park Service).
9. GETLEE_161028_026.JPG: Civil War Trust Lee's Headquarters Roll Call of Honor Board #1 $100,000+ $50,999-99,999 $25,000-49,999 $10,000-24,999 $5,000-9,999 $2,500-4,999 $1,000-2,499 $500-999 $250-499 --> Abend --> Bell
10. GETLEE_161028_029.JPG: Civil War Trust Lee's Headquarters Roll Call of Honor Board #4 $100-249 --> D'Agaro --> Horner
11. GETLEE_161028_032.JPG: Civil War Trust Lee's Headquarters Roll Call of Honor Board #3 $250-499 --> Willey --> Zitomer $100-249 --> Anonymous --> Daffner
12. GETLEE_161028_033.JPG: Civil War Trust Lee's Headquarters Roll Call of Honor Board #2 $250-499 --> Benjamin --> Williamsen
13. GETLEE_161028_035.JPG: Civil War Trust Lee's Headquarters Roll Call of Honor Board #5 $100-249 --> Hornstein --> Milligan
14. GETLEE_161028_037.JPG: Civil War Trust Lee's Headquarters Roll Call of Honor Board #7 $100-249 --> Shepro --> Zuzek
15. GETLEE_161028_039.JPG: Civil War Trust Lee's Headquarters Roll Call of Honor Board #6 $100-249 --> Millon --> Shepherd
16. GETLEE_161028_048.JPG: In honor of their dedication to preserving America's history, and their leadership is saving Robert E. Lee's Headquarters at Gettysburg, with profound gratitude the Civil War Trust erects this marker to The Honorable Frank and Judy Bracken Indianapolis, Indiana on behalf of all future generations. Dedicated October, 2016
17. GETLEE_161028_050.JPG: In honor of their dedication to preserving America's history, and their leadership in restoring this crucial part of the Gettysburg battlefield, with profound gratitude the Civil War Trust erects this marker to John and Bobbie Nau On behalf of all future generations. Dedicated October, 2016
18. GETLEE_161028_052.JPG: In honor of their dedication to preserving America's history, and their leadership in saving Robert E. Lee's Headquarters at Gettysburg, with profound gratitude the Civil War Trust erects this marker to Karen and Paul Isaac On behalf of all future generations. Dedicated October, 2016
19. GETLEE_161028_054.JPG: In honor of their dedication to preserving America's history, and their leadership in saving Robert E. Lee's Headquarters at Gettysburg, with profound gratitude the Civil War Trust erects this marker to Mr. Rupert H. Johnson, Jr. and family On behalf of all future generations. Dedicated October, 2016
20. GETLEE_161028_056.JPG: In honor of their dedication to preserving America's history, and their leadership in saving Robert E. Lee's Headquarters at Gettysburg, with profound gratitude the Civil War Trust erects this marker to Ira and Diana Riklis On behalf of all future generations. Dedicated October, 2016
21. GETLEE_161028_058.JPG: Lee's Headquarters at Gettysburg Life on Seminary Ridge "Three more acres or less on which are erected a one and a half story stone dwelling house and frame stable … directed and sold and struck off the same unto Thaddeus Stevens, trustee of Mary Thompson, for the sum of sixteen dollars -- Deed dated Jan. 28, 1846." -- Sheriff's Docket for the sale of this property People had been living peacefully in and around Gettysburg for more than 75 years before the Civil War brought two mighty armies to the town and forever changed its character and landscape. Mary Thompson, a widow since the 1840s, lived in the stone house in front of you for seventeen years before the Battle of Gettysburg. Mrs. Thompson raised her children here, tended a small garden, and was comforted by a dog with its own little house. By the summer of 1863, the widow's children had grown and moved out -- one lived directly across the road -- and Mrs. Thompson lived alone in the stone house. Her closest neighbor was Casper Henry Dustman, whose home stood just east of the Thompson house. Located on the Chambersburg Pike on top of Seminary Ridge, her home was all but bound to become a significant battlefield feature. Union cannons dealt death and destruction from her yard and Union soldiers formed a line of battle on her property's edge. After a fierce fight, Confederate soldiers, cannons, and even the army's commander, Gen. Robert E. Lee, occupied her property. Soldiers were buried here. You are standing on historic and hallowed ground.
22. GETLEE_161028_066.JPG: On behalf of all future generations, the Civil War Trust erects this marker with profound gratitude to Richard Gilder New York City For his dedication to preserving America's history, and his leadership in saving Robert E. Lee's Headquarters At Gettysburg.
23. GETLEE_161028_086.JPG: Lee's Headquarters at Gettysburg Fighting and Photographs "There was no use in fighting any longer. The enemy had deployed and we were trapped. The town was before us, the enemy on either side, and behind us." -- Col. John Musser, 143rd Pennsylvania Infantry On the afternoon of July 1, 1863, Confederate soldiers broke through this position en route to Gettysburg. Dead and wounded soldiers littered the ground in their wake while battle smoke hung in the air. Soon, Southern cannons were unlimbered on this spot while Gen. Robert E. Lee's couriers dashed back and forth. For the next three days, Thompson's property hosted a bustle of activity until the Confederate withdrawal after nightfall on July 4. Some ten days later, Mathew Brady's cameramen recorded no fewer than seven photographs here including this panorama of Gettysburg. This photo, made from two glass plate images, was recorded from the Dustman house, just steps from where you stand.
24. GETLEE_161028_093.JPG: When the Union position fell, the Confederates were executing the giant pincer movement in the distant ground to your left front and along the Chambersburg Pike to your right front. Federal soldiers had to run the gauntlet to escape capture. Many failed in the attempt.
25. GETLEE_161028_097.JPG: Lee's Headquarters at Gettysburg The Headquarters Complex "This house was within the Rebel lines. Occupying an elevated position from which the Federal lines could be seen with a field glass, and being at a safe distance from our guns, it was selected by General Lee and his staff as his headquarters. Here he lodged all night and took his meals." -- - Professor Michael Jacobs, Pennsylvania College, 1864 Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee arrived here on the afternoon of July 1, 1863, just in time to see Confederate forces drive the Union army from the fields west of town. Because this site was located on high ground near the center of the new Confederate line, Lee's staff selected it for army headquarters. Lee's headquarters tent and the many tents of his staff were soon spread out in the fields around the house. Here, Lee made decisions that led to the Confederate assaults for the next two days and ultimately his retreat on the evening of July 4. Fighting his largest battle, Lee was a busy man at Gettysburg. He spent a significant amount of time on horseback, riding around the battlefield. He performed certain headquarters functions in the Thompson house but he most likely slept and performed other tasks in his tent. While the best primary evidence places Lee's headquarters complex at or around the Thompson house, no verifiable account specifies the location of his headquarters tent.
26. GETLEE_161028_102.JPG: Gettysburg's early maps, including this 1863 map by Gettysburg historian John Bachelder, place Lee's Headquarters at the Thompson House. This map has the Confederate flag right next to the house.
27. GETLEE_161028_108.JPG: By 1921, Gettysburg National Military Park had erected the headquarters marker across the street on the closest land it owned to the Thompson house.
28. GETLEE_161028_113.JPG: Lee's Headquarters at Gettysburg Climax on Seminary Ridge "On every side the passion, rage and frenzy of fearless men or reckless boys devoted to slaughter or doomed to death! The same sun that a day before had been shining to cure the wheat-sheaves of the harvest of peace, now glared to pierce the gray pall of battle's powder smoke or to bloat the corpses of battle's victims." -- - Augustus Buell, "The Cannoneer" (1890) During the heavy fighting late in the afternoon of July 1, 1863, Seminary Ridge became the final defensive position of the Union's First Army Corps west of Gettysburg. Twenty-one cannons and thousands of battle-weary men crowned the heights with the aim of repelling Confederate forces ascending the ridge. The Union line was buckling to the left and right but the position near the Thompson house was holding. The 143rd Pennsylvania Infantry was posted here along with three guns of Lt. James Stewart's Battery B, 4th United States Artillery, blasting deadly volleys of iron into Gen. Alfred Scales's North Carolina soldiers across the Chambersburg Pike. The Confederates pushed onward, however, unhinging the entire Union line from Seminary Ridge. The position here around the Thompson house was the very last to fall. Union soldiers sought refuge in the railroad cut to your right and rear. Once the fighting ended, dead and wounded soldiers were scattered around here. The widow Thompson and her neighbors cared for the wounded men of both sides, while the dead of both armies were buried near the places where they fell.
29. GETLEE_161028_125.JPG: This 1890 sketch shows the men of Stewart's Battery firing across the Chambersburg Pike at Scales's North Carolinians. The Thompson house is depicted at left. From Augustus Buell, "The Cannooneer" (1890).
30. GETLEE_161028_127.JPG: The Union position on Seminary Ridge became untenable once Confederate Col. Abner Perrin's South Carolinians gained the flank and rear of the Federal position.
31. GETLEE_161028_136.JPG: Lee's Headquarters at Gettysburg Restoring Seminary Ridge "This is without a doubt the most important preservation effort we've yet undertaken." -- - Jim Lighthizer, President, Civil War Trust In the decades after the battle, the Thompson House became a popular attraction among visitors interested in Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. In 1913, the Chambersburg Pike became part of the famed Lincoln Highway, which significantly increased automobile traffic and tourism to Gettysburg. A museum and gift shop were opened in the stone house with an adjacent campground on the property, followed by a boarding house and tourist cabins. By 1967, a large motel complex and restaurant surrounded the Thompson House. In 2014, the Civil War Trust announced plans to purchase the entire complex and restore the site to its Civil War appearance. Restoration work began early in 2016 with archeological surveys followed by the removal of the restaurant, swimming pool, non-essential parking lots, and the motel complex. The Trust meticulously restored the 1863 landscape and Thompson house exterior. A non-historic structure atop the original Dustman barn foundation was removed. In the fall of 2016, the historic fences and the trail on which you stand were completed, all thanks to the generosity of the members and supporters of the Civil War Trust.
32. GETLEE_161028_139.JPG: The Thompson House, February 2013, before the Civil War Trust undertook landscape restoration. You are standing in what was the kitchen of the restaurant at right.
33. GETLEE_161028_142.JPG: The museum and gift shop at Lee's Headquarters was a popular attraction for almost a century.
34. GETLEE_161028_145.JPG: This aerial photo shows the motel complex long before restoration
35. GETLEE_161028_176.JPG: Civil War Building July 1863
36. GETLEE_161028_213.JPG: CSA In this field was located head quarters of the Army of Northern Virginia July 1 2 3 4 1863 "My head quarters were in tents in an apple orchard back of the seminary along the Chambersburg Pike." -- Robt. E. Lee
37. GETLEE_161028_238.JPG: "Our Lady Thompson never deserted her house... All her clothes and bedding, except those on her person, were used in dressing the wounded and her carpets in wrapping the dead for burial. An empty stone house and fenceless yard were all that was left the widow of seventy years." -- Catherine Foster, resident of Gettysburg In her claim for damages made after the war, besides the obvious exterior damage, Mrs. Thompson states the loss of pillow cases, bolsters, sheets, blankets, cotton rags, wearing apparel, and 18 yards of cotton (ingrain) carpet.
38. GETLEE_161028_245.JPG: This lock was on the door that was removed from his room and used by Gen. Lee as a map table in Col. Douglas tent across the road.
39. GETLEE_161028_250.JPG: Chair in Thompson House / Lee HQ during battle of Gettysburg
40. GETLEE_161028_265.JPG: Dining table in Thompson House / Lee HQ during battle of Gettysburg
41. GETLEE_161028_285.JPG: Yep. Ego time. Nice to see my name in the middle of the second column.
Multi Column: Number of columns of thumbnails to appear per page (normally defaults to 3): [1 col] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
AAA "Gem": AAA considers this location to be a "must see" point of interest. To see pictures of other areas that AAA considers to be Gems, click here.
Bigger photos? To save server space, the full-sized versions of these images have either not been loaded to the server or have been removed from the server. (Only some pages are loaded with full-sized images and those usually get removed after three months.) I still have them though. If you want me to email them to you, please send an email to guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can email them to you, or, depending on the number of images, just repost the page again will the full-sized images.
Directly Related Pages: Other pages with content (PA -- Gettysburg Natl Battlefield -- Day 1 -- Lee HQ) directly related to this one: [Display ALL photos on one page]:
- 2017_PA_Getty_LeeHQ_AD: PA -- Gettysburg Natl Battlefield -- Day 1 -- Lee HQ -- Event: Artillery Demo (51 photos from 2017)
- 2017_PA_Getty_LeeHQ: PA -- Gettysburg Natl Battlefield -- Day 1 -- Lee HQ (70 photos from 2017)
- 2014_PA_Getty_LeeHQ: PA -- Gettysburg Natl Battlefield -- Day 1 -- Lee HQ (25 photos from 2014)
- 2013_PA_Getty_LeeHQ: PA -- Gettysburg Natl Battlefield -- Day 1 -- Lee HQ (8 photos from 2013)
Sort of Related Pages: Still more pages here that have content somewhat related to this one :
- 2016_PA_CWT_LeeHQ_161028: CWT -- Lee HQ Event (2016) -- Lee HQ Ceremony (202 photos from 2016)
Same Subject: Click on this link to see coverage of items having the same subject: [(NPS) Gettysburg Natl Military Park] [Civil War] [Park (National Park Service)]
2016 photos: Seven relatively short trips this year: two Civil War Trust conference (Gettysburg, PA and West Point, NY, with a side-trip to New York City), my 11th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including sites in Utah, Nevada, and California), a quick trip to Michigan for Uncle Wayne's funeral, two additional trips to New York City, and a Civil Rights site trip to Alabama during the November elections. Being in places where people died to preserve the rights of minority voters made the Trumputin election even more depressing. Equipment this year: I continued to use my Fuji XS-1 cameras but, depending on the event, I also used a Nikon D7000. Number of photos taken this year: just over 610,000.
Connection Not Secure messages? Those warnings you get from your browser about this site not having secure connections worry some people. This means this site does not have SSL installed (the link is http:, not https:). That's bad if you're entering credit card numbers, passwords, or other personal information. But this site doesn't collect any personal information so SSL is not necessary. Life's good!
Limiting Text: You can turn off all of this text by clicking this link: [Thumbnails Only]
Photo Contact: [Email Bruce Guthrie].