Crowning lower Culp's Hill is the monument to the 1st Maryland Battalion (a.k.a. 2nd Maryland) Infantry, C.S.A. It was the first Confederate monument placed on the Gettysburg battlefield after some resistance in 1884. The following stereoview was produced by Levi Mumper of Gettysburg and shows the monument probably shortly after it was dedicated.
The view is south of the monument looking north, the camera steadied on the remnants of Federal earthworks, which can be seen extending away from the camera past the monument to the left. Also, there is no road visible where modern Slocum Avenue currently exists, though any smaller trace might be out of view. Noticeably absent are trees across the top of the lower hill, while the wooded upper hill looms in the distance. You can see in the modern image how significantly different the viewshed is:
Below is a crop of the Warren Map showing the lower hill as it looked shortly after the battle. The red dot represents the approximate position of the 1st Maryland Monument. The map clearly depicts a broken woodlot across the top of the lower hill to some degree. Important only in aiding our understanding of how the battle was fought, it is known through soldier accounts and photographic evidence that the upper hill was not entirely wooded as we see it today, so it might not be a surprise then if the lower hill was less densely wooded also.
Regardless of the trees, Mumper provides us today with an interesting look at the landscape as it once existed on an important part of the battlefield.
No comments:
Post a Comment