{Geobox |memorial
| category = historic district contributing structure
| image = Gettysburg national cemetery img 4164.jpg
| image_size = 200
| image_caption = Southward view of monument at the center of the semicircle of
GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
graves of the Union's
Army of the PotomacThe Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
(midground) and beyond subsequent veteran graves (foreground) added to the cemetery.
| country = United States
| country_flag = 1
| state = Pennsylvania
| state_flag = 1
| region_type = County
| region =
AdamsAdams County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,407. It was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County and named in honor of the second President of the United States, John Adams...
| district_type =
NPS unit
| district =
Gettysburg NMPThe Gettysburg National Military Park is an administrative unit of the National Park Service's northeast region and a subunit of federal properties of Adams County, Pennsylvania, with the same name, including the Gettysburg National Cemetery...
| parent_type = Park District
| parent =
Gettysburg National CemeteryThe Gettysburg National Cemetery is located on Cemetery Hill in the Gettysburg Battlefield near the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and adjacent to Evergreen Cemetery to the south...
| part_type =
| part =
| range_type = Landform
| range =
Cemetery HillCemetery Hill is a Gettysburg Battlefield landform which had 1863 military engagements each day of the July 1–3 Battle of Gettysburg. The northernmost part of the Army of the Potomac defensive "fish-hook" line, the hill is gently sloped and provided a site for American Civil War artillery...
{{Geobox |memorial
| category = historic district contributing structure
| image = Gettysburg national cemetery img 4164.jpg
| image_size = 200
| image_caption = Southward view of monument at the center of the semicircle of
GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
graves of the Union's
Army of the PotomacThe Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
(midground) and beyond subsequent veteran graves (foreground) added to the cemetery.
| country = United States
| country_flag = 1
| state = Pennsylvania
| state_flag = 1
| region_type = County
| region =
AdamsAdams County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,407. It was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County and named in honor of the second President of the United States, John Adams...
| district_type =
NPS unit
| district =
Gettysburg NMPThe Gettysburg National Military Park is an administrative unit of the National Park Service's northeast region and a subunit of federal properties of Adams County, Pennsylvania, with the same name, including the Gettysburg National Cemetery...
| parent_type = Park District
| parent =
Gettysburg National CemeteryThe Gettysburg National Cemetery is located on Cemetery Hill in the Gettysburg Battlefield near the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and adjacent to Evergreen Cemetery to the south...
| part_type =
| part =
| range_type = Landform
| range =
Cemetery HillCemetery Hill is a Gettysburg Battlefield landform which had 1863 military engagements each day of the July 1–3 Battle of Gettysburg. The northernmost part of the Army of the Potomac defensive "fish-hook" line, the hill is gently sloped and provided a site for American Civil War artillery...
{{Geobox |memorial
| category = historic district contributing structure
| image = Gettysburg national cemetery img 4164.jpg
| image_size = 200
| image_caption = Southward view of monument at the center of the semicircle of
GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
graves of the Union's
Army of the PotomacThe Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
(midground) and beyond subsequent veteran graves (foreground) added to the cemetery.
| country = United States
| country_flag = 1
| state = Pennsylvania
| state_flag = 1
| region_type = County
| region =
AdamsAdams County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,407. It was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County and named in honor of the second President of the United States, John Adams...
| district_type =
NPS unit
| district =
Gettysburg NMPThe Gettysburg National Military Park is an administrative unit of the National Park Service's northeast region and a subunit of federal properties of Adams County, Pennsylvania, with the same name, including the Gettysburg National Cemetery...
| parent_type = Park District
| parent =
Gettysburg National CemeteryThe Gettysburg National Cemetery is located on Cemetery Hill in the Gettysburg Battlefield near the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and adjacent to Evergreen Cemetery to the south...
| part_type =
| part =
| range_type = Landform
| range =
Cemetery HillCemetery Hill is a Gettysburg Battlefield landform which had 1863 military engagements each day of the July 1–3 Battle of Gettysburg. The northernmost part of the Army of the Potomac defensive "fish-hook" line, the hill is gently sloped and provided a site for American Civil War artillery...
{{Geobox |memorial
| category = historic district contributing structure
| image = Gettysburg national cemetery img 4164.jpg
| image_size = 200
| image_caption = Southward view of monument at the center of the semicircle of
GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
graves of the Union's
Army of the PotomacThe Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
(midground) and beyond subsequent veteran graves (foreground) added to the cemetery.
| country = United States
| country_flag = 1
| state = Pennsylvania
| state_flag = 1
| region_type = County
| region =
AdamsAdams County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,407. It was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County and named in honor of the second President of the United States, John Adams...
| district_type =
NPS unit
| district =
Gettysburg NMPThe Gettysburg National Military Park is an administrative unit of the National Park Service's northeast region and a subunit of federal properties of Adams County, Pennsylvania, with the same name, including the Gettysburg National Cemetery...
| parent_type = Park District
| parent =
Gettysburg National CemeteryThe Gettysburg National Cemetery is located on Cemetery Hill in the Gettysburg Battlefield near the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and adjacent to Evergreen Cemetery to the south...
| part_type =
| part =
| range_type = Landform
| range =
Cemetery HillCemetery Hill is a Gettysburg Battlefield landform which had 1863 military engagements each day of the July 1–3 Battle of Gettysburg. The northernmost part of the Army of the Potomac defensive "fish-hook" line, the hill is gently sloped and provided a site for American Civil War artillery...
{{Geobox |memorial
| category = historic district contributing structure
| image = Gettysburg national cemetery img 4164.jpg
| image_size = 200
| image_caption = Southward view of monument at the center of the semicircle of
GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
graves of the Union's
Army of the PotomacThe Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
(midground) and beyond subsequent veteran graves (foreground) added to the cemetery.
| country = United States
| country_flag = 1
| state = Pennsylvania
| state_flag = 1
| region_type = County
| region =
AdamsAdams County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,407. It was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County and named in honor of the second President of the United States, John Adams...
| district_type =
NPS unit
| district =
Gettysburg NMPThe Gettysburg National Military Park is an administrative unit of the National Park Service's northeast region and a subunit of federal properties of Adams County, Pennsylvania, with the same name, including the Gettysburg National Cemetery...
| parent_type = Park District
| parent =
Gettysburg National CemeteryThe Gettysburg National Cemetery is located on Cemetery Hill in the Gettysburg Battlefield near the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and adjacent to Evergreen Cemetery to the south...
| part_type =
| part =
| range_type = Landform
| range =
Cemetery HillCemetery Hill is a Gettysburg Battlefield landform which had 1863 military engagements each day of the July 1–3 Battle of Gettysburg. The northernmost part of the Army of the Potomac defensive "fish-hook" line, the hill is gently sloped and provided a site for American Civil War artillery...
| border4 =
| location_type =
| location =
Gettysburg AddressThe Gettysburg Address is a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and is one of the most well-known speeches in United States history. It was delivered by Lincoln during the American Civil War, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery...
site
| location_note =
| lat_d = 39
| lat_m = 49.186
| lat_s =
| lat_NS = N
| long_d = 77
| long_m = 13.873
| long_s =
| long_EW = W
| coordinates_note =
| weight_imperial =
| weight_imperial_units = ST-f
| prominence_note =
| elevation_imperial = 624.8
| elevation_round = 1
| elevation_note =
| elevation_location = embankment @ monument base
| elevation2_imperial = 2
| area_unit = acre
| area_imperial =
| area_round = 1
| area_note =
| area1_imperial =
| area1_type =
| width = 25
| width_unit = ft
| width_note = -square base
| height_imperial = 60
| height_note =
| established_type =
CornerstoneContracted
Dedicated
"Plenty" statue
| established = {{Start date|July 4, 1865}}
May 1866July 1, 1869
August 26, 1869
| established_note =
| established1_type =
| established1 =
| established1_note =
| established2_type =
| established2 =
| established2_note =
| owner_type = Owner
Sculptor
| owner =
National Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
Randolph RogersRandolph Rogers was an American sculptor. He was a prolific sculptor of subjects related to the American Civil War and other historical themes.-Biography:...
| owner_note =
| access_type = Access
(walkways)
| access = Cemetery gates @ Baltimore
Pike &
Taneytown RoadPennsylvania Route 134 , also called Taneytown Road, is a north–south, two-lane state highway in Pennsylvania. It runs in Cumberland and Mount Joy townships from Gettysburg to the Mason-Dixon Line...
| visitation =
| visitation_year =
| map_first =
| code_type = {{nowrap|Historic District}}
Ent'd-Doc'd
LCS/GNMP IDs
| code =
7500015501/23/2004
009949/MN288
| code_note =
| free_type =
| free =
| free_note =
| free1_type =
| free1 =
| free1_note =
| website =
}}
The
Soldiers' National Monument is a
Gettysburg BattlefieldThe Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg within and around the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the 4 acre site of the first shot & at on the west of the borough, to East...
memorial that honors the
battleThe Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
's soldiers and tells an
allegoryAllegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
of "peace and plenty under freedom … following a heroic struggle." In addition to an inscription with the last 4 lines of the
Gettysburg AddressThe Gettysburg Address is a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and is one of the most well-known speeches in United States history. It was delivered by Lincoln during the American Civil War, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery...
, the shaft with 4 buttresses has 5 statues:{{Rp|166}}
- "A large statue representing the concept of Liberty surmounts the pedestal. Eighteen large bronze stars circling the pedestal below this statue represent the eighteen Union states with buried dead. Four statues are located at each corner near the base. They represent War, History, Peace, and Plenty. War is represented by a statue of an American soldier who recounts the story of the battle to History. In turn, History records, with stylus and tablet, the achievements of the battle and the names of the honored dead. A statue of an American mechanic and his tools illustrates Peace. Plenty is a female figure with a sheaf of wheat and the fruits of the earth that typify peace and abundance as the soldier's crowning triumph."
History
Appropriations to the
Gettysburg Soldiers' National Monument Association were approved on March 14, 1865; and in May,
David WillsDavid Wills was the principal figure in the establishment of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. As a result of his efforts, the Gettysburg Address was given by Abraham Lincoln. Wills was Lincoln's host while in Gettysburg, and the Gettysburg Address was completed in...
invited veterans organizations for the extensive July 4 cornerstone ceremony (lithographs of the "design proposed by
J. G. BattersonJames Goodwin Batterson , 23 February 1823 — Hartford, Connecticut, 18 September 1901) was an American designer and builder, the owner of New England Granite Works from 1845 and a founder in 1863 of Travelers Insurance Company, both in Hartford, Connecticut...
"{{Rp|10}} were available by July 19, 1865.) The monument structure was built at
Batterson's works at Westerly, Rhode Island, and the Genius of Liberty grasping sword and laurel wreath was sculpted in Rome. The monument without the "Plenty" or "Peace" statues was dedicated in 1869 with the prayer by Rev.
Henry Ward BeecherHenry Ward Beecher was a prominent Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, abolitionist, and speaker in the mid to late 19th century...
, followed by an address by Gen. George G. Meade, oration by Senator Oliver P. Morton, and poem by
Bayard TaylorBayard Taylor was an American poet, literary critic, translator, and travel author.-Life and work:...
. The monument's "Plenty" statue was placed on August 26, 1869; and a record of the cornerstone and dedication ceremonies was published in 1874.
{{External media
|video1=
1955 MGM film (minute 9:09)
}}
{{Commons category|Soldiers' National Monument, Gettysburg}}