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Gettysburg Sculptures
United States
c1910 Postcard Image
Current View
Many features that appear in the vintage postcard can be found today.
1. The Government plaque or marker.
2. The large tree shown in the right of the postcard view.
3. The concrete slab and steel post used to secure the trail of the artillery carriage.
4. Concrete wheel supports or wheel chocks.
A very interesting aspect of the original postcard is the stack of Whitworth shells on a concrete slab. This is noted by the arrow in the image below.
When the stack of shells were being placed, a portion of a rock that is beneath the concrete slab was chiseled flat to allow for the concrete slab to lay flat.
Today even though the stack of shells and the concrete slab are gone one can clearly see the stone and the area that was chiseled flat.
The vintage postcard view shows two Whitworth artillery pieces located along West Confederate Avenue.
Were not sure if the Whitworth guns now located on Oak Hill were actually here during the battle.
Its interesting to ponder if one of these guns would have as reported their axle broken on Wednesday July 1st, and later repaired.
The Whitworth artillery pieces under order of General A. P. Hill would be moved to "a commanding point north of the railroad cut" or Oak Hill on Friday, July 3, 1863.
The Whitworth barrels at Gettysburg are original to the civil war and were imported from England. The projectile was not round but actually hexagonal ( 6 sided ).
Range of the Whitworth rifled guns were nearly 5 miles. This is more than twice the range of most rifled light artillery pieces of the American Civil War.
The company that printed this postcard was aware of the importance of Little Round Top to the battle of Gettysburg. Look closley, Little Round Top was sketched into the master to be reproduced on the postcard.
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Gettysburg Sculptures
United States