Joined: Feb 09, 2004 Posts: 1800 Location: New Jersey
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2004 2:52 am Post subject: The D Shaped Field
Greetings all from the Garden State!
I hope all had a fine Thanksgiving. J.D. and I along with other friends got the shock of our lives last Sunday while in Gettysburg. Since I have known J.D. and Eric, the subject of Elon Farnsworth at Gettysburg has come up quite a bit over the years. While I knew the tree cutting was being done in that area of the monument, I had no clue they were gonna cut down that whole area.
Now, it is a must see place to stop and wander on the battlefield, and all that open space makes it a lot easier for this NJan to see the lay of the land etc. Also makes me realize that Kilpatrick ordered a senseless attack...especially when you can see the terrain as it is now at the battlefield.
The 3 of us have stopped by that area quite a bit over the years, and while I was just happy to find the darn thing amidst the trees, with all of the cover there, it has always been a part of the battle that I just could not get a grip on. Not sure if I have now, by seeing the improvements in the area, it has become a whole lot clearer here.
Hope all who venture to Gettysburg in the near future take time to park the car and walk the ground in that area, as to me it is an eye opening scene.
RickAllen Official Chronicler of Gettysburg Tours!
Joined: Feb 13, 2004 Posts: 4288 Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2004 8:56 am Post subject:
Hey Steve, good to hear from you!
Just got back this morning from the Burg and like you said, the D shaped field is totally, almost nakedly, open. It really does open up this area to
exploration and the sightlines are stunning.
Cant wait till they get to clearing the downslope from the bottom of the Triangular field! Thats gonna be great!
Joined: Feb 25, 2004 Posts: 479 Location: Little Meadows PA
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2004 1:39 pm Post subject:
:brilsmurf: I went to the D shaped field last Saturday. After years of being hidden by trees and brush the 1st Vermont monument is visable from the road. What a difference. Maybe now Elon Farnsworth will ge the recognition he payed so dearly for.
Gunrunner
I can only hope so. I saw that field in September, when the trees had just been cut down but not hauled away, and all the stumps were still there. It was a real revelation to me...and I thought i knew pretty much everything that there was to know about that action. It's really a pretty humbling thing.
Eric _________________ "If you want to have some fun, jine the cav'ry!"
Joined: Feb 09, 2004 Posts: 1800 Location: New Jersey
Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 2:52 am Post subject:
Greetings all from the Garden State.
Not sure if you all saw where the latest tree cutting is being done, and if not, it is in the vicinity of Sedgwick's statue. Bad enough I had to deal with Kilcavalry last weekend, and then I saw the ground in that area sans trees, and just be thankful that Thanksgiving was this week, and spared all the latest thoughts on Dan Sickles..:)
LOL, Base, that's another area I'll have to check out...
The D-shaped field is amazing. I saw it a couple months ago when the crew just got started working to drop the trees. I immediately called Eric on the cell and described it to him. When he got there a couple weeks later, he called me from there and described the ridge, or military crest, that runs right through the southwestern edge of the field, where Law's men were posted. My goodness, you could never see that before. Plus, the ground drops steeply off from that edge - no wonder the Federal accounts that they didn't see the Rebs until getting to the wall.
The sightlines indeed now show what madness such a charge was - and especially now that you can see the huge boulders in that area.
It's an action that needs completely revisited now that one can get a view of the land...
Joined: Feb 09, 2004 Posts: 1800 Location: New Jersey
Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2004 1:22 am Post subject:
J.D.,
Drove by that area where they are now cutting trees after you had departed, and surprised me very much. Talk about a new view of the battlefield, this to me was an eye opening thing, and was very glad the Florida contingent said drive to the angle, as I was in no mood to open that Pandora's box once again that late on Sunday afternoon. Bad enough that Eric had to hear my profanity laden tirade against Kilpatrick at the D Shaped field while you were speaking to him on the cell phone. Being the courteous driver that I am, when I saw the area near the Sedgwick statue, I muffled the sound of the latest diatribe against the MOH winning Danny Boy.:)
Seriously, to all, those who have not seen the improvements at the battlefield lately, rest assured you will be happily surprised as to what all can now see. To me, it is a vastly different place, and a whole lot easier to park the car and do some walking over the terrain. Know when the weather heats up in 2005, I will be wandering around the ground there, and hopefully understanding just what took place a lot better.
Very cool, Bill. It's truly becoming a whole new battlefield. Everyone's been anxiously waiting all these changes, but it just never impacted me how much this is all going to enhance the interpretation of the field. I knew it would make a difference, but I never appreciated how much until I started seeing it.
There are several areas of the field that are giving revelations as to how and why certain things happened that were simply never appreciated before - simply because we couldn't see what they saw.
It was one thing to imagine the trees in a certain area gone, or an orchard to be replanted, or fences to be in certain areas - but entirely another to actually see that way.
Joined: Feb 13, 2004 Posts: 290 Location: York County, PA
Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2004 6:48 pm Post subject:
If only more preservation had been done in the 1930s and 40s before all those housing subdevelopments went in (Sunset / Long Lane area; all those houses above Coster Avenue, the houses that block the view from Hilary Jones' gun position, the high school that wrecks the view of Hays' Tigers' area of attack on July 2nd, etc., etc. etc. While I am very thankful for the restoration work that has been accomplished.
I know of locals who have photos of the battelfield just prior to WWII, and the place looks so much different with views that in all liklihood are gone forever (like from Cemetery Hill looking across Long Lane toward Seminary Ridge).
Now to preserve and restore what's left so that our grandkids can walk the ground and interpret what happened... at least they don't have to look at the National Tower, or Home Sweet Home Hotel, or Stickeys, or... _________________ "Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible"
Joined: Feb 13, 2004 Posts: 290 Location: York County, PA
Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2004 6:48 pm Post subject:
By the way, what are the 2005 plans for fence restoration? Anyone know what is next on the agenda? _________________ "Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible"
Joined: Mar 20, 2004 Posts: 2519 Location: By the winding Allegheny
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2005 11:17 am Post subject:
Are there any update photos from this winter on the D Shaped Field? There are someposted here earler ... in the early fall maybe... but Harry... did you get any pics here? Just wondering.
Mindy _________________ There is nothing so kingly as kindness; there is nothing so royal as truth.
RickAllen Official Chronicler of Gettysburg Tours!
Joined: Feb 13, 2004 Posts: 4288 Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2005 11:49 am Post subject:
I dont have any photos Fifer, but the area has been drastically cleared. You can now see the 1st VT monument from the road as you drive by, it's
really opened up!
Joined: Mar 20, 2004 Posts: 2519 Location: By the winding Allegheny
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2005 3:27 pm Post subject:
I see the 1st Vermont monument but maybe I should have asked are the woods behind the stone wall (behind the 1st Ver Mon) slated to be cleared from there or were they there during the battle? They don't particularly look like old woods by the photos but we are talkin 140 plus years here.
I am not a tree hugger so I have no beef with the park services doing what they are to bring this battlefield as close as they can get back to its original state after the battle. Must read up on this battle.
Mindy _________________ There is nothing so kingly as kindness; there is nothing so royal as truth.
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