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Click here to
do_wnload the m~p- 9f
the Gettysb!lrg Civil
War W~lj{lng Tour!
This walking tour illustrates the impact that the Battle of Gettysburg had on
this small rural community during those fateful days of 1863, offering a
sampling of Gettysburg's battle-related sites. This is the first half of the
walking tour. To load the second half, click here! Most pictures can be
enlarged by clicking on them. Numbers and letters refer to the map of the
Gettysburg Civil War Walking Iour.
Background for the Civil War Walking Tour
~~~~~~~~Though Gettysburg is internationally known as a Civil War Battle site
~
and location of President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, the
town was already seventy-seven years old in 1863. The Borough of
Gettysburg is located on the site of Samuel Gettys' farmstead, part of
the Marsh Creek Settlement. This settlement was carved out of the
wilderness between 1736 and 1760 by Scots-Irish families in the
northern part of the county, and German families in the southern areas.
After the Revolutionary War, James Gettys, Samuel's middle son,
purchased a 116 acre tract from his father's 381 acre farmstead. By 1786
he had laid out 21 0 lots around the Square, which still remains as the
iiiiE~~:25;:~~~ center of town. Thus Gettysburg was born.
Located at a crossroads between larger Pennsylvania and Maryland cities, Gettysburg soon became a
small rural center along a primary agricultural transportation corridor between south-central
Pennsylvania and Baltimore. Steady growth led to the town's selection as the Adams County seat in
1800.
The fust half of the nineteenth century saw many educational and religious
institutions established here, including the Gettysburg Lutheran Theological
Seminary and Pennsylvania (now Gettysburg) College. The agricultural economy
was augmented by light industry between the 1830s and 1860, including a viable
carriage and wagon-making industry. In 1858, the Gettysburg Railroad was
extended into town, linking Gettysburg with other markets. By 1860, Gettysburg had grown to a
population of 2400 and provided key services for the Adams County area and northwestern Maryland.
By chance on July 1, 1863, the future of Gettysburg was changed forever. Union General George G.
Meade's and Confederate General Robert E. Lee's armies engaged in combat west and north of town.
By day's end, the Confederate troops had forced the Yankees through the town's streets. Throughout
July 2 and 3, the Confederate army occupied Gettysburg, using buildings as lookouts and hospitals,
while the battle wore on south and east of town.
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Lincoln Square. The Center of the Borough of Gettysburg
Today, five buildings that witnessed the carnage of the battle remain on Lincoln
Square. The Sell-Hoke House, 21 Lincoln Square, is the oldest structure, built
c.1801. (photo on left)
The other four buildings include:
• The David Wills House, 6 Lincoln Square, which served as lodging
for President Lincoln's visit to Gettysburg in November, 1863 (see
photo #33)
• The Maxwell-Danner House, 8 Lincoln Square (photo on right)
• The Arnold-Spangler House, 2-4-6 Baltimore Street (photo on left)
• The McConaughy- Stoever House, 1-3-5 Baltimore Street. (see photo #22)
1. "By the skin of our teeth" Wayside near 1 Lincoln Square
On July 1, 1863, Gettysburg's center square was the eye in the storm of panic and
confusion that swirled in the town's streets and alleys, as the routed Union 1st and 11th
Corps fled towards the safety of Cemetery Hill. Some Union soldiers rallied here in an
attempt to stem the Confederate pursuit. Union artillery deployed nearby and sent "grape
shot" flying across the square. The relentless Confederate pressure, however, quickly
drove the defenders farther down Baltimore Street. The pursuing Confederates took
possession of the square and poured deadly fire along the streets into their fleeing foes.
Colonel Gilbert Prey, commander of the 104th New York whose regiment survived the
hailstorm of bullets, recalled getting through the town "by the skin of our teeth." Over
3,000 ofhis comrades were not so fortunate.
2. "... it was enough to frighten us to death" Wayside near 17 Lincoln Square
On the afternoon of June 26, 1863, Confederate cavalry dashed up
Chambersburg Street and into the square. Shocked and frightened citizens
fled the streets. Sarah Broadhead recorded the moment in her diary: "They
came with such horrid yells that it was enough to frighten us to death!"
Confederate infantry soon followed, many busying themselves by shopping in local stores
and paying the merchants with unwelcome Confederate money. Others set about looting
several railroad cars before burning them along with a nearby railroad bridge. That
evening a regimental band playing in the square serenaded the town with the tune DIXIE.
Anxious citizens arose the next morning to find the Confederates gone from Gettysburg,
moving east towards York.
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3. "... expecting to find all dead.'' Wayside near 43 Chambersburg St.
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In 1863 this building was the home of the John and Martha Scott family, and
Martha's sister, Mary McAllister. On the morning of July 1st, Mary
McAllister went across the street to the Christ Lutheran Church to volunteer
as a nurse. During the Union retreat through town that afternoon, Mary
braved the combatants and bullets in the street and returned home to find her
front step " ... covered with blood," and cautiously entered, " ... expecting to
find (her family) all dead." Her fears were unfounded. The Scotts were unharmed and
busy attending a crown of wounded and unwounded Union soldiers seeking aid and
shelter inside the building. Confederates arrived and captured the soldiers without
incident; the severely wounded were permitted to remain in the family's care. The house
served as a hospital to these wounded until after the Confederate retreat.
-.::;;;;;;_;_;~-
4. "...the pathos of those poor wounded men ... " Wayside near 30 Chambersburg St.
Completed in 1836, Christ Lutheran Church is the oldest church building in
Gettysburg used continuously for religious worship. During the Battle of
Gettysburg it became a haven serving humanity. When the first wounded
appeared along Chambersburg Street, the church's doors were thrown open to
serve as a hospital. Within a few hours the chancel, pews and aisles were filled 1 ~,.....111
to capacity with stricken and suffering Union soldiers who remained under
care until late July. On the Sunday, July 7th, following the Confederate withdrawal, the
church was able to conduct a brief service for parishioners and patients. The experience
was uplifting and memorable. Mary Horner long remembers, " ... the pathos of those poor
wounded men as they sang." This was the last service until July 29th, after the wounded
were removed to the consolidated army hospital, Camp Letterman, east of town.
5. T.T.Tate House and C. W. Hoffman Building 115 and 117-119 Chambersburg St.
These two structures stand on the site of a carriage-making facility owned
and operated by Charles William Hoffman from 1839 to c.1855. The two- ---···'"'~
story frame house with the front facade cased in brick was constructed
sometime prior to 1843, and is the last remaining dwelling associated with
Hoffman's enterprise. One ofHoffman's employees was Wesley Culp, who left Gettysburg
with Hoffman c.185 5 and enlisted in the Confederate army in 186 1. He was killed on his
uncle's farm near Culp's Hill. After the War, Dr. Theodore T. Tate, one of the physicians
in Adams County capable of performing surgery, built this fine example of a Carpenter
Gothic cottage in 1867. As a member of the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry in 1863, Tate
guided Union General Gregg's Cavalry Division from Hanover to Gettysburg on July 2.
6. Michael Jacobs House, 10 1 West Middle St. Built c.1830
Born in neighboring Franklin County, Pennsylvania, the Reverend Doctor
Michael Jacobs moved to Gettysburg in 1829. When Pennsylvania College
was founded in 1832, Jacobs was elected Professor ofMathematics and
Science. Jacobs also studied meteorology and, starting early in life,
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recorded regular weather observations until his death in 1871. Thanks to Professor
Jacobs, historians today know what the weather conditions and cloud cover were like
during the battle in 1863 .
7. Daniel Lashells House 127 South Washington St. Built c.l859
Daniel Lashells, son of a prominent tavern keeper and stage line operator
in Gettysburg, built this modest house c.1859. Family history relates how
the Lashells family hid in the basement, while Union and Confederate
troops occupied the house. Many other families in town also hid in their
basements during the two days of Confederate occupation.
8. James and Catherine Foster House, 155 South Washington St. Built 1859
Two surgeons from the Union First Corps, a Dr. Bache of Philadelphia,
~·8.·
and
a Dr. Hearde of Boston, spent the night of July 2 in this house after
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.• ' operating constantly for two days. They arose at 6:00a.m., ate a hurried
breakfast and left. Five minutes later a shell crashed into the bedroom
where they had slept, tearing the bed clothes to pieces. This was followed
immediately by a second shell, which burst in the breakfast room over the table where
they had eaten. The force broke the forks, and drove the weights of the clock through the
far wall. A third shell entered through the jambs of the fireplace and hurled the mantel
across the room.
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9. The Gettysburg Academy, 66-68 West High St. Built 1813-1814
Before public education was funded in Pennsylvania, most schools were
established through private efforts. The Gettysburg Academy was one of
those privately- funded ventures. Though the school later developed
financial difficulties, this dwelling served as the first building of the
Gettysburg Lutheran Theological Seminary and Pennsylvania College. At the time of the
battle, this dwelling was owned by the heirs of Reverend David Eyster, who had died in
1860. Mrs. Eyster continued to operate a young women's academy here when the Civil
War began. There is an artillery shell embedded in the upper wall of this building.
10. Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 43 West High St. Consecrated 1853
Note the two memorial plaques on either side ofthe main entrance. One
commemorates Father William Corby, a chaplain in the Union Irish
Brigade, and the second honors the Sisters of Charity from Emmitsburg,
Mary]and, who were later known as the "Angels ofthe Battlefield." The
Sisters assisted in the caring for the wounded at several of the field
hospitals in town. This church alone housed some 250 wounded soldiers.
An operating table was located just inside the main entrance to allow
daylight for the surgeon during operations. Sister Serena Klirnkiewicz, one of the
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"Angels," found her brother among the wounded. They were descendants ofThaddeus
Kosciusko, a famous American Revolutionary War general. The present granite facade
was added in the 1920s.
11. "I can see them yet," Wayside near 303 Baltimore St.
• This building was the home of the James Pierce family during the Battle of
Gettysburg. Tillie Pierce, a 15 year old school girl at the time, provided a
vivid account of events from those days. The alarm that "The Rebels Are
Coming!" caused a mass exodus from Gettysburg by free, African~~~~~ American citizens (8% of the population) who feared capture and
enforced slavery. Tillie described their passing by her house: "I can see them yet; men and
women with bundles... children also ... The greatest consternation was depicted on all their
countenances as they hurried along;...towards the woods on Culp's Hill." On the morning
of July 2nd Confederate sharpshooters established their headquarters along the
Breckenridge Street side of the Pierce house. For two days Confederates sheltered
themselves outside the building while inside the Pierce's successfully hid and sustained
five wounded Union soldiers. Following the battle the Pierce family took in and nursed
the severely wounded Colonel William Colvill, 1st Minnesota Infantry, to a successful
recovery.
G. "...killed two up in Mr. Schriver's house ... '' Wayside near 309 Baltimore St.
This 1860 house, constructed with a saloon and ten-pin alley, was the
wartime resdence of George and Henrietta Schriver. At the time of the
battle, George was away serving in a Union Cavalry regiment. In the early
afternoon of July 1st Henrietta took her two children and neighbor, Tillie
Pierce, to seek refuge at her family's farm near Little Round Top.
Confederate soldiers commandeered her premises and set up a
----~'------' sharpshooter's position. For the next two days they exchanged rifle shots
with their Union adversaries on Cemetery Hill, firing from makeshift portholes knocked
through the south garret wall. Their deadly game was not played without a cost. John
Rupp, a neighbor, noted in a post battle letter that Union snipers "... killed two up in Mr.
Schriver's house ..." Bloody fighting conducted from their home would not be the last of
the war's cruel fate to touch the Schriver family. On August 27 1864 Sergeant George W.
Schriver, captured eight months earlier in Virginia, died while imprisoned at
Andersonville, Georgia. The house has been restored and is QOW open to the public.
12. A Union General Escapes Capture, 319 Baltimore St.
In 1863, this building to your right was the home and cabinetmaker's shop
of Henry Garlach and family. Cut off during the Union retreat to Cemetery
Hill, General Alexander Schirnmelfennig was able to avoid capture by the
Confederates, when he hid here for three days in the back yard, shielded
lie::'--- -- - behind a stack of firewood and a hog slop barrel situated along the front
of the kitchen woodshed. General Schirnmelfennig was sustained with food and water
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