View of Little Round Top from Devil’s Den, Gettysburg National Military Park

GETTYSBURG BATTLE FIELD TOUR STOP 8

Little Round Top

Little Round Top is the eighth stop on the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour. It is located on Sykes Avenue on the southeast side of Gettysburg National Military Park. This is the most interesting of all stops on the tour. From here you have a commanding view to the west where the Confederate line had formed on July 2, 1863, the second day of the battle.

View of the Gettysburg battlefield from Little Round Top

Below Little Round Top are the boulders of Devil’s Den where intense fighting took place around 4 PM. Though not an official stop on the battlefield tour, you can visit it either by walking or driving. It is the coolest place on the battlefield.

View of Devil’s Den from Little Round Top at Gettysburg National Military Park

To reach the Little Round Top attractions, take any of the three paved paths that lead from the parking area to the top of the hill. Another paved path runs the length of the hill. Along the path are wayside exhibits about the battle and a number of monuments.

Observation area at the crest of Little Round Top, Gettysburg National Military Park

Hilly terrain at Little Round Top, Gettysburg National Military Park

The two most impressive monuments on Little Round Top are the 44th New York Infantry Monument (the one that looks like a castle) and the 91st Pennsylvania Infantry Monument, which is on the edge of a cliff, so it’s difficult to see the front of it.

91st Pennsylvania Infantry Monument (dedicated in 1889) at Gettysburg National Military Park

To get a photo of the New York monument you must walk down the hill in front of it and take the photo looking back up. The perspective gets crazy. If you have a good telephoto lens, you are better off photographing these two monuments from Devil’s Den. Just remember, if you want good photos from Little Round Top looking towards Devil’s Den, you must visit in the morning. If you want photographs of the monuments on Little Round Top, be there in the late afternoon or early evening.

44th New York Infantry Monument (1893) on Little Round Top, Gettysburg National Military Park

44th New York Infantry Monument (1893) on Little Round Top photographed from Devil’s Den, Gettysburg National Military Park

FIGHTING AT LITTLE ROUND TOP

Tour stops 4 through 7 cover the Gettysburg battlefield from the Confederate point of view. At Little Round Top, you are now on the Union battle line—to be more exact, the Union left flank. While Little Round Top is not as tall as Big Round Top just to the south, in 1863 Big Round Top was covered with trees, making it impractical to station men and artillery on it. At the time, Little Round Top had very few trees. Today both hills are forested.

At the start of the day on July 2nd, the Union battle line formed an upside-down hook. In the north, it curved east to west around Culp’s Hill and Cemetery Hill, then ran south along the high ground of Cemetery Ridge, ending at Little Round Top, an area defended by Major General Daniel Sickles’ III Corps. Prior to the war, Sickles was a Tammany Hall politician in New York. He was elected to the U. S. Congress in 1856, and while in Washington, he shot and killed Phillip Key, son of Francis Scott Key, in broad daylight for having an affair with his wife. Sickles claimed temporary insanity—supposedly the first time such a defense was used—and after the newspapers got ahold of the story and hailed him as a hero for killing a womanizing adulterer, he was acquitted of murder. Supposedly he was bragging about beating the rap the next day. Needless to say, he was somewhat of a character.

Sickles tried to rebuild his reputation by raising a volunteer unit of New Yorkers for the war. He eventually gained the rank of general largely through political connections. On one occasion when he was promoted to general, Congress refused to confirm his commission, so he turned to political friends to have the decision changed. Another time President Lincoln himself nominated Sickles to major general, and while he was eventually granted the rank, it took Congress over three months to confirm him. He was the only corps commander in the Union army at Gettysburg who did not attend West Point. 

While supposedly a competent leader and loved by his men, Sickles did lack former military training and experience. However, this did not keep him from coming to the conclusion that the commander of the Army of the Potomac, General George Meade, had it all wrong about defending Little Round Top. Thus, around 2 PM Sickles decided to move his men a half mile forward to the high ground along Emmitsburg Road at the Sherfy Family’s peach orchard. His new line formed a salient (angle), with the Peach Orchard itself being the forward point. The line ran northeast of the orchard along Emmitsburg Road to near the Codori Farm, and southeast along Wheatfield Road until turning south at Houck’s Ridge and ending at a rocky area known as Devil’s Den. The problem with a salient is that it can be attacked on both sides at once. Furthermore, the amount of ground III Corps now covered was more than it had to cover on Little Round Top, so the men were stretched much thinner. And if all that is not bad enough, Little Round Top, a key strategic position, was no longer defended.

When fighting began, General Meade asked Brigadier General Gouverneur Warren to ride down Cemetery Ridge and check to make sure everything was in order. At the time, Warren was Chief Engineer of the Army of the Potomac and did not command any troops. When he reached Little Round Top, he noticed that Sickles was not there and that the position was essentially deserted. He could see the Confederate infantry on its way, so he sent an aide who was riding with him to look for men to defend the position. A statue of Warren now stands on the spot at Little Round Top where he supposedly first spotted the III Corps down below at the Peach Orchard.

Statue of Brigadier General Gouverneur Warren on Little Round Top, Gettysburg National Military Park

Major General George Sykes, commander of the Union V Corps, got Warren’s message and agreed to send Brigadier General James Barnes’s division to Little Round Top. However, before the message was carried to Barnes, Colonel Strong Vincent, commander of the 3rd Brigade of the V Corps’ First Division, heard about the situation and took four of his regiments to protect the exposed left flank. He and his 1,300 men arrived only ten minutes before the Confederates and immediately came under fire.

Vincent positioned his men in a semicircle along the slopes at the southern end of Little Round Top facing in the direction of Devil’s Den, as that was where the Confederates were coming from. If you look towards Devil’s Den, you will see a small monument on the slope. This is the 16th Michigan Infantry Monument, the regiment positioned on the right flank of the defense. To the left of the Michigan troops were the 44th New York Infantry, and next to them the 83rd Pennsylvania Infantry. The left flank was anchored by 350 men of the 20th Maine Infantry commanded by Colonel Joshua Chamberlain. This position is on the rear slope of the hill. When you drove up Sykes Avenue to the Little Round Top parking area, you drove right through the area manned by the 20th Maine.

View from Little Round Top—the Monument in the lower left of the photo is the 16th Michigan Infantry Monument.

The attack on Devil’s Den and Little Round Top originated from the Confederate left flank on Warfield Ridge where Major General John Bell Hood commanded a division of Lieutenant General James Longstreet’s I Corp. Despite heavy losses, the Confederates overran Union positions at Devil’s Den, and from there Brigadier General Evander Law’s Alabama Brigade and Brigadier General Jerome Robertson’s brigade of Texas and Arkansas infantrymen proceeded to attack Little Round Top. If you visit Devil’s Den, you’ll see just how difficult it would be to take the position at the top of the hill.

Hoods’ attack on Devil’s Den and Little Round Top (map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com)

The Texans attacked Vincent’s right and center positions, and soon the Michigan regiment was on the verge of collapse. Warren, in the meantime, was still hunting for troops to reinforce Little Round Top and was able to send the 140th New York Infantry led by Colonel Patrick O’Rorke just in time to halt the Texans. The hill was soon fortified by the rest of Brigadier General Stephen Weed’s 3rd Brigade (the 140th New York was part of this brigade).

Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com

During the fighting, Vincent was hit by a bullet; he died five days later in a hospital. O’Rorke was also shot dead. Weed soon joined him, killed by a Confederate sniper at Devil’s Den. When artillery commander Charles Hazlett came to Weed’s aid, he was killed as well.

Memorial for Colonel Patrick O’Rorke on Little Big Round Top, Gettysburg National Military Park

Intense fighting also took place on the southern slope of Little Round Top at the area guarded by the 20th Maine Infantry. After being continually hammered by the 47th and 15th Alabama infantry regiments and nearly out of ammunition, Colonel Chamberlain ordered a bayonet attack, and what was left of his men (a third had been killed or wounded at this point) charged down the hill. This sent the shocked Alabama troops running in retreat, putting an end to the Confederate threat on the left flank. Had Chamberlain failed, the Confederates could have pushed the entire Union line back to Cemetery Hill. Chamberlin was later awarded the Medal of Honor.

A memorial for the 20th Maine Infantry is in the woods on the slope of Little Round Top. If you want to see it, there is a parking lot on Wright Avenue, the road Sykes Avenue crosses just before coming to the Little Round Top parking area. The monument is up a hill within sight distance of the parking lot.

20th Maine Infantry monument is up the hill from the Wright Avenue parking lot at Gettysburg battlefield

If you are already at Little Round Top, you cannot drive back down to Wright Avenue because the road is one way. Thus, you’ll have to walk. Head south (down the hill) on Sykes Avenue for about a hundred yards until you come to a paved walkway on your left. Once on this path the trail forks almost immediately. Either route will get you to the monument, but the quickest way is to take the fork to the right on the narrower path. However, this is also the steepest route. Keep in mind that if you take the longer route that you won’t actually pass the monument—you’ll come to the parking lot on Wright Avenue first. If you walk back via Sykes Avenue, the round trip is .4 mile.

20th Maine Infantry Monument at Gettysburg National Military Park

FIGHTING AT DEVIL’S DEN

After finishing up at Little Round Top, you’ll most likely want to visit Devil’s Den. You can walk either along the park roads (back down Sykes, right on Warren, left on Sickles—half mile, one way) or on the trail down the slope (quarter mile, one way). The trail starts at the base of the 44th New York Infantry Monument. Yes it’s a little steep, but so is the walk down Sykes Avenue. The difference is that you aren’t as likely to twist an ankle walking on the road.

It’s a quarter-mile walk from Little Round Top to Devils Den, Gettysburg National Military Park

If you choose to drive, continue north on Sykes Avenue and take a left at the next intersection, Wheatfield Road. This follows the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour route. Take another left at the following intersection with Crawford Avenue and continue driving until you reach the Devil’s Den parking lot a little less than a half mile away (the road becomes Sickles Avenue). The turn onto Crawford veers from the tour route, but don’t worry about it. In fact, why the tour route bypasses Devil’s Den to begin with is beyond me. To get to the next stop on the tour, The Wheatfield, just continue on Sickles Avenue and you’ll come right to it. Easy enough. No need to backtrack and follow the official route.

There are numerous paved paths that wind through Devil’s Den, including one that leads to the top of the boulders for the best view of Little Round Top. Remember, to photograph from Devil’s Den towards Little Round Top you must be at Devil’s Den in the late afternoon or early evening. If you want to photograph Devil’s Den itself and all the monuments, visit in the morning. In the evening the boulders are in the shadows.

Photo of Little Round Top taken at 5 PM from Devil’s Den, Gettysburg National Military Park

Boulders at Devil’s Den at 8 AM, Gettysburg National Military Park

Boulders at Devil’s Den at 8 AM, Gettysburg National Military Park

Devil’s Den is an area of large boulders on the south end of Houck’s Ridge. On July 2, 1863, this was the left flank of Daniel Sickles’ Peach Orchard Salient. The small creek, Plum Run, is just to the east, and the slopes of Little Round Top begin on the other side of the creek. Positioned along Houck’s Ridge was the 2nd Brigade of Major General David Birney’s First Division under the command of Brigadier General Hobart Ward. The 2nd Brigade was comprised of eight regiments, with men from Indiana, Maine, Pennsylvania, and New York. The 124th New York Infantry was the regiment positioned at Devil’s Den. Keep in mind that during the fighting that soldiers would have been at the top of the boulder field, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to see and shoot at Confederate soldiers marching towards them. The area of Devil’s Den facing the parking lot would be a good place to hide from the fight.

124th New York Infantry Monument at Devil’s Den, Gettysburg National Military Park

4th Maine Infantry Monument at Devil’s Den, Gettysburg National Military Park

Also positioned at Devil’s Den was Captain James Smith’s 4th New York Independent Battery with its six 10-pounder Parrott Rifles (pounder refers to the weight of the cannonball that can be fired from the gun). Four of the guns were on Houck’s Ridge. If you walk to the top of Devils Den, you will see the 4th New York Independent Battery Monument and cannons marking the general area of this unit’s position.

4th New York Independent Battery Monument at Devil’s Den, Gettysburg National Military Park

Around 4 PM, four Confederate brigades of Major General John Bell Hood’s division launched an attack on Houck’s Ridge, Devil’s Den, and Little Round Top. The true prize was Little Round Top, but it was impossible to capture the hill without marching within range of Union bullets and artillery shells fired from Houck’s Ridge, so this threat had to be eliminated. Concentrating on Devil’s Den was Brigadier General Henry Benning’s Georgia Brigade and the 1st Texas and 3rd Arkansas infantry regiments of Brigadier General Jerome Robinson. Smith’s artillery opened fire on them as they approached, though this did little to slow their progress.

Cannon of the 4th New York Independent Battery on Houcks Ridge aim towards the Confederate line

Union troops repelled two initial assaults, but they were soon overwhelmed as more and more Confederate soldiers joined the battle. After roughly 90 minutes of fighting, Union troops retreated from Houck’s Ridge towards the Wheatfield and Little Round Top. In addition to taking the ridge, the Confederates captured three Union cannons. They occupied Houck’s Ridge and Devil’s Den for the remainder of the battle. Sharpshooters used the boulders for cover as they fired at Union soldiers on Little Round Top.

Devil’s Den provided good cover for Confederate snipers firing on Little Round Top at Gettysburg

In addition to the 4th New York Independent Battery Monument, from the top of the Devil’s Den boulders you can see the 124th New York Infantry and the 99th Pennsylvania Infantry monuments. They are within walking distance—it’s not far—but there is another parking lot next to these monuments that is just around the corner from the main Devil’s Den parking area.

99th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument at Devil’s Den, Gettysburg National Military Park

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