Oak Ridge stop on the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour

GETTYSBURG BATTLEFIELD TOUR STOP 3
Oak Ridge

When you were at the second stop on the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour, the Eternal Light Peace Memorial on Oak Hill, you were standing on the Confederate line north of Gettysburg and facing the Union troops on Oak Ridge. Here at the third stop on the tour you are now on Oak Ridge and facing the Confederates. You can easily see Oak Hill a quarter mile away. For an even better view, climb to the top of the observation tower at this stop. You can see the battlefield in all directions.

When Major General John Reynold’s I Corps arrived in Gettysburg around 10 AM to reinforce Brigadier General John Buford’s cavalry on the west side of town, which by then had been driven back to McPherson Ridge, his men formed a battle line that extended along today’s Reynolds Avenue south to near Fairfield Road (Hagerstown Road in 1863) and about a half mile north of the Chambersburg Pike. Tragically, Reynolds was killed soon after arriving, but before his death he sent a messenger south to find Major General Oliver Howard and ask him to move his XI Corps to Gettysburg as quickly as possible.

Upon Reynold’s death, Major General Abner Doubleday (of baseball legend) took command of I Corps. Realizing the Confederate II Corps of Lieutenant General Richard Ewell would soon be arriving from the north and that his right flank would be exposed, he directed Brigadier General John Robinson, commander of the Second Division of I Corps, to extend the line. Robinson sent the newly arrived 2nd Brigade (part of his division) commanded by Brigadier General Henry Baxter north to Oak Ridge. The 2nd Brigade was comprised of regiments from Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania. This brigade now anchored the right flank of I Corps.

Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com

Howard’s three divisions arrived during the noon-time lull in the fighting. He positioned the First and Third Divisions north of Gettysburg, with the left flank just a few hundred yards from Baxter’s 2nd Brigade. By the time the fighting began again around 1 PM, the Union line extended east to near the Heidlersburg Road (now the Harrisburg Road). Howard held back the Second Division and placed it on the high ground south of the town at Cemetery Hill. Combined with I Corps to the west, the Union battle line formed a hook around the western, northwestern, and northern perimeter of Gettysburg.

Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.co

The fighting on Oak Ridge is covered in the review of the Eternal Light Peace Memorial / Oak Hill tour stop here on National Park Planner, so I’m not going to rehash the details. However, Oak Ridge was not the only place where fighting was going on north of Gettysburg. A brigade commanded by Brigadier General George Doles anchored the left flank of the Confederate line near Carlisle Road. Doles’ men were engaged with Union infantrymen commanded by Colonel George von Amsberg. Some of the fighting occurred on the other side of Mummasburg Road at the McClean farm. You can see the McClean farmhouse and red barn from the tour stop. A number of Confederate soldiers were captured by the 45th New York Infantry when they took cover inside the barn.

McClean Barn near Oak Ridge, Gettysburg National Military Park

These early Union victories just bought time, for fresh Confederate troops continued to arrive. Around 3 PM, another division of the Confederate II Corps commanded by Major General Jubal Early came marching down Harrisburg Road. Of his 5,000 men, 3,000 attacked the Union right flank on Blocher’s Knoll, a small hill defended by 2,000 troops commanded by Brigadier General Francis Barlow (the knoll is now know as Barlow Knoll). Barlow had moved his men to this knoll without orders. It was a great defensive position, but it left a gap between his men and the XI Corps’ Third Division on his left, not to mention that both of his flanks were exposed. Major General Carl Schurz attempted to close the gap, but Confederate artillery fire prohibited the move. Early’s men smashed through Barlow’s position, while Confederate troops on the other side of the line at Oak Hill renewed their attack on the XI Corps left flank / I Corps right flank with the same success Early had. Soon the entire XI Corps was in retreat.

Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com

Union troops had no better luck on the western front, and by 4:30 PM the entire Union line collapsed. Soldiers made a hasty retreat through town towards the high ground south of Gettysburg at Cemetery Hill and Culp’s Hill where Howard had wisely stationed his Second Division earlier in the day. Thus ended the fighting on July 1, 1863.

Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com

While not an official stop on the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour, the tour road does pass Barlow Knoll where there is parking, wayside exhibits, cannon, and plenty more monuments. If you don’t want to stop at Barlow Knoll, stay on the main road, Doubleday Avenue, once you leave the parking area for Oak Ridge. If you do want to see it, take a left onto Robinson Road just past the parking lot. Turn right onto Mummasburg Road when Robinson Road dead ends into it, then a left on Howard Avenue (first paved road on the left). This will take you to Barlow Knoll.

Cannon on Barlow Knoll, Gettysburg National Historical Park

The route to Barlow Knoll passes by the Old Alms House Cemetery on Howard Road. This is not a Civil War cemetery but the cemetery of the Adams County Almshouse, a shelter for the poor, sick, and mentally ill. It opened in 1816 and operated up until 1964. During the Battle of Gettysburg its barn was used as a hospital. By 1974 all of the buildings had been demolished. The property is now home to the Adams County Agricultural and Natural Resources Center. The cemetery was left in place. Most of the graves I saw were from the 1880s. Feel free to park along the road and visit the cemetery.

Alms House Cemetery on Howard Avenue in Gettysburg

Because the road to Barlow Knoll is one way, it’s difficult to get back to Oak Ridge where it would make sense to continue the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour. However, it’s not really necessary to follow the route exactly. Tour Stop 4 is south of Gettysburg, nowhere near Oak Ridge, so just figure out how to get to Stop 4 by using the various city streets, which is what I did.

The following are some of the monuments near the Oak Ridge and Barlow Knoll stops on the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour. (Dedication date is in parenthesis.)

MONUMENTS AT THE OAK RIDGE TOUR STOP

90th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument (1888), Gettysburg National Military Park

12 Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Monument (1885), Gettysburg National Military Park

83rd New York Infantry Monument (1888), Gettysburg National Military Park

General John Cleveland Robinson Memorial (1917), Gettysburg National Military Park

MONUMENTS ALONG HOWARD AVENUE ON THE WAY TO BARLOW KNOLL

45th New York Infantry Monument (188), Gettysburg National Military Park

74th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument (1888), Gettysburg National Military Park

61st Ohio Infantry Monument (1887), Gettysburg National Military Park

Battery I, 1st Ohio Artillery Monument (1887), Gettysburg National Military Park

58th New York Infantry Monument (1888), Gettysburg National Military Park

MONUMENTS AT BARLOW KNOLL

153rd Pennsylvania Infantry (1889), Gettysburg National Military Park

Tour Stop 4 | Tour Stop 2 | Battlefield Tour Home Page

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