The Peach Orchard at Gettysburg National Military Park

GETTYSBURG BATTLE FIELD TOUR STOP 10
The Peach Orchard

The Peach Orchard at Gettysburg National Military Park is the center and most forward point of a battle line formed on July 2, 1863, when Major General Dan Sickles decided to move his 10,000-man Union III Corps—without orders from General Meade—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 Peach 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 multiple sides at once…and that’s exactly what happened.

When you were at the Pitzer Woods stop on the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour, you were standing at the left flank of Lieutenant General James Longstreet’s I Corps. The line stretched from Pitzer Woods south along Warfield Ridge, ending near the Warfield Ridge tour stop. It was Longstreet’s men who would be responsible for attacking the Union left flank at Little Round Top, and now with Sickles in the way, they had to first defeat the Union III Corps. The men at Pitzer Woods, who were under the command of division leader Major General Lafayette McLaws, would be the ones to launch the attack on the Peach Orchard.

Union cannon at the Peach Orchard aims towards the Confederates at Pitzer Woods, Gettysburg

Lee had planned for the attack on the Union left flank to begin early in the morning on July 2nd (though of course he had no idea that Sickles would there). However, it took most of the day for Longstreet to maneuver his men into place without being detected by the Union troops on Cemetery Ridge. It wasn’t until 4 PM that Confederate artillery began shelling the Peach Orchard and the surrounding area. When the Confederates began their infantry attack at 6 PM and marched towards the Union III Corp, they were initially hammered by artillery. However, the bombardment did not have much effect in halting their advance.

The Peach Orchard was hit hard by Brigadier General William Barksdale’s 1,400-man brigade of Mississippi soldiers (Barksdale’s charge was highlighted at the Pitzer Woods tour stop and is considered one of the greatest charges of the entire war). The Union line began crumbling by 6:30 PM, and soon the troops were retreating back towards Cemetery Ridge with the Confederates in pursuit. By the end of the day the Confederates had rendered the Union III Corps unfit for further combat but had no success in capturing Little Round Top or any other position on Cemetery Ridge.

McLaws’ attack on the Peach Orchard (map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com)

After securing the Peach Orchard, Barksdale’s men moved artillery to the property and begin shelling the retreating Union soldiers. Sickles, whose headquarters was at the nearby Trostle Farm, was hit in the leg by a cannonball and had to have it amputated. He did remain in the army until the end of the war, but not in a combat position. After the war he continued a career as a politician and was one of the congressmen behind the creation of Gettysburg National Military Park. He also waged a smear campaign against Meade in an attempt to defend his actions at Gettysburg. He even claimed that he won the battle for the Union, and today there are historians who argue that his boneheaded move might have actually saved the day by ruining Lee’s battle plan. Thirty-four years after the war he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

At the Peach Orchard stop on the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour, there are plenty of monuments dedicated to the men who fought here, and in the distance you can see the Sherfy Farmhouse and barn. The house is original, and there are still plenty of bullet holes in it. The original barn burned down during the battle. At the time it was being used as a hospital by the Confederates. When the Sherfys returned, they found dead men and horses all around the property and many charred remains inside what was left of the barn, as not everyone was able to get out alive. The current barn was rebuilt by the Sherfys after the battle.

Sherfy Farmhouse and Barn at Gettysburg National Military Park

2nd Fire Zouaves / 73rd New York Infantry Monument (1897), Gettysburg National Military Park

2nd Fire Zouaves / 73rd New York Infantry Monument (1897), Gettysburg National Military Park

Clark’s Battery, 1st New Jersey Artillery Monument (1888), Gettysburg National Military Park

On the way to the next tour stop, Plum Run, is the Trostle Farmhouse, a famous landmark that existed during the battle. In fact, you can still see a hole in the barn made by a cannonball (the actual cannonball is on display at the museum in the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center). The house and barn are private property, but you can park along the road and take photos.

Trostle Farmhouse at Gettysburg National Military Park

Trostle barn with cannonball hole in the wall, Gettysburg National Military Park

If you walk down the dirt road next to the barn, you will come to a monument that marks the spot where Sickles was wounded. The dirt road is part of the Bridle Trail and is open to hikers and horseback riders.

Monument near the Trostle barn marks where Dan Sickles was wounded during the Battle of Gettysburg

During the fighting on July 2nd, Captain John Bigelow’s 9th Massachusetts Battery of 110 men and six 12-pounder cannon (pounder refers to the weight of cannonball that could be shot) deployed along Wheatfield Road about halfway from the Peach Orchard and the Wheatfield. They quickly found themselves without support when the line at the Peach Orchard collapsed, and they were advised to retreat. They did so by the men, not the horses, pulling their guns with them and firing along the way. When they got to the Trostle Farm they were ordered to hold the position at all costs in order to slow the Confederate attack. So many men had to be moved from Cemetery Ridge to help Sickles that there was now a quarter-mile gap in the Union line 500 yards farther back at the center of the ridge. Bigelow’s men had to hold off the Confederates long enough so that other Union artillery batteries could fill the hole.

The 9th Massachusetts soon found themselves fighting Barksdale’s men. They were able to fire three tons of shells before finally being overrun. Twenty-seven men of the battery were killed or wounded. They were still able to save two of their guns; Barksdale’s men got the other four. They also delayed the Confederates long enough for the other Union artillery to get into position.

Position of the 9th Massachusetts Battery at 6 PM on July 2, 1863, during the Battle of Gettysburg

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