Virginia State Memorial at Gettysburg National Military Park

GETTYSBURG BATTLEFIELD TOUR STOP 5
Virginia Memorial

The Virginia Memorial, the fifth stop on the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour, is on West Confederate Avenue, a road that runs along Seminary Ridge up until around Tour Stop 6, then along Warfield Ridge to Tour Stop 7. This road did not exist during the Battle of Gettysburg. It was built in 1900-01 as an enhancement for touring the battlefield. The road follows the Confederate battle line on the second and third days of fighting at Gettysburg, July 2-3, 1863.

The significance of this location on the battlefield is that it was from here that General Robert E. Lee “supposedly” watched Pickett’s Charge on the afternoon of July 3rd, the third and final day of fighting. The 6,000 troops here, which didn’t arrive until the evening of July 2nd, were part of Lieutenant General James Longstreet’s I Corp and under direct command of Major General George Pickett. Nearly all of Pickett’s men were from Virginia, as was Lee.

At 1 PM on July 3rd, Confederate artillery opened fire on Union positions along Cemetery Ridge in an effort to weaken the Union line prior to a major infantry charge. After two hours of shelling, the men on Seminary Ridge set off across the field in what is now known as Pickett’s Charge. Though named after Pickett, other Confederate commanders led men in the charge as well. While some Confederates did reach Cemetery Ridge, nearly half of the 12,000 participants were either killed or wounded. Though unsuccessful, Pickett’s Charge is considered the high point of the Confederate Army’s success. The war went downhill from this day on.