Warfield Ridge stop on the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour

GETTYSBURG BATTLE FIELD TOUR STOP 7
Warfield Ridge

Warfield Ridge, the seventh stop on the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour, is on Confederate Avenue, a road that 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, July 2-3, 1863. It runs along Seminary Ridge from its northern terminus until the Pitzer Woods tour stop (Stop 6), at which point it begins to follow Warfield Ridge.

There is nothing at the Warfield Ridge tour stop other than a wayside exhibit and views of Big Round Top and Little Round Top. Though Big Round Top has a higher elevation and would thus seem like a better defensive position, in 1863 it was covered with trees. Little Round Top, on the other hand, was relatively clear of trees, which meant troops and artillery could be positioned on it. This is where Union commander General George Meade decided to anchor his left flank. Today both hills are covered with trees.

View of Big and Little Round Top from the Warfield Ridge stop on the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour

The house and barn you can see in the distance existed during the battle and was part of the 75-acre farm owned by John and Catherine Slyder. Union soldiers warned them that the Confederates were coming, and the Slyders left Gettysburg before the battle. When they returned, everything was in ruins. Like many Gettysburg residents, they left for good, moving to Ohio a couple months after the battle.

Slyder Farm at Gettysburg National Military Park

The significance of the Warfield Ridge stop on the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour is that this was the location of the Confederate army’s right flank. The troops in this area were part of Lieutenant General James Longstreet’s I Corps. Division commanders were major generals Lafayette McLaws, John Bell Hood, and George Pickett. Pickett did not arrive until the evening of July 2nd, so during the day the alignment of I Corps was McLaws on the left flank and Hood on the right.

On the second day of fighting, Major General Daniel Sickles, the commander of the Union III Corps and originally positioned on Little Round Top, decided to occupy the high ground along Emmitsburg Road, so around 2 PM he moved his troops a half mile west to the Shefy Family’s peach orchard, all without orders to do so. His new line formed an 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.

General Robert E. Lee had planned an 11 AM attack on the Union left, but it took Longstreet all morning and most of the early afternoon to get into position. Some of his men were still up to 20 miles away, and he had to use roundabout routes so that the Union soldiers on Little Round Top would not spot his movement. As a result, the attack did not begin until 4 PM. Longstreet did not agree with Lee’s battle plan, and some historians believe his late arrival to the battlefield was a subtle protest.

Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com

McLaws men at Pitzer Woods spent the day attacking Sickles at the Peach Orchard, the Wheatfield, and along Emmitsburg Road. Hood’s men positioned at Warfield Ridge attacked the Union left flank at Devil’s Den and Little Round Top. Hood managed to overrun Union positions at Devil’s Den, and McLaws had equal success against Sickles’ other positions, and by the end of the day the Confederates occupied the entire area held earlier by the Union III Corps. However, nothing was accomplished as far as taking control of Little Round Top or any other Union position on Cemetery Ridge.

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

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

Just north of the Warfield Ridge tour stop parking area is the Alabama State Memorial. This spot on the battlefield was chosen for the monument because this is where Brigadier General Evander M. Law’s Alabama Brigade began its assault on Devil’s Den and Little Round Top.

Alabama State Memorial at Gettysburg National Military Park

One other monument of interest at the Warfield Ridge tour stop is the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Memorial. The monument was designed by architect Henry Dacy. The bronze statue—a color bearer urging his comrades on—was sculpted by Donald DeLue, the same artist who sculpted the statues on the Louisiana State Memorial and the Mississippi State Memorial. The monument was commissioned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans as a memorial to all Confederate soldiers who fought in the Civil War, not just to those who fought at Gettysburg. It was dedicated in 1965.

Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Memorial at Gettysburg National Military Park

On the way to the next stop on the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour, Little Round Top, there is a parking area for a trail that leads to the summit of Big Round Top. For more information on the hike, see the Big Round Top Trail report here on National Park Planner.

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