The Devil's Den

          One of the most interesting areas during the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg is the Devil’s Den. The intention here is not to recount the history of that fighting. You can read all of that elsewhere on line or in one of the many excellent books on the subject.

          The intent here is to give the reader a chance to see approximately what some of the combatants might have seen on July 2, 1863.

The view of the Devil's Den from Little Round Top.

          The first image is of the Den itself from Little Round Top, something like what General Warren might have seen when he famously stood on a boulder and correctly determined what the Confederate plans were. The huge boulders are the Den.

An image from a few days after the battle, This is a dead
Confederate soldier next to Plum Run.

The bushy area to the left of the modern day parking lot is also strewn with boulders but the big rocks are hidden by trees and other plant life today that was not there in 1863. There is also a minor stream that sometimes is more evident than other times named Plum Run. It meanders through the same location to the left of the parking lot.

Near the area in the image above, the marshy water of Plum Run
in the rocky area of the Devil"s Den.

Thus the defenders and attackers had to deal with changes in elevation, boulders, some surrounded by water, plus all the firepower available to the opposing soldiers.

To the far right of the first image is part of a ridge that extends a distance north of the Den. Just a few yards along that ridge is the approximate location where the 4^th New York Independent Battery located four canons for the federals. The next two views show something like what the Fourth might have seen (minus the paved road and directional sides from the modern day). The farm buildings in the distance are representative of a farm that stood in the same location at the time of the battle.

When you walk in the areas pictured here, it looks different than it did at the time the battle because there was less plant life. The topography was an important part of the challenge troops faced that day but there is no way you can understand how much of an impact the grounds made on the difficulties the fighters faced until you walk the areas pictured here.

A union sharpshooting unit sniped at the Confederates from the moment the southerners began their advance, which means that Federal group covered almost the entire area pictured here and continued to fall back even beyond the Devil’s Den. When we discuss the second day of the fighting, we frequently forget to talk about the physical effort the Union sharpshooters made that afternoon.

Walk the grounds sometime. There are plenty of easily found pathways starting from the Confederate staging areas on Seminary Ridge. Little Round Top is easy to aim for, but another challenge might be to aim for the Devil’s Den.

Be sure you stop at the Visitors Center and talk to the Rangers about your plan to walk this part of the battlefield. They’ll have plenty of advice that will make it a more enjoyable experience for you.

Be sure you carry sunscreen and water before you start. Wear a shady hat.

 

And thanks for reading.