Last week, I spent a morning at the Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, PA. I went specifically to photograph some of the statues that face east – so they would be well lit in the early morning light.

The first memorial I photographed was the North Carolina Memorial which depicts five North Carolina soldiers participating in Pickett’s Charge. The Memorial was sculpted by Gutzon Borglum (who also created Mount Rushmore) and is located at Seminary Ridge. The memorial was dedicated on July 3, 1929.

(c) 2008 Patty Hankins

(c) 2008 Patty Hankins

One of the other monuments I photographed last week was the James Longstreet Monument. Dedicated on July 3, 1998, the Longstreet Monument was one of the last monuments added to the Gettysburg National Military Park. Unlike most monuments to generals where the general is depicted on his horse on a large stone base, Longstreet’s monument shows him on his horse at ground level. The Longstreet Monument was created by sculptor Gary Casteel and is located in Pitzer’s Woods

(c) 2008 Patty Hankins

(c) 2008 Patty Hankins

Both the North Carolina Memorial and the James Longstreet Monument are located on West Confederate Avenue in the Gettysburg National Military Park. The Longstreet Monument is not marked on the current PDF map of the park – but if you park in the little parking lot by the ampitheater, the Longstreet Monument is between the parking lot and the road.

Gettysburg National Military Park is located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. A new park visitor center opened on April 14, 2008. Park hours are 6 AM to 10 PM during the summer, the park closes at 7 PM in the winter. There is no entry fee for visiting the park. Fees are charged to see the movie “A New Birth of Freedom” and if you choose to hire a licensed battlefield guide or to take guided bus tour of the park. Civil War Traveler offers several free podcasts with information about key civil war events, including Little Round Top and Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg. For more information on visiting the park, see the Gettysburg National Military Park website.

I also took several photographs of the Virginia Memorial at Gettysburg last week. I’m planning on posting them to my blog later in the week or early next week.