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Battle of Gettysburg Devil's Den The Round Tops, Little Round Top, Big Round Top, Nicknamed
The Slaughter Pen, Plum Run Valley The Valley of Death, General Hood's Division Charged The Wheatfield History and Map
After the battle, the area between Devil's Den and the Round Tops was nicknamed "The Slaughter
Pen," and Plum Run Valley was referred to as "The Valley of Death."
| Devil's Den from the Valley of Death |
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| Gettysburg NMP |
Located 900 yards west of Little Round Top, this unique landmark lies at the southern end of a forested ridge that
separates Plum Run Valley from the Wheatfield. Considered a curiosity by local residents long before the battle, the huge
granite formations and steep cliffs of Devil's Den provided height and protection for the Union battery placed on the summit. On
the afternoon of July 2, Captain James Smith's 4th New York Battery was stationed here on the extreme left of General Sickles'
advanced Third Corps line. From the summit, Smith could survey the Slyder and Bushman farms up to Warfield Ridge where Longstreet's Confederates readied themselves for the afternoon attack.
Though the position Smith held appeared formidable, there was a major weakness- there was only room for four of Smith's six
guns and no place to safely park the artillery limbers that carried the ammunition chests. Ammunition would have to be run
up the steep hill from the limbers parked on the eastern side of the den. With guns and gunners crowding the summit, there
was precious little room for anything else including infantry support. Smith and his officers hoped that if the Confederates
attacked, they would do so on the west side through a triangular field and not from another direction. Otherwise, they would
be trapped.
| Rock formations at Devil's Den |
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| Gettysburg NMP |
Smith's worse fears came true when Confederates struck the den from three
directions at once. Southerners were awe struck by the terrible nature of the ground. One veteran of the battle described
it as, "a wild, rocky labyrinth which, from its weird, uncanny features, has long been called by the people of the vicinity
the 'Devils Den.' Large rocks from six to fifteen feet high are thrown together in confusion over a considerable area and
yet so disposed as to leave everywhere among them siding passages carpeted with moss. Many of the recesses are never visited
by the sunshine, and a cavernous coolness pervades the air within it." Pastures around the base of the Den were filled with
piles of rocks and large boulders that caused battle formations to fragment. Officers lost control of their commands and soldiers
lost their way in this wild garden of stone. Men scrambled behind boulders for protection from the shower of bullets, shell
and canister.
| 4th New York Battery |
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| Gettysburg NMP |
The 4th New York initially dueled with Confederate batteries near the Emmitsburg
Road three quarters of a mile to the west until Confederate infantry from Brig. General Jerome Robertson's brigade and Brig.
General Henry L. Benning's brigade closed in on their position. The fighting was at close range. Repeated charges by the 15th
Georgia and the 1st Texas Infantry through a triangular-shaped field on the west side of Devil's Den wore down Smith's artillerymen.
When it appeared that the guns were in danger of capture, a desperate counterattack by the 124th New York Infantry stalled
the southern assault. The aggressive Union defense made General Robertson believe that he was outnumbered six to one, but
he rallied his Texans with the 3rd Arkansas Infantry for one last effort. At this same time, Confederates were successfully
driving into the Union rear around the den. With no help in sight and his infantry support withdrawing, Smith knew he would
lose his guns. "The men are instructed to remove all implements if they are compelled to fall back, so that our pieces may
not be turned against us. Alas, we are flanked by the enemy moving through the gorge (and) our pieces are now useless." Shouting
the famous rebel yell, the 1st Texas charged up the triangular field to finally take the summit. Georgian and Texan alike
swarmed over Devil's Den and took three of Smith's guns as prizes. One enthused Texan stood upon one of the cannon and triumphantly
waved the flag of the 1st Texas at the retreating northerners.
| Devil's Den, Gettysburg, 1909 |
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| Library of Congress |
Captain Smith raced to his last two guns stationed on a small knoll in the
Valley of Death: "I run with all speed in me and open fire with these two guns on the troops coming through the gorge. Their
battle flag drops three times from the effect of our canister. Their line wavers and seeks shelter in the woods, but in a
moment they return in a solid mass. The 6th New Jersey moves forward across my front, then the 40th New York passes through
the park of horses and carriages stationed near (our) position and attacks Benning's Brigade."
| The large rocks afforded shelter to both sides |
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| Devil's Den in 2005 |
Between Devil's Den and Big Round Top the valley narrowed into a boulder-choked
gorge cut by a slow moving stream called Plum Run. Rushed into the marshy valley, Union infantry battled Alabama and Georgia
troops who had swept around the Den to threaten the Union rear. With sword in hand, Colonel William F. Perry ordered his 44th
Alabama Infantry to charge through the gorge: "I received an order to capture the battery at the Devil's Den. I at once resolved
to make the attack from the woods south of the battery. My regiment, which was near the center, was thrown to the left by
an oblique march... wheeled so as to face to the north, and at once moved upon the point of attack. As the line emerged from
the woods into the open space, a sheet of flame burst from the rocks less than a hundred yards away. A few scattering shots
in the beginning gave warning in time for my men to fall flat, and thus largely escape the effect of the main volley. No language
can express the intensity of the solicitude with which I surveyed the strange, wild situation which suddenly burst upon my
view. Before the enemy had time to reload their guns a decision was made. Leaping over my prostrate line, I shouted the order
'Forward!' and started for the rocks. The response was a bound, a yell, and a rush..."
(Picture to the Right: Union retreat from Devil's Den; drawn by Alfred
Waud after the battle. Battles and Leaders.)
The battle lines surged back and forth until the outnumbered Union troops
were forced to retreat. One wing of 44th Alabama rushed to the summit of Devil's Den where Major George Cary planted the regiment's
flag among the boulders. "A few minutes later," Colonel Perry recalled, "the Major found me among the rocks near the foot
of the hill, prostrated by heat and excessive exertion (and) exhibited an armful of swords as trophies of his victory." In
the hands of the Confederates, Devil's Den soon became a haven for Confederate sharpshooters who practiced their deadly craft on Union targets on Little Round Top. As the battle for Devil's Den raged, the last brigade of General Hood's Division charged toward the Wheatfield.
(Photo to the Left: Little Round Top from Devil's Den, taken by Timothy
O'Sullivan on July 6, 1863. Library of Congress.)
After the battle, the area between Devil's Den and the Round Tops was nicknamed
"The Slaughter Pen," and Plum Run Valley was referred to as "The Valley of Death." The names have remained to this very
day. Dead of both armies littered the landscape and it was over a week after the battle ended before all of the bodies were
buried. Twenty years later this area had become one of the most heavily visited sites on the battlefield. Hundreds of visitors
tramped over the area and thrilled themselves climbing over the large boulders of Devil's Den or exploring the small coves
of Plum Run. Gettysburg photographer William Tipton established a photo gallery here at the Slaughter Pen where he sold battlefield
photos to these early tourists and took their images perched among the boulders in Devil's Den. Tipton was later contracted
to photograph the work performed by the park commission of the United States War Department, which laid out the avenues and
placed many of the position markers in the park. By the turn of the century, a group of entrepreneurs had constructed the
"Gettysburg Electric Railway" through this portion of the battlefield. The rail line transported tourists aboard an electric
trolley car to and around Devil's Den, through the Valley of Death, and across the base of Little Round Top. The controversial
trolley was finally removed after 1915, but the old rail bed is still visible today.
Source: National Park Service; Gettysburg National Military Park
Recommended Reading: Devil's Den: A History and Guide. Description: One of the most
fascinating aspects of the Battle of Gettysburg comes alive in this volume, Devil’s Den: A History and Guide.
Don’t let the word “Guide” in the title make you think that it is a pseudo-tour guide booklet, because this
work is an exhaustive history regarding that hotly contested and fiercely fought area named “The Devil’s Den.“
The authors are both licensed battlefield guides, which adds that personal touch to the book and makes for a lively read.
In addition, rare period photographs and a guided tour section enhance this enlightening and entertaining book. Continued
below...
Attention to detail has been applied
with the inclusion of numerous photos and an exhaustive history about the Devil's Den. With few books being dedicated
to this historic battle and battlefield, this book belongs in every Civil War buff’s library…
Recommended
Reading: Gettysburg--The Second Day, by Harry W. Pfanz (624 pages). Description: The second
day's fighting at Gettysburg—the assault of the Army of Northern Virginia against the
Army of the Potomac on 2 July 1863—was probably
the critical engagement of that decisive battle and, therefore, among the most significant actions of the Civil War. Harry
Pfanz, a former historian at Gettysburg National
Military Park, has written a
definitive account of the second day's brutal combat. He begins by introducing the men and units that were to do battle, analyzing
the strategic intentions of Lee and Meade as commanders of the opposing armies, and describing the concentration of forces
in the area around Gettysburg. He then examines the development
of tactical plans and the deployment of troops for the approaching battle. But the emphasis is on the fighting itself. Pfanz
provides a thorough account of the Confederates' smashing assaults—at Devil's Den and Little Round Top, through the
Wheatfield and the Peach Orchard, and against the Union center at Cemetery Ridge. He also details the Union defense that eventually
succeeded in beating back these assaults, depriving Lee's gallant army of victory. Continued below...
Pfanz analyzes
decisions and events that have sparked debate for more than a century. In particular he discusses factors underlying the Meade-Sickles
controversy and the questions about Longstreet's delay in attacking the Union left. The narrative is also enhanced by thirteen superb maps, more than eighty illustrations,
brief portraits of the leading commanders, and observations on artillery, weapons, and tactics that will be of help even to
knowledgeable readers. Gettysburg—The Second Day
is certain to become a Civil War classic. What makes the work so authoritative is Pfanz's mastery of the Gettysburg literature and his unparalleled knowledge of the ground on which the fighting
occurred. His sources include the Official Records, regimental histories and personal reminiscences from soldiers North and
South, personal papers and diaries, newspaper files, and last—but assuredly not least—the Gettysburg battlefield.
Pfanz's career in the National Park Service included a ten-year assignment as a park historian at Gettysburg. Without doubt, he knows the terrain of the battle as well as he knows the battle
itself.
Recommended Reading:
Twilight at Little Round Top: July 2, 1863,
The Tide Turns at Gettysburg (Hardcover). Description: "Few military episodes of the Civil War have attracted
as much attention as the struggle for Little Round Top on the second day of Gettysburg.
This judicious and engaging book navigates confidently through a welter of contradictory testimony to present a splendid account
of the action. It also places events on Little Round Top, which often are exaggerated, within the broader sweep of the battle.
All readers interested in the battle of Gettysburg will read
this book with enjoyment and profit." —Gary W. Gallagher, author of The Confederate War. "Here is the real story of
the epic fight for Little Round Top, shorn of the mythology long obscuring this pivotal Gettysburg
moment. A vivid and eloquent book." —Stephen W. Sears, author of Gettysburg.
Continued below…
"In his beautifully
written narrative, Glenn LaFantasie tells the story of the battle for Little Round Top from the perspective of the soldiers
who fought and died in July 1863. Using well-chosen quotes from a wide variety of battle participants, TWILIGHT puts the reader
in the midst of the fight—firing from behind boulders with members of the 4th Alabama, running up the hillside into battle with the men of the 140th New York, and watching in horror as far too many men die. This book offers an elegy to the
courage of those men, a meditation on the meaning of war, and a cautionary tale about the sacrifices nations ask of their
soldiers and the causes for which those sacrifices are needed." --Amy Kinsel, Winner of the 1993 Allan Nevins Prize for From
These Honored Dead: Gettysburg in American Culture
"Little Round
Top has become iconic in Civil War literature and American memory. In the emotional recollection of our great war, if there
was one speck on the landscape that decided a battle and the future of a nation, then surely this was it. The story of the
July 2, 1863 struggle for that hill outside Gettysburg goes
deeper into our consciousness than that, however. The men who fought for it then and there believed it to be decisive, and
that is why they died for it. Glenn W. LaFantasie's TWILIGHT AT LITTLE ROUND TOP addresses that epic struggle, how those warriors
felt then and later, and their physical and emotional attachment to a piece of ground that linked them forever with their
nation's fate. This is military and social history at its finest." --William C. Davis, author of Lincoln's Men and An Honorable Defeat.
Recommended
Reading: The Artillery of Gettysburg (Hardcover). Description:
The battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, the apex of the Confederacy's
final major invasion of the North, was a devastating defeat that also marked the end of the South's offensive strategy against
the North. From this battle until the end of the war, the Confederate armies largely remained defensive. The Artillery of
Gettysburg is a thought-provoking look at the role of the artillery during the July 1-3, 1863 conflict. Continued below...
During the Gettysburg campaign, artillery had already gained the respect
in both armies. Used defensively, it could break up attacking formations and change the outcomes of battle. On the offense,
it could soften up enemy positions prior to attack. And even if the results were not immediately obvious, the psychological
effects to strong artillery support could bolster the infantry and discourage the enemy. Ultimately, infantry and artillery
branches became codependent, for the artillery needed infantry support lest it be decimated by enemy infantry or captured.
The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia had modified its codependent command system in February 1863. Prior to that, batteries
were allocated to brigades, but now they were assigned to each infantry division, thus decentralizing its command structure
and making it more difficult for Gen. Robert E. Lee and his artillery chief, Brig. Gen. William Pendleton, to control their
deployment on the battlefield. The Union Army of the Potomac had superior artillery capabilities
in numerous ways. At Gettysburg, the Federal artillery had
372 cannons and the Confederates 283. To make matters worse, the Confederate artillery frequently was hindered by the quality
of the fuses, which caused the shells to explode too early, too late, or not at all. When combined with a command structure
that gave Union Brig. Gen. Henry Hunt more direct control--than his Southern counterpart had over his forces--the Federal
army enjoyed a decided advantage in the countryside around Gettysburg. Bradley
M. Gottfried provides insight into how the two armies employed their artillery, how the different kinds of weapons functioned
in battle, and the strategies for using each of them. He shows how artillery affected the “ebb and flow” of battle
for both armies and thus provides a unique way of understanding the strategies of the Federal and Union
commanders.
Recommended
Reading: The Maps of Gettysburg:
The Gettysburg Campaign, June 3 - July 13, 1863
(Hardcover). Description: More academic and photographic accounts on the battle of Gettysburg exist than for all other battles of the Civil War combined-and
for good reason. The three-days of maneuver, attack, and counterattack consisted of literally scores of encounters, from corps-size
actions to small unit engagements. Despite all its coverage, Gettysburg
remains one of the most complex and difficult to understand battles of the war. Author Bradley Gottfried offers a unique approach
to the study of this multifaceted engagement. The Maps of Gettysburg plows new ground in the study of the campaign by breaking
down the entire campaign in 140 detailed original maps. These cartographic originals bore down to the regimental level, and
offer Civil Warriors a unique and fascinating approach to studying the always climactic battle of the war. Continued below...
The Maps of
Gettysburg offers thirty "action-sections" comprising the entire campaign. These include the march to and from the battlefield,
and virtually every significant event in between. Gottfried's original maps further enrich each "action-section." Keyed to
each piece of cartography is detailed text that includes hundreds of soldiers' quotes that make the Gettysburg
story come alive. This presentation allows readers to easily and quickly find a map and text on virtually any portion of the
campaign, from the great cavalry clash at Brandy Station on June 9, to the last Confederate withdrawal of troops across the
Potomac River on July 15, 1863. Serious students of the battle will appreciate the extensive
and authoritative endnotes. They will also want to bring the book along on their trips to the battlefield… Perfect for
the easy chair or for stomping the hallowed ground of Gettysburg,
The Maps of Gettysburg promises to be a seminal work that belongs on the bookshelf of every serious and casual student of
the battle.
Recommended
Reading: Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage. Description: America's
Civil War raged for more than four years, but it is the three days of fighting in the Pennsylvania
countryside in July 1863 that continues to fascinate, appall, and inspire new generations with its unparalleled saga of sacrifice
and courage. From Chancellorsville, where General Robert E. Lee launched his high-risk campaign into the North, to the Confederates'
last daring and ultimately-doomed act, forever known as Pickett's Charge, the battle of Gettysburg gave the Union army a victory
that turned back the boldest and perhaps greatest chance for a Southern nation. Continued below...
Now, acclaimed
historian Noah Andre Trudeau brings the most up-to-date research available to a brilliant, sweeping, and comprehensive history
of the battle of Gettysburg that sheds fresh light on virtually every aspect of it. Deftly balancing his own
narrative style with revealing firsthand accounts, Trudeau brings this engrossing human tale to life as never before.
Recommended Reading: The
History Buff's Guide to Gettysburg (Key People, Places, and
Events) (Key People, Places, and Events).
Description: While most history books are dry monologues of people, places, events and dates,
The History Buff's Guide is ingeniously written and full of not only first-person accounts but crafty prose. For example,
in introducing the major commanders, the authors basically call Confederate Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell a chicken literally. Continued below...
'Bald, bug-eyed,
beak-nosed Dick Stoddard Ewell had all the aesthetic charm of a flightless foul.' To balance things back out a few pages later,
they say federal Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade looked like a 'brooding gargoyle with an intense cold stare, an image in perfect
step with his nature.' Although it's called a guide to Gettysburg, in my opinion, it's an authoritative guide to
the Civil War. Any history buff or Civil War enthusiast or even that casual reader should pick it up.
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