Decoding the Monuments of Gettysburg
Scattered across the rolling fields and wooded slopes of Gettysburg are hundreds of silent sentinels—monuments that commemorate the bravery, loss and leadership of those who fought here. Beyond their striking stone and bronze forms lies a language of symbols: carved details and design choices that tell deeper stories.
Monuments and markers can be broken down into four categories: markers and tablets, state memorials, regimental monuments, and monuments erected to individual soldiers, usually officers. We explore the hidden meanings behind the marks and shapes of Gettysburg’s monuments, along with intriguing facts that even seasoned visitors may not know.
2. A few monuments contradict the supposed “hoof code.” For instance, the Longstreet monument features a horse with one hoof raised, but Longstreet was not wounded during the Battle of Gettysburg.
3. The monument to the High Water Mark of the Rebellion is in the form of a giant bronze book opened to display the units of both sides that took part in Longstreet’s Assault on July 3, 1863. This monument stands as a solemn reminder of the Confederacy’s farthest advance.
Symbolism
Cannonballs & Artillery Shells
Often found stacked or embedded at monument bases, these indicate artillery units or fierce battle sites. Bronze shells may mark former cannon positions.
Draped Flags
A flag draped over part of a monument symbolizes mourning or a fallen leader. It adds a humanizing, sorrowful touch to the structure.
Inverted Cannons
An upside-down cannon barrel usually signifies the death of an artillery officer, often used in battlefield gravesites or memorials.
Crossed Rifles, Swords, or Bugles
These represent different branches of service: rifles for infantry, swords or sabers for cavalry, and bugles for communication units.
Shapes with Purpose
Obelisks
Frequently used for prominent leaders or regiments, these tall, tapering spires invoke timeless respect, modeled after ancient Egyptian forms.
Rounded Tops
Sometimes referencing Round Top or Little Round Top, these shapes can subtly connect monuments with the terrain where a regiment fought.
Cube or Rectangular Bases
Clean, geometric bases often mark infantry units, designed to be solid and grounded like the soldiers they represent.
Curiosities & Lesser-Known Details
Timestamps on Bronze Tablets
Some regimental plaques detail the exact hour and minute of engagement, a reminder of how critical timing was in the three-day battle.
New York’s Monumental Presence
With over 130 monuments, New York is the most commemorated state on the battlefield.
Monument Orientation
Statues often face the direction from which a unit advanced—or toward the enemy. This gives visitors insight into battlefield movements.
Diamonds, Crosses and Crescents, Oh My!
As you explore the Gettysburg battlefield, you’ll notice symbols like acorns, trefoils and diamonds on many monuments—each one a visual clue to the unit’s identity, corps affiliation and role in the fighting of July 1863. For example the Maltese Cross is linked to the 5th Corps.
Ax Man
Disciplined before the battle and forced to surrender his sidearms, Lt. Stephen Brown of the 13th Vermont carried a camp ax instead during Pickett’s Charge.
The unique weapon is depicted at his feet on his bronze monument along Hancock Avenue on Cemetery Ridge.
Fact or Fiction: Position of Horse Hooves
One of the most enduring myths about Gettysburg’s equestrian statues is that the position of a horse’s hooves reveals how the rider died. According to the “code,” a horse with both front hooves in the air means the rider died in battle; one hoof raised indicates the rider was wounded; and all four hooves on the ground means the rider survived. While this idea adds an air of mystery and symbolism, it isn’t historically accurate. There was no official standard for hoof positions, and monument sculptors made design choices based on artistic vision or committee preference rather than battlefield outcomes.
Dinosaur Hunt
Nestled on the stone span carrying South Confederate Avenue over Plum Run, just below Big Round Top, this unassuming bridge has a prehistoric secret—it preserves three dinosaur footprints embedded in the sandstone blocks.
Two distinct print types remain visible:
Anchisauripus sillimani – a medium‑sized, two‑legged carnivore (lion‑sized), whose hind‑foot track is found on the sixth block from the west on the south side.
Atreipus milfordensis – a smaller, dog‑sized herbivore, with both fore and hind prints on the fifth block from the east on the north side.
These trace fossils date back to the Late Triassic Period, roughly 200–250 million years ago, and were conserved when stones from the Trostle Quarry near York Springs were used in the bridge’s construction circa 1938.
How to find them: Park near the William Wells statue south of the Peach Orchard, walk about 40 yards uphill toward Big Round Top, and look closely on the capstones atop the bridge walls—the prints are raised casts, not indentations.
