Gettysburg Daily

153rd Pennsylvania Infantry Monument on Barlow Knoll



The monument to the 153rd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment is located on Barlow Knoll. It is shown here to the left of the cannon and contains a bugler on top of the monument. The artillery pieces belong to Battery G, 4th United States, under First Lieutenant Bayard Wilkeson. The flagpole was dedicated to the 17th Connecticut Infantry Regiment. This view was taken from the north facing south at approximately 8:30 AM on Sunday, September 14, 2008.

The monument to the 153rd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment is located on Barlow Knoll at Gettysburg National Military Park. The 153rd was a nine months unit that fought on the knoll on the afternoon of July 1, 1863, and were pushed back by Georgia soldiers of John Brown Gordon’s Brigade. Although the weather cleared up in the afternoon, it was a foggy Sunday morning when the Gettysburg Daily took these pictures.



The monument is located on Barlow Knoll or Barlow’s Knoll. Before the battle, this area was known as Blocher’s Knoll. The unit’s commander at Gettysburg was Major John F. Frueauff (1838-1886), a lawyer from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. View from the west facing east at approximately 8:30 AM on Sunday, September 14, 2008.



The 153rd was a nine months regiment formed in September, 1862 in Easton, Pennsylvania. The unit fought at Chancellorsville in May, 1863. Gettysburg would be its second and last battle. The unit was mustered out on July 24, 1863. View from the northwest facing southeast at approximately 8:30 AM on Sunday, September 14, 2008.



The 153rd contained 569 men during the Gettysburg Campaign. 499 men were actually engaged during the Battle of Gettysburg. The left flank marker for the unit is just to the left of the flagpole. The monument which usually represents the center of a regiment’s battleline, should be down the eastern slope of the hill. But the veterans wanted their monument to be seen by visitors, and had its location placed on the top of the knoll. View is from the northeast facing southwest at approximately 8:30 AM on Sunday, September 14, 2008.



The right flank marker is located down the hill to the east of the monument. It is in a field, and is somewhat overgrown. A path is not cut to the monument for easier access. The monument is on the top of the hill (Barlow Knoll). View from the east facing west at approximately 8:30 AM on Sunday, September 14, 2008.



One of the problems that this unit had was its position. It was focused on Georgians from George Doles’ Brigade that were attacking across the fields to the northwest of this position. View from the southeast facing northwest at approximately 8:30 AM on Sunday, September 14, 2008.



John Brown Gordon’s Georgians, however, were attacking from the woods at Rock Creek in the background. They struck the 153rd’s front (north), right flank (east) and right rear (southeast). View from the southwest facing northeast at approximately 8:30 AM on Sunday, September 14, 2008.



At Gettysburg, the 153rd Pennsylvania had 211 casualties. Many of the casualties were suffered here on July 1, 1863, or on July 2, 1863 at the foot of East Cemetery Hill. On the afternoon of July 1, 1863, what was left of the 153rd was driven off the knoll, back through the town, and would reform on in the area of East Cemetery Hill. View is from the southeast facing northwest at approximately 8:30 AM on Sunday, September 14, 2008.



Here is the text on the front of the monument. View from the north facing south at approximately 8:30 AM on Sunday, September 14, 2008.



The text on the west side of the monument describes how many men in the unit fought at Gettysburg, and how many casualties the unit suffered over the three days. Busey and Martin’s Regimental Strengths and Losses at Gettysburg show the unit had 499 men actually engaged in the battle. Of those, 23 men were killed, 142 men were wounded, and 46 men were listed as missing or captured. The total casualties of 211 show a loss of 42.3%. View is from the west facing east at approximately 8:30 AM on Sunday, September 14, 2008.



The text on the east side of the monument shows that the unit was recruited in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. View from the east facing west at approximately 8:30 AM on Sunday, September 14, 2008.