Steve A. Hawks

Confederate Headquarters Monuments at Gettysburg Steve A. Hawks

The Gettysburg battlefield is a giant outdoor classroom clustered with hundreds of monuments. Their stories set in stone, bronze and iron help visitors explore one of the great turning points in American history. The headquarters monuments provide the background to the story. They were erected just before the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg in 1913 to give a visitor the big picture and to provide the Confederate side of the story on a battlefield where at the time all but two monuments were to Northern units and individuals. The book showcases all 94 Confederate brigade, division, corps and army headquarters monuments and position markers on the Gettysburg battlefield. Each has a photograph, complete text from the monument, map location and GPS information. Also included is an index of the commanding officers named on the monuments and a second index of subordinate regiments and batteries. Each monument names its unit's commanders and subordinate units, gives a timeline of activities in the battle, and lists casualties. Their wording is in the dispassionate and often awkward voice of an official report, but does not conceal the underlying triumphs and tragedies that make up the story of this largest and deadliest of all Civil War battles. A companion book is also available for Union Headquarters Monuments at Gettysburg.