Devil's Den Research Paper

Catastrophe strikes in Gettysburg are both Union and Confederate soldiers alike are slaughtered by the thousands. Seven soldiers lie dead at the infamous Devil’s Den after the battle of Gettysburg, with their Springfield rifles and hats lying next to their contorted and lifeless bodies. These men came from all across the nation to fight in the Battle of Gettysburg; New York, New Jersey, Texas, and Georgia. Taking control of Devil’s Den during the second day of the battle, July 2nd became a priority for both sides, as its boulders give an excellent position to sharpshooters looking to take out officers over long distance. The cover provided by the large boulders also resulted in close quarter combat, brutal up close bayonet and hand to hand

fighting, that results in some of the highest casualty rates.
The picture itself, encompasses large boulders with seven dead soldiers scattered around the foreground of the image, with their rifles next to them, and their hats scattered about. Standing on the top of one of the boulders are two living men who are looking down at the dead soldiers, almost like detectives at a crime scene trying to figure out how someone could be sick enough to commit such an atrocity. If you visit Devil’s Den in Gettysburg you will realize that the boulders making up the image are only a fraction of the Devil’s Den, making you question how many more died in Devil’s Den alone and bringing the carnage at Gettysburg into perspective. In total there were 800 Union casualties and 1,800 Confederate casualties, which meant that this battle only accounted for less than 1% of the total 46,000 casualties (“Civil War Battle” 1).
Before this photograph was taken the Battle of Gettysburg raged on for 3 days .

On the second day of the battle, two companies of Union sharpshooters and six Union regiments under the command of Brigadier General John Henry Hobart Ward and four 10 pound Parrott rifles from the 4th New York Independent Battery where under the command of Captain James Smith occupied Devil’s Den and its surrounding area. The Confederate 1st Texas and 3rd Arkansas brigades under the command of Brigadier General Jerome B. Robertson attacked to the west of Devil’s Den and the 44th and 48th Alabama brigades under the command of Brigadier General Evander Law attacked to the east. Brigadier General John Henry Hobart Ward called upon the 99th Pennsylvania Regiment to reinforce his men to the east. As the battle continued all Georgia regiments under the command of Brigadier General Henry Benning and Brigadier General George "Tige" Anderson approached the Union line and attacked the 55th New York Volunteer Infantry commanded by Régis de Trobriand, a French aristocrat, poet, lawyer and novelist, who was able to repulse the advancing Confederate forces (“The Devil’s Den” 1). Eventually, the 1st Texan brigade broke through and captured three out of the four 10 pound Parrott rifles from the 4th New York Independent Battery (“The Devil’s Den”

1).
With control of the battery atop Devil’s Den now in the Confederates hands Brigadier General Ward’s men were forced to retreat. In order to cover the Union retreat the 40th New York and 6th New Jersey brigades were moved from the wheatfield to what is now known as “Slaughter Penn,” due to the stupendous number of casualties (“The Devil’s Den” 1). Devil’s Den was by then under complete Confederate control and a group of Confederate sharpshooters took up positions throughout the boulders, shooting at Union troops at Little Round Top. As the sun set the Confederates still held Devil’s Den and the Confederate sharpshooters had killed Brigadier General Stephen Hinsdale Weed and 1st Lieutenant Charles Edward Hazlett, who was shot in the head trying to hear Brigadier General Weed’s final command. The next day Union forces pushed the Confederates out of Devil’s Den and the Confederates retreated, suffering severe casualties, which led to their inevitable defeat in the war. Photography, an art which is becoming ever more popular, must unite our great nation above the horror of this war and help us heal, as both sides suffered severe losses and

Works Cited
"Civil War Battle of Gettysburg Facts." The Battle of Gettysburg. Stone Sentinals, n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2016.
"The Devil's Den." HistoryNet. HistoryNet.com, n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2016.

Steven Samuel
Mr. Holland
US History 1
December 21, 2016
Civil War Photography
Photographic Analysis Form:
Objective Observation: Describe what you see in the photograph - the forms and structures comma the arrangement of the various elements. Avoid personal feelings or interpretations. Your description should help someone who has not seen the image visualize it.
The picture encompasses large boulders with seven dead soldiers scattered around the foreground of the image, with their rifles next to them, and their hats scattered about. Standing on the top of one of the boulders are two living men who are looking down at the dead soldiers.
Subjective Observation: Describe your personal feelings, associations, and judgments about the image. Always anchor your subjective response is something that is seen. For example, “ I see..., and it makes me think of…”
I see the two living men surveying the horror of the situation as seven soldiers lie dead around the boulders and it makes me think of detectives at a crime scene trying to figure out how someone could be sick enough to commit such an atrocity.
Knowledge: Prior knowledge based on experience, study, assumption, and intuitions.
I have personally been to Devil’s Den in Gettysburg and the boulders making up the image are only a fraction of the Devil’s Den so it is scary to see how many people were killed only in a small fraction of Devil’s Den, and it just makes me wonder how many men died in the entire position, and bring the slaughter in Gettysburg into perspective.
Deduction: What you can conclude.
I can conclude that many men, tens if not hundreds died at Devil’s Den alone considering that the seven dead soldiers in this image are only on a small part of Devil’s Den.
Questions: What questions does this photograph raise? What else do you need to know?
This photograph makes you question the reason behind all of this mindless slaughter, why could politics alone not end this war why did so many young men have to die because of the squabbling of the rich and powerful elite. I would like to know how many men died at Devil’s Den alone compared to the 7,550 who died in the battle of Gettysburg as a whole.

Research Guide:
TIME: When was the photograph taken ( month, year, date if known)? What was happening locally and nationally at the time?
The photograph was taken in July of 1863 at Devil’s Den in Gettysburg Pennsylvania, shortly after the Battle of Gettysburg which took place from July 1st to the 3rd.

Nationally the Civil War was taking place and locally the Battle of Gettysburg took place including the location of the picture, Devil’s Den changing hands between the Union and the Confederacy several times.

PLACE: Where was the photograph taken ( city, state, Battlefield, house, ECT)? What was the significance of this location or place at the time the picture was taken?

The photograph was taken on the battlefield, to be specific Boulders which served as a position due to it position near Little Round Top, known as Devil’s Den. This location served as a position for assaults on Little round top, a sniper nest and for cannon fire.

PEOPLE: Who is in the picture? Investigate all aspects of the photograph. If no people are in the picture, use this space to research people who were involved in the events that took place in the location / time of your photograph.

The soldiers in the picture are most likely New York Union soldiers or Texan Confederate soldiers whose regiments were slaughtered at Devil's Den.

EVENT: What happened before this picture was taken? What were the events leading up to this Photograph? What event was occurring when this picture was

taken?
The Battle of Gettysburg went on for 3 days before this photograph was taken. On the second day of the battle, two companies of Union sharpshooters and six Union regiments under the command of Brigadier General John Henry Hobart Ward and four 10 pound Parrott rifles from the 4th New York Independent Battery where under the command of Captain James Smith occupied Devil’s Den and its surrounding area. The Confederate 1st Texas and 3rd Arkansas brigades under the command of Brigadier General Jerome B. Robertson attacked to the west of Devil’s Den and the 44th and 48th Alabama brigades under the command of Brigadier General Evander Law attacked to the east. Brigadier General John Henry Hobart Ward called upon the 99th Pennsylvania Regiment to reinforce his men to the east. As the battle continued all Georgia regiments under the command of Brigadier General Henry Benning and Brigadier General George "Tige" Anderson approached the Union line and attacked the 55th New York Volunteer Infantry commanded by Régis de Trobriand, a French aristocrat, poet, lawyer and novelist, who was able to repulse the advancing Confederate forces. Eventually, the 1st Texan brigade broke through and captured three out of the four 10 pound Parrott rifles from the 4th New York Independent Battery. With control of the battery atop Devil’s Den now in the Confederates hands Brigadier General Ward’s men were forced to retreat. In order to cover the Union retreat the 40th New York and 6th New Jersey brigades were moved from the wheatfield to what is now known as “Slaughter Penn,” due to the stupendous number of casualties. Devil’s Den was by then under complete Confederate control and a group of Confederate sharpshooters took up positions throughout the boulders, shooting at Union troops at Little Round Top. As the sun set the Confederates still held Devil’s Den and the Confederate sharpshooters had killed Brigadier General Stephen Hinsdale Weed and 1st Lieutenant Charles Edward Hazlett, who was shot in the head trying to hear Brigadier General Weed’s final command. The next day Union forces pushed the Confederates out of Devil’s Den and the Confederates retreated, suffering severe casualties, which led to their inevitable defeat in the war.
ANALYSIS: What was the importance of the events and people in your photograph? Where does this Photograph fit into the broader events of the Civil War?
This photograph showcased how in such a small are so many can die, at Devil’s Den alone there were 800 Union casualties and 1,800 Confederate casualties, which meant that this battle alone accounted for less than 1% of the total 46,000 casualties and it was considered one of the most dangerous places to fight.