26th Pennsylvania Emergency Infantry Monument - Gettysburg, PA
N 39° 49.858 W 077° 14.218
18S E 308574 N 4411390
Beautiful granite monument with a full length statue of a infantryman can be found on the Lincoln Highway (Chambersburg Road, Route 30). There are many monuments on this portion of the Lincoln Highway, witness to the Battle of Gettysburg.
Waymark Code: WMBH93
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 05/22/2011
Views: 4
The monument to the Twenty Sixth Pennsylvania Emergency Militia Infantry is on the west side of Gettysburg at the intersection of Chambersburg Street, West Street and Springs Avenue. It is 1 of 110 Monuments to Pennsylvania and indicates the position held in engagement w/ Early's Div. Position Marker E of Marsh Creek at Chambersburg Pike, 1st skirmish W of Gettysburg June 28, 1863. Located at Chambersburg Pk, Buford & Springs Av.
The monument is located at a busy intersection of the Lincoln Highway where three roads converge. It is oddly out of place as there are no other monuments nearby. usually these things are found in clusters. The monument features a regular sized infantry man poised at the top of a rock looking like he is ready to go into battle. The direction he is facing is due north which is probably the direction where the enemy was advancing. The SIRIS site describes it as standing figure of an infantryman entering battle with his musket at the ready. The sculpture is mounted on a granite boulder that is adorned with a bronze plaque depicting the corps insignia. The base is flanked by two bronze inscription plaques.
The monument was erected by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on September 1, 1892. The sculpture is approximately 10 feet four inches in height and the base is approximately 4 ft. 2 in. x 5 ft. x 8 ft. The monument was sculpted by Edward Ludwig Albert Pausch (1856-1931) and was fabricated by the Van Amringe Granite Company.
The monument commemorates the service of the twenty-sixth Pennsylvania Emergency Regiment which marched west on Chambersburg Pike to meet head to head with Early's division of Confederates, but were forced to withdraw toward Hunterstown. The boulder at the base of the monument was damaged by phosphorus fire on the night of March 22, 1979. There is a brief inscription on the monument: EPAUSCH (On bronze Pennsylvania state seal on front of base:) VIRTUE LIBERTY AND INDEPENDENCE signed. There are two inscribed plaques on the ground, attached to rocks.
The inscription on a plaque in the ground to the right of the monument describes the infantry troop movements from Gettysburg to Harrisburg. The inscription a plaque in the ground to the left of the monument lists the regimental statistics and Gettysburg battle statistics.
copy of the LCS report form. The inscriptions read:
(Left Side):
26th Pennsylvania Emergency Infantry
Organized at Harrisburg and volunteered for the emergency
Mustered into United States service June 22 1863
Mustered out July 30 1863
Co. A recruited from Pennsylvania College and Gettysburg
Total enrollment 743
Captured and missing at Gettysburg Campaign
176 officers and men
The first Union regiment to engage the Confederates
at Gettysburg and delaying their advance one day(Right Side):Reached Gettysburg June 25 in advance of the Army of the Potomac on the morning of June 26. Marched out the Chambersburg Pike and met the rebel column at Marsh Creek and forced by overwhelming numbers to withdraw. In the afternoon on the Hunterstown Road had a severe engagement with the Rebel cavalry inflicting upon them some loss. Reached Harrisburg June 28 having marched sixty consecutive hours and skirmished with the enemy. June 30 advanced from Harrisburg after the Rebels in retreat.
26th Pennsylvania Emergency Infantry Monument is a contributing feature to the Gettysburg National Military Park Historic District which is nationally significant under NR Criteria A, B, C & D for association Areas of Significance: Military, Politics/Government, Landscape Architecture, Conservation, Archeology-Historic. Period of Significance: 1863-1938. The original National Register Nomination was approved by the Keeper March 19, 1975. An update to this nomination was approved by the Keeper on January 23, 2004. It is classified as structure number MN048-A.
From the nomination form:
Short Physical Description:
Mn w/ position marker. 1892 bronze Statue 10'4" high, on granite boulder base 5'x8', Tablet NE & SW sides 3'6"x1'5" granite w/bronze inset. Position marker installed 1912, granite monolith 6'H w/ 1'2"x2'6" bronze inscription tablet, located W of Knoxlyn Rd on N side Chambersburg Pike.
Long Physical Description:
A monument that has a position marker. Monument is a bronze statue 10.4 feet high on a granite boulder base, 5x8 foot. Tablets on the northeast and southwest sides are bronze inset into granite slabs. Position marker (1912) is a granite monolith six feet high with a bronze inscription tablet. It is located at the junction of Chambersburg Pike, Buford Avenue and Springs Avenue. The position marker is located west of Knoxlyn Road on the north side of the Chambersburg Pike.
My Sources
1.
The Historical Marker Database
2.
NRHP Narrative
3.
SIRIS
4.
Stone Sentinels