The 6th Corps, 3rd Division, 2nd Brigade was also known as Eustis’ Brigade. During the battle of Gettysburg, it served as a member of Newton’s Division in the Sixth Corps, Army of the Potomac and was commanded by Colonel Henry Lawrence Eustis (February 1, 1819 – January 11, 1885). He was a civil engineer, college professor, and soldier who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Maj. Gen. Carl Schurz (March 2, 1829 – May 14, 1906) was a German revolutionary, American statesman and reformer, and Union Army General in the American Civil War. He was also an accomplished journalist, newspaper editor and noted orator, who in 1869 became the first German-born American elected to the United States Senate.
The Eustis' US Brigade Tablet is located on the east side of Sedgwick Avenue near its south end, north of Little Round Top. Draw the Sword, with descriptive help from the NPS site, offers the following description: One of 74 brigade monuments erected at Gettysburg by the United States War Department to describe the movements and itinerary of each Union brigade of the Army of the Potomac. Monuments were designed by E.B. Cope. The pedestals of the Monolith consisting of polished smooth sea-green granite pedestal with a square 36? by 36? base. Base tapers to a smaller dimension at the tablet. On each pedestal is mounted a bronze inscription tablet measuring 4’0? x 3’8” with rounded corners weighing 300 pounds. Each brigade monument stands 5’4? high and weigh 3,500 pounds. Completed between 1911 and 1912. I noted the Greek Cross at the top of the bronze tablet, the symbol of the 6th Corps. The tablet was erected on July 1, 1912 by the Gettysburg National Military Park Commission. The inscription on this monolith reads:
Army of the Potomac
Sixth Corps Third Division
Second Brigade
Col. Henry L. Eustis
7th. 10th. 37th. Massachusetts
2d. Rhode Island InfantryJuly 2 Arrived about 2 p.m. from Manchester Md. and late in the day moved to the northeast slope of Little Round Top and held in reserve bivouacking for the night with First Brigade in the rear.
July 3 Moved to the right centre and reported to Major Gen. J. Newton and was held in reserve during the battle.
Not engaged but subject to Artillery fire.
Casualties. Killed 3 men. Wounded 2 officers 39 men. Captured or missing 25 men. Total 69.
There are nine different variations of similar monuments (not including the inverted canons which signal headquarters) for the various Confederate States & Union brigades/batteries/divisions which fought at Gettysburg. Many of the tablets are made of granite, bronze and concrete. Some are made of all iron (position tablets). All of these tablets were designed by architect E.B. Cope. He designed pretty much every tablet for both the Union and Confederate armies, each one distinct, with aforementioned varieties. The monuments were erected just after the turn of the century, continuing to the first couple of years of the second decade (1912 the latest) of the 20th century. Most been preserved (waxing or power washed) or restored since the turn of the 21st century.
Information about these specific types of monuments
UNION BRIGADE MARKERS
There are seventy-four brigade markers at Gettysburg honoring the AOP’s various brigades. They were built by Albert Russell & Sons Co. of Newburyport, Massachusetts and Charles Kappes (including this one). The bronze plaques are mounted on an angle. The pedestals consist of sea-green granite with a square 36” x 36” base; they weigh 3500 pounds. On each pedestal is mounted a bronze tablet with rounded corners weighing 300 pounds. They are the most numerous headquarters at Gettysburg, with over 70 Union and 60 Confederate examples on the field. Union headquarters have rounded tops and square bases. Confederate headquarters have flat tops and round bases. Union headquarters are marked with their corps or service branch symbol, while Confederate headquarters are simply labeled "C.S.A." SOURCE & SOURCE
The Eustis' US Brigade Tablet is a contributing feature to the Gettysburg National Military Park Historic District which is nationally significant under NR Criteria A, B, C & D. 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. The tablet is designated as contributing structure number MN498.
From the nomination form:
Short Physical Description:
Bronze inscription tablet, 4'x3'8", mounted at a slant on pedestal w/ round corners. 3'x3'. Overall, 5'4" high.
Long Physical Description
N/A
My Sources
1.
Draw the Sword
2.
NRHP Narrative
3.
Virtual Gettysburg
4.
Historical Marker Database
5.
Stone Sentinels