The 5th United States Artillery, Battery D was also known as The West Point Battery. During the battle of Gettysburg, it served as a member of Martin’s Brigade in the Fifth Corps, Army of the Potomac. The unit was commanded by Lieutenant Charles E. Hazlett (1838-1863). USMA 1859 from Zanesville, Ohio and was killed on July 2, 1863.
The Battery D, 5th U.S. Artillery - US Regulars Tablet located on a trail at the summit of Little Big Top. In this general area, there is a dirt trail with three interpretives all together in a kind of circular clearing, four cannons, several monuments and a while lot of people. The view is spectacular below of Devil's Den and the "Bloody Wheatfield". There is a parking area just south of the trail. The area is along Sykes Avenue, on the left or west if traveling north. The monument is exactly 100 feet in the rough, perpendicular to the road. Draw the Sword, with descriptive help from the NPS site, offers the following description: One of 45 monuments erected to units of the United States regular army on the battlefield. Red granite monolith with gabled top and rough hewn sides and back consists of polished Jonesboro granite 24 by 50 inches and 7 feet high. Set upon a concrete foundation with a descriptive 3’6" x 3’7" bronze tablet and the coat of arms of the United States in bronze. Locates position occupied by Kinzie’s Battery K, 5th U.S. Artillery during Battle of Gettysburg, July 2, 1863.
There are four cannons/rifles located here near the monument. Two 3-inch Parrott Rifles and two 2.9-inch Parrott Rifles represent the position held by Hazlett's Battery. The two calibers were generally called "10-pounder" based on the weight of their shot. In 1863, the Federal army decided to standardize the 3-inch caliber, and the new type replaced the 2.9-inch guns in time. The inscription on this monolith reads:
Army of the Potomac
Fifth Corps
Artillery Brigade
Battery D Fifth U.S. Artillery
Six Rifled 10 pounders
Lieut. Charles E. Hazlett commanding
July 2 Marched to the left of the Union Line about 4.30 p.m. and in rear of Brig. General J. Barnes's First Division Fight Corps. Immediately upon taking position here at 5.45 opened fire upon the Confederates who were engaging the Division.
The Battery kept up a continuous fire until after dark. Lieut. Hazlett was mortally wounded and the command devolved upon Lieut. Benjamin F. Rittenhouse.
July 3 Remained in position and in the afternoon did effective service on the lines of infantry engaged in Longstreet's assault.
Casualties killed 1 officer and 6 men. Wounded 6 men.
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:
Regimental and Battery Monuments for United States/Union Regular Units
Forty-two monuments honor units of the regular army to fight at Gettysburg. These regiments and batteries were designated as United States Regulars as opposed to the state volunteer forces. These polished granite monuments with bronze plaques affixed to the front were fabricated by the Van Amringe Granite Company, of Boston and authorized in 1907. They were completed in the autumn of 1908. Each consists of Jonesboro granite, 24 by 50 inches and 7 feet high, set upon concrete foundations, and upon each is fastened a descriptive bronze tablet and the coat of arms of the United States.
These monuments are similar in appearance to and often mistaken for headquarters, since they have the same curved-and-scrolled top on the bronze tablet as corps and army headquarters. The difference is that instead of being square, the stone comes to a peak in the center on the U.S. Regulars monuments, with a brass Great Seal of the United States centered within the peak.
A number of Confederate and at least one Union headquarters have more than one marker. This monument for this waymark has an identical monument elsewhere in the Military Park. In many cases these follow the design rules, but sometimes a secondary marker is a tablet mounted on a metal post.
SOURCE & SOURCE
The Battery D, 5th U.S. Artillery - US Regulars 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 MN684-D.
From the nomination form:
Short Physical Description:
Mn & 4 cannons. Red granite monolith w/rough-hewn sides & back, 4'2"x2', 7" high. Gable top. Bronze inscription tablet, 3'6"x3'7", mounted on polished face. Bronze seal of US Coat of Arms, 1' in diameter, on face above tablet. 2 cannons on N side, 2 cannons on S side.
Long Physical Description:
Located on summit of Little Round Top.
My Sources
1.
NRHP Narrative
2.
Stone Sentinels
3.
Virtual Gettysburg
4.
Draw the Sword
5.
Historical Marker Database