6th Pennsylvania Reserves Monument - Gettysburg, PA - Obelisks on Waymarking.com

The 6th Pennsylvania Reserves was also known as 35th Infantry. During the battle of Gettysburg, it served as a member of McCandless’ Brigade in Crawford’s Division of the Fifth Corps, Army of the Potomac. The unit was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Wellington H. Ent (1834-1871), a lawyer from Bloomsburg. Ent was wounded during the 1864 Overland Campaign. Under his command, 380 men served at Gettysburg with 2 men killed and 22 wounded.

The 6th Pennsylvania Reserves Monument is hidden 212 feet behind Wheatfield Road across from the Wheatfield. The turn for Ayres Road is just up ahead a few feet on the right or southwest side of the road if traveling southeast along Wheatfield Road. From the same perspective, the monument is on the left or northeast side of the road. When I visited, there was a small dirt path leading into the wood. Either side of the path was overgrown with brush, weeds and wild plants. The area around the monument is also somewhat restricted and in some places making it impossible to take pictures of specific sides.Parking is available at small, cutout shoulders along the road, some wide, some narrow. Be sure to stay off the grass or you will be ticketed by park police. I visited this monument on Thursday, July 5, 2012 at 1:13 P.M. I was at an elevation of 538 feet, ASL. I used a Canon PowerShot 14.1 Megapixel, SX210 IS digital camera for the photos.

The Draw the Sword site helped out by the NPS narrative and the SIRIS site offers the following description: Twenty-feet high. Granite obelisk on double base and plinth consisting of alternating courses of undressed red and white granite. Text inscription appears incised on polished panels at lower base of shaft. Monument is a three foot square obelisk that has alternating courses of red and white rough-hewn granite set on a six foot square double base. Shaft has inscriptions cut into polished panels. The location of the monument marks the position held by the 6th Pennsylvania reserve on the evening of July 2, 1863.

The monument was erected on September 1, 1890 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The monument is of granite with a bronze inscribed tablet on the front side. The granite monument's dimensions are approximately H. 20 ft. 9 in. x 6 ft. 2 in. x 6 ft. 2 in. I could not find out who sculpted or fabricated the monument. There are inscriptions on all four sides of the monument, all of which read:

(Front):6th Pennsylvania
Reserves
35th Infantry
1st Brigade 3d Division
5th Corps
(Left):July 2d in the evening
charged from the hill
in rear to this position
and held it until the
afternoon of July 3d
when the brigade advanced
through the woods to
the front and left driving
the enemy and capturing
many prisoners

Dranesville, Peninsula Campaign,
Groveton, 2d Bull Run, South Mountain,
Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg,
Bristoe Station, Rappahannock Station,
Mine Run, Wilderness, Spotsylvania,
North Anna, Totopotomoy, Bethesda Church
(Back):Recruited in Bradford,
Columbia, Dauphin, Tioga,
Susquehanna, Snyder,
Wayne and
Montgomery Counties

Total enrollment 1050
Killed and died of wounds 2 officers 107 men
Died of disease etc. 72 men
Wounded 19 officers 286 men
Captured or missing 2 officers 61 men
(Totals): Officers 23 men 526
Total casualties 549
(Right):Mustered in
May 28 - June 11 1861
Mustered out
June 11 1864

Present at Gettysburg
25 officers and 355 men
Killed and died of wounds 3 men
Wounded 1 officer and 20 men

The 6th Pennsylvania Reserves Monument 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 monument is identified as structure number MN123-B.

From the Nomination Form:
Marks position reach by 6th Pennsylvania Reserves p.m. July 2, 1863, when forced Confederates through Valley of Death & Wheatfield. 1 of 110 mns in Park to PA commands at Gettysburg. Located N of Wheatfield Rd., W of Crawford Ave.

Short Physical Description:
Mn & 2 flank markers. Double base, 6' sq. Obelisk of alternating courses of red & white rough-hewn granite, 3' sq, 18'9" high. Inscription cut into polished panels on shaft.

Long Physical Description:
Monument that has two flanking markers. Monument is a three foot square obelisk that has alternating courses of red and white rough-hewn granite set on a six foot square double base. Shaft has inscriptions cut into polished panels. Located on the north side of Wheatfield Road west of Crawford Avenue.