72nd Pennsylvania Infantry Monument - Gettysburg, PA
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Math Teacher
N 39° 48.779 W 077° 14.175
18S E 308585 N 4409392
This sculpture is one of 110 monuments dedicated to Pennsylvania regiments which fought @ Gettysburg & indicates the advanced position of the 72nd PA Zouaves on July 3, 1863 during the repulse of Armistead's Brigade.
Waymark Code: WMGMCT
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 03/19/2013
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member iconions
Views: 3

The 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry was also known as Baxter’s Fire Zouaves. During the battle of Gettysburg, it served as a member of Webb’s Brigade in Gibbon’s Division of the Second Corps, Army of the Potomac, a Fighting 300 Regiment and was part of the famous Philadelphia Brigade. They wore a very Americanized zouave uniform, consisting of a zouave jacket trimmed with red without a tombeux on the jacket, sky-blue trousers with a red stripe down the leg, a sky-blue zouave vest trimmed in red, white gaiters, and a dark blue kepi. The jacket was decorated with 16 ball brass buttons down the front of the jacket, which were not part of the original French Zouave uniform.

The 72nd was recruited from among the firemen of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in early August 1861.At the Battle of Gettysburg, it defended the Angle on July 2 and 3. On the evening of the 2nd, it helped defeat Confederate Brigade General Ambrose R. Wright's attack, advancing just over the stone wall. The next day, it was placed in reserve for the brigade near the copse of trees. During Pickett's Charge, its position served as a rallying point for the left wing of the 71st and two companies of the 106th Pennsylvania, which had been driven back.

The 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry was commanded by Colonel Dewitt C. Baxter (1829-1881) @ Gettysburg. At Gettysburg, Col. Baxter replaced the wounded General Webb in command of the Brigade, and Lt. Colonel Hesser replaced him in command of the 72nd Regiment. After the war, Baxter was a naval officer at the Custom House from 1867-1871. In the mid-1870s he was involved in the Keystone Portable Forge Company. He also may have revived his Panoramic Directory business in the late 1870s. Upon his death in May 1881, his obituary reported, Baxter was holding "a position at the Custom house." He died on May 9, 1881, and his obituary appeared on the front-page the following day in the Philadelphia Public Ledger. He was originally buried in Monument Cemetery in Philadelphia, but later he was reinterred in Lawnview in 1956. Under Baxter's command, the 72nd brought 458 men to the battlefield and among them, 44 men were killed, 146 were wounded and 2 went missing.

The 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry Monument is located on the left or west side of Hancock Avenue (RD310) if traveling north along the road at an area called The Angle. The monument is 204 feet from the road, resting in the grass, 180 feet west northwest of the High Water Mark of the Rebellion Monument (MN230), and in front of the Copse of Trees. On this side of the road there are about 1080 feet of green fields with a line of monumentation spread across it representing the line of union regiments who defended Cemetery Ridge at The Angle against Longstreet's assault also referred to as Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863, the final day of the Great Battle. This is the last monument in that long line of monumentation. Parking is plentiful and is available road-side at intermittently enlarged shoulder cut-outs, usually marked with white striping. Be sure to keep vehicles off the grass or you will be ticketed by park police. I visited this monument on Tuesday, August 7, 2012 at approximately 4:43 P.M. I was at an elevation of 602 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: Uniformed Fire Zouave soldier stands on a rough plinth on a square, tiered base. Holding his weapon in both hands, he swings it over his proper right shoulder, as though preparing to strike. The Seal of the State of Pennsylvania in relief is affixed to the lower front of the base. The base has bronze tablets. The shaft has an incised inscription. Erected by the surviving members of the 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry, Philadelphia Brigade in memory of their deceased members. The sculpture indicates the position held by the 72nd Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Brigade on July 3, 1863, where they stood in line and fired volleys into Armistead’s line as he advanced across the angle wall. The only monument at Gettysburg that was subject to a fight that went all the way up to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The 72nd had selected a location 283 feet away from where the GBMA wanted it. They went to court and the Commonwealth ruled in favor of the 72nd. About 1000 people attended the 1891 statuary dedication, and Edward McPherson accepted the monument for the GBMA

The monument was dedicated in July 4, 1891 by the surviving members of the 72nd Infantry. The monument is composed of granite w/ bronze relief as well as the bronze statue and has the following dimensions: The sculpture is 13 feet 6 inches in height and the base is approximately 5 feet 9 inches in height by 4 feet 9 inches². The statue was sculpted by someone named Stephens. I do not know the first name. I took a picture of his name he wrote on the base of the statue and the date, 1888. The monument was designed by J. Reed and manufactured at the Bureau Brothers foundry, a well-known founder if you are familiar with the monumentation about this park. The 2011 "Gettysburg" quarter was developed with an image of the 72nd's statuary monument "in consultation with representatives of Gettysburg National Military Park". There are inscriptions on all four sides of the monument incised in the polished granite which reads:

(Front):
72nd Pennsylvania Infantry
Philadelphia Fire Zouaves
Mustered in Aug. 10, 1861
Mustered out Aug. 24, 1864
Total enrollment —— 1600
Killed and mortally wounded 195
wounded ———— 558
Died of disease & in rebel prisons 70
Captured or missing ——— 165
Total loss ————— 988

2nd Corps

(Left):
July 2, 1863.
The regiment reached this angle at 1 a.m.,
took position in rear of this monument
supported Cushing's Battery
A, 4th U.S. Artillery.
At 6 p.m. assisted in repulsing
an attack of the enemy and in
making a counter-charge, driving
them beyond the emmitsburg road,
capturing 250 prisoners.

2nd Division

(Right):
July 3, 1863.
The regiment assisted in repulsing the
the charge of the enemy on the angle at
3 p.m. and in capturing many standards
and prisoners
During the cannonading which preceded the charge
the regiment was in line 60 yards to the left and rear
of this monument when the rebels forced the troops
from the first line the 72nd fought its way to the front
and occupied the wall
Present at Gettysburg 458, killed & mortally wounded 62
Wounded 133 ——— Missing 2
Total of killed, wounded and missing 197.

72nd Penna. Infantry

(Back):
Yorktown.
Fair Oaks.
Peach Orchard.
Savage Station.
Glendale.
Malvern Hill.
Chantilly.
Antietam.
Fredericksburg.
Chancellorsville.
Gettysburg.
Mine Run.
Wilderness.
Spottylvania.
North Anna.
Tolopotomy.
Cold Harbor.
Petersburg.

2nd Brigade


The 72nd Pennsylvania 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. 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 MN226.

From the Nomination Form:
1 of 110 MN to PA. Dedicated 07/04/1891. Indicates advance post of 72nd PA infty (PA Zouaves) July 3, 1863 during repulse of Armistead's Brigade. Located on Webb Ave in the Angle. Only monument on field located by PA State Supreme Court decision. [actually on the west side of Hancock Avenue].

Short Physical Description:
Mn: 2 part stepped base 5'9"x4'9" rough & finish cuts w/ bronze tablets. Granite shaft: 2 part stepped, polished, w/ incised inscrip. Top: Bronze scuplture of "Fire Zouave" in swinging rifle stance.

Long Physical Description:
Monument is a two-part stepped polished granite shaft topped by a bronze sculpture of a "Fire Zouave" in swinging rifle position and set on a two-part 5.9x4.9 foot rough and finish cut stepped base. The base has bronze tablets. The shaft has an incised inscription. Sculptured by __ Stephens. Located on the former Webb Avenue in the Angle. It is the only monument on the battlefield that’s location was reaffirmed by a Pennsylvania State Supreme Court decision.


My Sources
1. NRHP Nomination Form
2. SIRIS
3. Stone Sentinels
4. Virtual Gettysburg
5. Draw the Sword
6. Historical Marker Database
7. Wikipedia

Date Installed or Dedicated: 07/04/1891

Name of Government Entity or Private Organization that built the monument: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Union, Confederate or Other Monument: Union

Rating (1-5):

Related Website: [Web Link]

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