Albion Howe's Headquarters Marker - Gettysburg, PA
N 39° 47.041 W 077° 13.795
18S E 309047 N 4406164
Of all the division monuments at the battlefield, this is the only one not produced by the War Department as it predates those monuments by about five years. As a result, this monument is very unique as there is no other division monument like it.
Waymark Code: WMHFJV
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 07/05/2013
Views: 5
Albion Parris Howe (March 13, 1818 – January 25, 1897) was a Union Army general in the American Civil War. Howe's contentious relationships with superior officers in the Army of the Potomac eventually led to his being deprived of division command. He led the second division of the Sixth Corps at Gettysburg. Howe's Division was the last to reach the field at Gettysburg after an epic night and day march. Its two brigades - it had no First Brigade, just a Second and Third - were sent to the opposite ends of the Union line, where they suffered almost no casualties. Howe retired from the Army on June 30, 1882, at the rank of colonel. He died in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is buried there in Mount Auburn Cemetery.
The Albion Howe's Headquarters Marker is located at the intersection of Taneytown Road (Route 134) and Wright/Howe Avenues. The monument is at the northeast corner of the intersection and on the right or east side of the road if traveling north along taneytown Road. As a point of reference, at the intersection, a left turn is Wright Avenue and a right turn is Howe Avenue, even though they are the same road (again if traveling north).
Parking is available at the end of Howe Avenue in the cul-d-sac. There is no other room to park on this road as there are no shoulders and it accommodates two way traffic. I visited this site on Monday, July 1, 2013 on the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg @ 12:42 AM, EDT & @ an altitude of 611 feet, ASL. As always, I used my trusty and oft abused Canon PowerShot 14.1 Megapixel, SX210 IS digital camera for the photos.
This monument was erected in 1905 and privately funded by Howe's family and erected before the Commission put up other 23 tablets. The monument is composed of a natural boulder (with bronze used for the tablet). The boulder is about 6 feet tall and the tablet is about 3 feet by 2½ feet. The Greek cross, the symbol of the Sixth Corps in also on the boulder and above the tablet. The inscription reads:
Army of the Potomac
Sixth Corps
Second Division
Headquarters
Brig. General Albion P. Howe
Commanding
2nd Brigade Col. Lewis A. Grant
3rd Brigade Brig. General Thomas H. Neill
—— July 2 ——The division left Manchester MD at 1 a.m. and reached Gettysburg at 5 p.m. marching 33 miles
2nd Brigade was moved to the left center and finally to the extreme left
3rd Brigade was placed in position on Power's Hill
—— July 3 ——2nd Brigade remained on the extreme left of the line
3rd Brigade moved to the extreme right to connect with the Union cavalry
The brigades remained in these positions until the close of the battle
The Albion Howe's Headquarters Marker 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 MN398.
From the Nomination Form:
Civil War Marker of the War Dept. Era (1895 - 1927). Marks HQ of Brig. Gen. Albion P. Howe comdr of 2nd Division, Union VI Corps on July 2 & 3 1863. Different from other US division markers in Park, it was privately funded by Howe's family and erected before the Commission put up other 23 tablets.
Short Physical Description:
Marker is a bronze tablet (3' x 2'6") affixed to a granite boulder (4' x 3'6" x 6'H). Greek cross imbedded in W face of boulder above tablet. All 6' H.
Long Physical Description:
N/A
My Sources
1.
NRHP Nomination Form
2.
Stone Sentinels
3.
Virtual Gettysburg
4.
Draw the Sword
5.
Historical Marker Database
6.
Wikipedia