Welcome to the most special Lincoln Highway location, the scene of the Gettysburg Address. Here along the highway can be found the most impressive of monuments in this small, historic town, including this monument to General Reynolds, dedicated July 1, 1899. There is a large grouping of these monuments along this stretch of the Lincoln Highway, which in this part of the world, is knows as Chambersburg Pike.
There are several of these equestrian, Civil War general monuments scattered throughout Gettysburg. I like this one the most because of the subject matter and because it is along the old Lincoln Highway, known as Chambersburg Road or Route 30 around here. The statue is a classic horse and general monument and I saw it when i was still a half mile away visiting other monuments along Stone Road.
The monument features an equestrian portrait of General John Fulton Reynolds, commander of the First Army Corps, as he was about to rush the left wing of the Army of the Potomac. He is depicted looking out to his proper left and pulling back on his horse's reins with his proper left hand. The horse has stopped short in mid-stride with just two hoofs on the ground. The sculpture rests on a rectangular granite base adorned with bronze inscription plaques.
The equestrian statue was sculpted by Henry Kirke Bush-Brown (Bureau Brothers, founder.), who also did the Meade and Sedgwick equestrian statues and the bust of Lincoln in the Lincoln Speech Memorial, It was dedicated on July 1, 1899 (It was created in 1898), 36 years after the General was killed, with Reynolds' nephew Charles Reynolds Evans pulling the cord that unveiled the monument. The sculpture is made of bronze and the base is made of red granite. The sculpture is approximately 15 feet in height and the base is approximately 20 x 21 x 13 ft. (9,000 lbs.).
The monument cost $27,666. General Reynolds was one of the first to die at Gettysburg and his monument is installed within 400 yards of the spot where he fell. The sculpture is uniquely designed so that its 9,000 pounds of bronze is balanced to stand on just two of the horse's hoofs. The statue weighs four and a half tons, yet is superbly balanced with only two of the horse's feet on the ground (as already indicated). The monument follows the unofficial rule where a horse with two feet off the ground indicates its rider was killed in battle.
Monuments to Major General John Reynolds are west of Gettysburg on Chambersburg Pike (U.S. 30) at Meredith Avenue (above right), off Reynolds Avenue just north of Meredith Avenue (center right) and southeast of town in the National Cemetery (bottom right). There is also a statue of Reynolds on the Pennsylvania State Memorial. Near me, about 6 miles from my home is another equestrian statue of Reynolds, in front of Philadelphia City Hall. From what I read, this man was extremely popular and well loved by his men and the soldiers. His death was a HUGE loss for the Union.
The various inscriptions around the bottom of the schedule read:
Major General
John Fulton Reynolds
United States Volunteers
Born September 21, 1820
Killed July 1, 1863
From the reverse of the equestrian monument:
Cadet U.S.M.A. July 1, 1837; Brevet Second Lieut. 3d U.S. Artillery July 1, 1841; Second Lieut. October 23, 1841; First Lieut. June 18, 1846; Captain March 3, 1855; Lieut.-Colonel 14th Infantry May 14, 1861; Colonel 5th Infantry June 1, 1863.
Brig. General U.S. Volunteers August 20, 1861;
Major General November 29, 1862. Breveted Captain U.S. Army September 23, 1846 "for gallant and meritorious conduct at Monterey, Mexico;
Major February 28, 1847 "for gallant and meritorious conduct at Buena Vista, Mexico.