Raine’s Lee Battery - CS Battery Marker - Gettysburg, PA
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Math Teacher
N 39° 49.570 W 077° 12.834
18S E 310535 N 4410808
This Civil War tablet marks the position of Raine's Lee CS Battery, known as "The Lee Artillery" for July 2-4, 1863 & narrates the events associated with the Battery during the Battle of Gettysburg.
Waymark Code: WMHTGY
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 08/12/2013
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member Lat34North
Views: 5

The Lee Artillery Battery served as a member of Latimer's Battalion, Johnson's Division - Ewell's 2nd Corps. The battery was commanded by Charles I. Raine. who was killed by a solid shot at Mine Run, Virginia, serving with Andrews Battalion on November 29, 1863.

Lee Light Artilery was organized at Lynchburg, Virginia, in May, 1861. This unit was active in Lee's Cheat Mountain Campaign and Jackson's Valley operations, then served in J.W. Latimer's, R.S. Andrews', and C.M. Braxton's Battalion of Artillery, Army of Northern Virginia. It fought with the army from the Seven Days' Battles to Cold Harbor, then participated in Early's Shenandoah Valley Campaign. The battery took 90 men to Gettysburg and surrendered at Appomattox with 12. It was under the command of Captains Pierce B. Anderson, William W. Hardwicke, and Charles I. Raine. SOURCE

The tablet is located @ the very end of Benner's Loop, at the cul-de-sac. Wrap around the circle and start heading north, back to the main road, Hanover Road. The tablet is on the left side of the road or at the 9 o'clock position on the circle if pointing north. Parking is available all up and down the narrow road and especially at the cul-de-sac. If facing the tablet, to the right is a replica 10-pounder Parrott rifle and to the right, a replica 3-inch ordnance rifle. Take care to not park on anything remotely green as Park Police will happily ticket you. I visited this site on Monday, July 1, 2013 on the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg @ 1:12 PM, EDT. As always, I used my trusty and oft abused Canon PowerShot 14.1 Megapixel, SX210 IS digital camera for the photos.

By June 30, 1905 this tablet had been erected as reported in the Gettysburg Commission Report of the same date as were the other 3 batteries (for a total of four) which served in Latimer's Battalion on July 2, 1863 @ Benner's Hill including Dement's, Brown's & Carpenter's Batteries. SOURCE

Generally speaking however, these cast iron monuments were erected just after the turn of the 20th century according to the on-line Commission Report archives. I have found these tablets mentioned as early as 1902 in the yearly Commission reports with regards to the contracts being awarded. From then on, the tablets were completed in bunches each year moving along specific avenues as the budget dictated. Each tablet has since been preserved or restored at least once since the turn of the 21st century. The tablet construction was completed under the direction of the Gettysburg National Park Commission (established by the United States Department of War to whom they would report annually), after they took over the administration of the park from the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association (whose funds had expired) on March 3, 1893, and whose stewardship was ultimately transferred to the National Park Service in 1933. SOURCE The Gettysburg Park Commission is also referred to as the Gettysburg National Military Park Commission or the Gettysburg National Park Commission, to clear up any confusion.

These advance position markers were cast by Calvin Gilbert. Gilbert joined the 87th Pennsylvania Volunteers when the "Rebellion" broke out. Since he was musically inclined, he was made a member of the regimental band. In early 1863, he was promoted to the rank of Captain and sent to Washington D.C. for commissary duty. He served in that capacity until the war ended in 1865, and at war’s end earned the brevet rank of Major. After returning home to Gettysburg, Major Gilbert moved his family to the town of Chambersburg, where he served as the Superintendent of Schools. He also opened an iron foundry there in 1868. When Calvin learned, nearly 30 years later, in 1894, that the Gettysburg Foundry was available, he purchased it w/ a business partner & moved his family back to Gettysburg. For the next 20 years, the Calvin Gilbert Foundry created ironworks that are still seen today on many historic forts and national battlefields (this tablet), from upstate N.Y. to Florida to Lookout Mountain. Gilbert lived to be 100 years old and attended the Last Reunion of the Blue & Gray for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg when he was 99. He was a most remarkable man & lived an amazing life.

There is an excellent excerpt in the American Guide Series about Gilbert attending the 75th reunion anniversary.

Look carefully on the reverse side of one of these tablets and his name might be there; I found a tablet or two like this. The inscription on the tablet reads:

Army of Northern Virginia
Ewell's Corps - Johnson's Division
Latimer's Battalion - Raine's Battery
The Lee Battery

Two 20 pounder Parrotts - one 10 pounder Parrott
and one 3 inch Rifle

July 2 The 10 pounder Parrott and 3 inch Rifle took position here about 4 p.m. and were engaged in the severe cannonade that lasted over two hours. They also aided in supporting the attack of Johnson's Infantry on Culp's Hill and did not retired to the rear until dark. The 20 pounder Parrotts took an active part in the cannonade from their position some distance in the rear of the other guns.

July 3 The 20 pounder Parrotts were actively engaged in the great cannonade

July 4 Withdrew from the field with the Battalion.

Losses - Wounded 8 - Horses killed 3

There are hundreds of non-sculpted monumentation for the various C.S. & Union units who fought at Gettysburg. There are about 10 different variations of tablets, markers and monoliths by my reckoning. Six designs represent brigade (2), division (2), corps (2), & army headquarters (2), each different in a subtle way so as to distinguish between armies. Battalion/battery/advance position markers and regimental monuments for U.S. Regulars & Confederate have their own distinct design (2), bringing the total to ten designs at the battlefield. The bronze tablets (the brigade monuments) were created by Albert Russell & Sons Co. of Newburyport, Mass. The granite bases accompanying the various tablets were created by the Van Amringe Company out of Boston, Mass. The cast iron tablets were of course manufactured by the aforementioned Calvin Gilbert. The 1910 Gettysburg Commission report lists the awarded contracts to these companies (not Gilbert) for the tablets.

All of these tablets were designed by architect Colonel Emmor Bradley Cope (July 23, 1834 - May 28, 1927). He designed every tablet for both the Union & Confederate armies, each one distinct, w/ several different varieties. He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Gettysburg, as well he should be as this park & most of the things seen here today were designed by him and as such, are his legacy.

On October 1, 1898, the Gettysburg Nat'l Park Commission in a letter to the Secretary of War gave recommendations for continuing the task of organizing & progressing the work of the GNMP. Every November they wrote their annual report which outlined the work of the GNPC for that year. The following is an excerpt from that report relevant to this waymark. The link at the end of the paragraph will take you to the entire report. The method of marking the positions of troops on this field, as approved by the War Dept., is to place the principal tablet or monument of each command at the position occupied by the command in the main line of battle, and to mark the several important positions subsequently reached by each command in the course of the battle by subordinate & ancillary tablets, with appropriate brief inscriptions giving interesting details and occurrences and noting the day and hour as nearly as possible. SOURCE

Most of the Commission reports have been digitized & can be found HERE. The initial 1893 report up to and including 1921 can be found here. 1922-1926 are missing and have yet to be discovered. The years 1927-1933 were discovered in 1996 & are also included. This is the most comprehensive list of documents that illustrate the development & formation of the park.

Information about these specific types of monuments:
CONFEDERATE ADVANCE POSITION MARKERS
These tablets are 3’8" x 3’4" in dimensions, w/ carefully prepared inscriptions cast in raised letters painted in white (contrasting the black background) describing the part taken in the battle by each artillery battery, their position & stating its numbers and losses so far as practicable to obtain. Most of the CS battery markers state the losses were not reported in detail. The brigade which each battery served under is written first on the tablet, then proceeded by the battery name, usually accompanied by some colorful artillery name often times having to do with the name of the county in which the battery was raised. They are mounted on iron pillars or fluted cast iron posts about 3 feet high, grouted in the ground, & the tablets are inclined at a suitable angle so that the inscriptions can easily be read by persons riding or driving on the avenue. Every tablet is 4’4" in height. These tablets usually have accompanying artillery pieces which flank the tablet on either side. There can be as little as one gun & as many as four. The guns usually represent the battery & the armaments that specific battery used at Gettysburg. The cannons presumably point in the same direction as they once fired at the enemy in 1863. Sometimes only the cannon pads are present as the guns are periodically removed for service, cleaning, restoration, maintenance, etc.


The Raine’s Lee Battery - CS Battery 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 N.R. 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 catalogued as contributing structure number MN623-B.

From the Nomination Form:
Civil War tablet that marks position of Raine's Lee CS Battery, known as "The Lee Artillery", July 2-4, 1863. Narrates events associated with the Battery during Battle of Gettysburg.

Short Physical Description:
ablet w/ 2 cannon. Cast iron tablet, 3'8" x 3'4", with raised inscription painted in a contrasting color and mounted on fluted cast iron post. All 4'4" H. Cannon located left & right of tablet. Tablet cast by Calvin Gilbert, founder.

Long Physical Description:
Located at Benner's Hill, west side of avenue at road end.

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

Date Installed or Dedicated: 07/01/1905

Name of Government Entity or Private Organization that built the monument: Gettysburg National Military Park Commission

Union, Confederate or Other Monument: Confederate

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Related Website: [Web Link]

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