61st New York Infantry Monument - Gettysburg, PA
N 39° 47.818 W 077° 14.516
18S E 308054 N 4407627
This sculpture is 1 of 90 Civil War monuments honoring New York of the GBMA Era (1863 - 1895) and marks the position held by the regiment on the evening of July 2, 1863. The monument is located at the Wheatfield.
Waymark Code: WMF125
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 08/04/2012
Views: 4
The 61st New York Infantry was also known as The Clinton Guards. During the battle of Gettysburg, it served as a member of Cross’ Brigade in Caldwell’s Division of the Second Corps, Army of the Potomac, a Fighting 300 Regiment. The unit was commanded by Lt. Col. Knut Oscar Broady (1832-1922). Broady was born in Sweden; served in the Swedish artillery and navy; was a student at Madison University at start of War. He was wounded at Ream’s Station. After the war, he returned to Sweden with the American Baptist Society. Under his command, 148 men served at Gettysburg with 6 men killed and 56 wounded.
The 61st New York Infantry Monument is located inside the Wheatfield off of Ayres Avenue which gives the best access. The Wheatfield was quite overgrown with weeds and wild flowers when I visited and as such, I had to use small dirt paths to get in and out, which were only accessible form Ayres Avenue. If traveling southwest along the road, the monument will be on the right or northwest part of the road. The monument is 281 feet from the road but the walk is longer as the path is not straight but windy so as to visit the other monuments located inside this patch of land. 
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 1:20 P.M. I was at an elevation of 552 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: Four rough hewn granite blocks decorated with bronze New York State Seal and Corps trefoil. The monument marks the position of the 61st New York Infantry on the afternoon of July 2, 1863 in the fighting in Rose’s Wheatfield.
The monument was erected on July 1, 1889 by the State of New York. The monument is of granite with bronze adornments. The granite monument's dimensions are approximately 9 ft. x 76 in. x 77 inches. I could not find out who sculpted or fabricated the monument. There are inscriptions on the front and back of the monument which read:
(Front):61st. Regt. N.Y.Infy.
1st Brig. 1st Div.
2nd. Corps.
Organized September 1861.
Mustered out July 14th 1865.
(Back):This position held by the
61st Regt. N.Y. Infy.
on the afternoon of
July 2nd. 1863.
Casualties
Killed 6 Wounded 58
Total loss 62
The 61st New York 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 MN828-B.
From the Nomination Form:
1 of 90 Civil War monuments honoring New York of the GBMA Era (1863 - 1895). Marks position held by regiment on evening of July 2, 1863. Located at the Wheatfield.
Short Physical Description:
Mn w/ rough-cut granite base (6'4"x 6'4") & plinth w/ inscription, rough-cut & finished shaft w/ bronze state seal & inscription, & rough-cut apex top w/ bronze trefoil. All 10'H.
Long Physical Description:
N/A
My Sources
1.
NRHP Nomination Form
2.
SIRIS
3.
Stone Sentinels
4.
Virtual Gettysburg
5.
Draw the Sword
6.
Historical Marker Database
7.
New York State Military Museum
8.
Find a Grave