Ewell's C.S. Marker - Headquarters Marker - Gettysburg, PA - American Civil War Monuments and Memorials on Waymarking.com

There are hundreds of gun (cannons) and rifles at Gettysburg, many of them flanking monuments and markers or some like this one, which are reserved for marking headquarters of Generals. The firing tube of this gun has a green patina from constant exposure to the elements but other than that, is in good shape. Because the gun is mounted upside down on a high base, I was unable to peer on the muzzle to observe the registration stamp or into the bore to discern rifling grooves. The gun represents the headquarters of Lieut. Gen. Richard Stoddert Ewell.

Richard Stoddert Ewell (February 8, 1817 – January 25, 1872) was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee and fought effectively through much of the war, but his legacy has been clouded by controversies over his actions at the Battle of Gettysburg and at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House.

But at the Battle of Gettysburg, Ewell's military reputation started a long decline. On July 1, 1863, Ewell's corps approached Gettysburg from the north and smashed the Union XI Corps and part of the I Corps, driving them back through the town and forcing them to take up defensive positions on Cemetery Hill south of town. Lee had just arrived on the field and saw the importance of this position. He sent discretionary orders to Ewell that Cemetery Hill be taken "if practicable." Ewell chose not to attempt the assault. Ewell's critics have noted that this failure of action on his part, whether justified or not, in all likelihood cost the Confederates the battle.

The Draw the Sword site helped out by the NPS narrative (and me) offers the following description: Erected by the Gettysburg National Parks Commission and completed in 1920-1921; consists of bronze cannon mounted on a granite base in the shape of a regular pentagon. Denotes the location of the headquarters of the Army of Northern Virginia’s Second Corps. 12-pounder bronze Confederate cannon cemented into granite base, 3’2" sq. 2’7" high w/ muzzle up. Overall height, 10’6". Bronze inscription tablet on North face. Colonel Emmor Bradley Cope (July 23, 1834 - May 28, 1927) designed this monument and every non-sculpted tablet for both the Union & Rebel armies, each one distinct, w/ several different varieties as well as the other U.S. Monuments. He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Gettysburg, as well he should be as this park and most of the things seen here today were designed by him and as such, are his legacy.

It can be exciting to find an original reference in the Gettysburg Park Commission reports which refer to specific monuments. I found the entry for this monument in the July 1,1921 Commission Report sent to the Secretary of War. It reads: Wishing to complete the work and mark all Corps Headquarters of both armies in the Battle of Gettysburg, the Commission called for plans and specifications for monuments to mark Headquarters of the First, Second and Third Corps of the Confederate Army. Plans and specifications were prepared by Col. E. B. Cope, the Engineer, and locations were selected and the foundations built in the Autumn of 1920; through the winter of 1920-1921, the stone cutters and their helpers got out the granite for bases and dies. These bases and dies have been set up on the foundations and each monument mounted with a 12 pounder bronze Confederate gun. A bronze tablet on the die gives the necessary information, viz: The Corps Commander, the Division composing the Corps, Commander of each Division, the dates on which the Corps occupied the locality, etc. The Second Corps Headquarters marker is located on the north side of the Hanover road on the west side of Rock Creek 100 yards from the bridge. General Ewell occupied the house near the marker. The entire work in preparing and setting up these markers was done in the most economical manner, they are of a different design from any monument or marker on the Battlefield; the foundation is of concrete, 4 feet in the ground, the top is 6 inches above the level of the ground; this foundation is surmounted by a granite base and die, these are hexagonal in shape and support the Confederate cannon cemented in the die with the muzzle up. A bronze plate with C. S. A. of large letters on it is across the gun at the trunnions.

There is an inscription on a front bronze badge which wraps around the front of barrel facing south or the road. The CSA symbol is in bronze relief or embossed above the inscription of the badge, mounted from trunnion to trunnion. The inscription reads.

Army of Northern Virginia
2nd Corps Headquarters
Lieut. General
Richard S. Ewell
———
Divisions
Major Genl. Jubal A. Early
Major Genl. Edward Johnson
Major Genl. R.E. Rodes
July 1,2,3,4,5, 1863

The Ewell's C.S. Marker - Headquarters Marker is located at the intersection of Hanover Road (Route 116) and 6th Street. The gun is at the northeastern side of the intersection or on the left or north side of Hanover Road just pass 6th Street, at the corner in front of a private home. Parking is on 6th Street on the same side as the gun. Stay off the grass or anything green or you will be ticketed by the Park Police. I visited this site on Thursday, July 4, 2013 on the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg 12:57 PM, EDT. As always, I used my trusty and oft abused Canon PowerShot 14.1 Megapixel, SX210 IS digital camera for the photos.

My SOURCE for all things weapons at Gettysburg provided me with very limited information which presumably appears on the muzzle. Missing is the registry number, weight of the firing tube, internal foundry number and the initials of the inspector. Present on the muzzle stamp is:

Registry Information Explanation
C.S. ARSENAL COLUMBUS GEO. stands for the Columbus Arsenal out of Columbus GA and the foundry responsible for producing this weapon. 1863 is the manufacture date which could mean this foundry was still producing the older 1857 design from seven years earlier, if in fact this is an 1857 model.

About the Foundry
About 150 years ago, shortly after the fall of New Orleans, Confederate authorities saw the need to relocate equipment from the Baton Rouge Arsenal. The best location proved to be Columbus, along the Chattahoochee River. The location allowed the new arsenal to work with local factories producing war materials from uniforms to carriages. While no cannon casting equipment came from Baton Rouge, local vendors were already engaged, at a limited rate, in cannon production. However, when the Navy leased the Columbus Iron Works for their needs, the Army sat up bronze casting facilities at the arsenal. Captain Frederick C. Humphreys reported the foundry ready in May 1863.

The foundry produced two types of weapons, that we know of. A lone surviving 9-pdr gun-howitzer speaks to a small number of weapons in that long disfavored caliber. But the focus of the foundry was the sixty to eighty 12-pdr Napoleons produced through 1864. All of those delivered conformed to the “Type 5? layout. SOURCE

For the last eight months of the war, the Columbus arsenal was one of the major armament works of the Confederacy." Diffee Standard, Columbus Georgia in the Confederacy, (New York, The William-Frederick Press, 1954), 42. Federal cavalry force commanded by Major General James H. Wilson was approaching Columbus, Georgia, the last major industrial center in the Confederacy. A battle for the city was fought on April 16th, and on April 17th, 1865, the occupying Union forces, led by Winslow, proceeded to burn everything that could be used by the Confederate government. And so ended the life of the Confederate Arsenal, Armory, and Laboratory at Columbus, Georgia. SOURCE This source also details the work Humphreys did for the Confederacy through a series of notes and other correspondences.

About the Gun
The twelve-pound cannon "Napoleon" was the most popular smoothbore cannon used during the war. It was named after Napoleon III of France and was widely admired because of its safety, reliability, and killing power, especially at close range. The Federal version of the Napoleon can be recognized by the flared front end of the barrel, called the muzzle-swell. Confederate Napoleons were produced in at least six variations, most of which had straight muzzles, but at least eight catalogued survivors of 133 identified have muzzle swells This bronze gun does not have that flare. Casting of these bronze Napoleons by the Confederacy ceased due to lack of resources and in January 1864 Tredegar began producing iron Napoleons. Just before this in early 1863, resources were so scarce, Robert E. Lee sent nearly all of the Army of Northern Virginia's bronze 6-pounder guns to Tredegar (another foundry) to be melted down and recast as Napoleons. SOURCE

Commonly referred to as the "Napoleon", this bronze smoothbore cannon fired a twelve-pound ball and was considered a light gun through each weighed an average of 1,200 pounds. This powerful cannon could fire explosives shell and solid shot up to a mile and charges of canister up to 300 yards with accuracy. The Napoleon was a favorite amongst some Northern artillerists because of its firepower and reliability. Two Union batteries armed with Napoleons at Gettysburg were very effective in holding back Confederate infantry attacks and knocking down opposing southern batteries. Battery G, 4th U.S. repeatedly slowed Confederate infantry attacks against the Eleventh Corps lines on July 1, while Captain Hubert Dilger's Battery G, 1st Ohio Light Artillery almost annihilated two Confederate batteries with accurate and punishing counter-battery fire at long distance. Most Union Napoleons were manufactured in Massachusetts by the Ames Company and the Revere Copper Company. SOURCE

The Ewell's C.S. Marker - 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 MN767.

From the Nomination Form:
1 of 4 Civil War CS Headquarters Markers in Park of the War Dept. Era (1895-1927). Marks location of Ewell's Headquarters during the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-4, 1863. Located on Hanover Road west of Rock Creek, Borough of Gettysburg. Marker is located on the northeast side of the intersection of Hanover Road and 6th Street.

Short Physical Description:
12-pounder bronze Confederate cannon cemented into granite base, 3'2" sq. 2'7" high w/ mussle up. Overall height, 10'6". Bronze inscription tablet on N face.

Long Physical Description:
N/A

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