The 3rd Corps, 2nd Division, 1st Brigade was also known as Carr’s Brigade. During the battle of Gettysburg, it served as a member of Humphrey’s Division in the Third Corps, Army of the Potomac. The brigade was commanded by Brig. Gen. Joseph Bradford Carr (August 16, 1828 – February 24, 1895) who was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was distinguished for gallantry at Gettysburg, where he was wounded and his men stubbornly held their ground near the Peach Orchard. He commanded the 3rd Division of III Corps in the autumn campaigns of 1863. Because of the difficulties with his brigadier general appointment, he was technically junior to his own subordinate brigade commanders and on May 2, 1864, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant reassigned Carr to the Army of the James under Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler. Carr commanded a division of African-American soldiers in the XVIII Corps and briefly commanded the Defenses of Yorktown in the Department of Virginia and North Carolina. On March 13, 1865, Carr was appointed a brevet major general of volunteers, and he was mustered out of the volunteer service on August 24.
The Carr's Brigade - US Brigade Tablet is located on North Sickles Avenue, at the Emmitsburg Road.. Draw the Sword, with descriptive help from the NPS site, offers the following description: One of 74 brigade monuments erected at Gettysburg by the United States War Department to describe the movements and itinerary of each Union brigade of the Army of the Potomac. Monuments were designed by E.B. Cope.
Pedestals: Monolith consisting of polished smooth sea-green granite pedestal with a square 36? by 36? base. Base tapers to a smaller dimension at the tablet. On each pedestal is mounted a bronze inscription tablet measuring 4’0? x 3’8” with rounded corners weighing 300 pounds.
Each brigade monument stands 5’4? high and weigh 3,500 pounds. Completed between 1911 and 1912. The tablet was erected on July 1, 1912 by the Gettysburg National Military Park Commission and was created by Albert Russell & Sons Company of Massachusetts. At the top of the tablet is the diamond symbol of Third Corps. The inscription on this monolith reads:
Army of the Potomac
Third Corps Second Division
First Brigade
Brig. Gen. Joseph B. Carr
1st. 11th. 16th. Massachusetts
12th. New Hampshire 11th. New Jersey
26th. 84th. Pennsylvania InfantryJuly 2 Arrived around 1 a.m. and bivouacked for the night. Early in the afternoon formed line on the right of the Division connecting with Second Corps on the right. Between 3 and 4 p.m. advanced 300 yards to the Emmitsburg Road connecting with First Division. The Brigade with the support of 5th New Jersey on the left and 15th Mass. and 82d New York on the right held the front line, Second Brigade in reserve, until the line on the left gave way when the Brigade with the Division changed front to the left. The Brigade then retired with the Corps by order of Major Gen. D.B. Birney commanding to the main line in the rear where it formed and forced back the pursuing forces regained the lost ground capturing many prisoners and held the position until morning.
July 3 The Confederate Artillery opened fire at daylight which continued over an hour. At 6 a.m. the Brigade was ordered to join the Corps in the rear and then to support the Fifth Corps and at 3 p.m. to support the Second Corps. The Brigade lying in close column suffered severely from the Artillery fire.
Casualties. Killed 10 officers 111 men. Wounded 45 officers 559 men. Captured or missing 2 officers 63 men. Total 790.
There are scores of similar monuments for the various Confederate States & Union brigades which fought at Gettysburg. Many of the tablets were created by Albert Russell & Sons Co. of Newburyport, Massachusetts (This one included) and are made of granite, bronze and concrete. All of these tablets were designed by architect E.B. Cope. He designed pretty much every tablet for both the Union and Confederate armies, each one distinct, with several different varieties. The monuments were erected just after the turn of the century during the first and beginning of the second decade of the 20th century. Everyone has since been preserved or restored at least twice since the turn of the 21st century.
UNION BRIGADE MARKERS: There are seventy-four brigade markers at Gettysburg honoring the AOP’s various brigades. They were built by Albert Russell & Sons Co. of Newburyport, Massachusetts and Charles Kappes. The pedestals consist of sea-green granite with a square 36” x 36” base; they weigh 3500 pounds. On each pedestal is mounted a bronze tablet with rounded corners weighing 300 pounds. SOURCE
The Carr's Brigade - US Brigade Tablet 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 tablet is designated as contributing structure number MN483.
From the nomination form:
Short Physical Description:
Bronze inscription tablet, 4”0’ x 3’8”, attached to slant face of polished sea green granite monolith. 3’0” squared base of monument tapers to a smaller dimension at the tablet. All 5’4” H.
Long Physical Description
Located on North Sickles Avenue.
My Sources
1.
Draw the Sword
2.
NRHP Narrative
3.
Virtual Gettysburg
4.
Historical Marker Database
5.
Stone Sentinels