Below, is a description and brief history of the Armistead Marker, as described in, "Confederate Monuments at Gettysburg" by Mr. David G. Martin.
The Armistead Marker
The Armistead Marker is a granite marker, that is 4 feet 6 inches in height. It is a tablet in the form of a scroll that rests on a pedestal with a 2 foot square base.
This marker was erected on the spot where Brig. General Lewis Addison Armistead was wounded on July 3, 1863 during Pickett's Charge, while leading his brigade in an assault of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge. While his wounds were not considered a threat to his life, General Armistead died two days later in the field hospital of the 11th Corps at the George Spangler Farm.
This marker was proposed first on May 5, 1887 when permission was asked of the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association (GBMA) to mark the spot where General Armistead was wounded. It was at first refused, because the request violated the GBMA rule that all monuments must be within the battle lines. But when it was pointed out to the Directors of the GBMA that numerous markers to Union commanders had already been placed, many without regard to the position of related unit movements, the GBMA reconsidered their previous decision and approved the Armistead Marker on July 12, 1887.
The Thomas Nawn Company of Concord, New Hampshire erected the Armistead Marker in 1888. The location of the Armistead Marker is 120 feet west of Hancock Avenue in the Angle, 220 feet northwest of the High Water Mark. The inscription on the Marker simply states:
Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead C.S.A. fell here July 3, 1863.
The Armistead Marker was adopted under the the Gettysburg National Park Service "Adopt-a-Position" Program, by a Committee formed for the preservation of this Marker.
The Armistead Marker Preservation Committee (AMPC) has raised and presented to the Park Service the Perpetual Care Fund set forth by them to cover the maintenance and care for the Armistead Marker. The AMPC has also donated to other Armistead related events and causes.
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© Cynthia Buck-Thompson 1997 - 2010