Pennsylvania's Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP), site of the Civil War's most decisive battle in 1863, currently is undergoing upgrades at two key locations to improve wear and tear from years of being a popular historical destination.
The Battle of Gettysburg, which lasted from July 1 to 3, 1863, is still the largest land conflict in North American history and involved approximately 180,000 troops on both sides as well as a combined 51,000 casualties.
A $13 million rehabilitation of Little Round Top began July 26 at Gettysburg, forcing the closure of that area of the battlefield for about 18 months while the National Park Service (NPS) improves infrastructure and updates the overall experience for visitors.
In March, Devil's Den, a site of fierce fighting during the battle just to the west-southwest of Little Round Top, modern crews also are finishing a major improvement project that is expected to allow for a full or partial re-opening at the end of September, according to the NPS. Any reopening decision, it added, will be tied to re-vegetation results. The worst of these areas may continue to be fenced off to allow extra time for more robust growth.
Little Round Top is a popular stop for visitors to the Gettysburg park, which lasted from July 1 to 3, 1863. According to a 2017 study, 90 percent of the people visiting the sprawling battlefield make a point to go to the hilltop. Not only was it a key part of fighting, but it also offers spectacular views of the southern Pennsylvania countryside 57 mi. northwest of Baltimore, Md.
"This closure will allow the necessary improvements to be completed in a safe and timely manner," said park superintendent Steven D. Sims. "The result of this project will help prevent further damage to this iconic location while increasing access and improving the visitor experience."
Union Turned Sure Defeat Into Victory at Little Round Top
Little Round Top is a rocky hill located two miles south of the small town of Gettysburg. The rugged, steep slope rises 150 ft. above a nearby stream valley and is strewn with large boulders.
On the afternoon of July 2, 1863, Confederate forces led by Gen. Robert E. Lee attempted to assault the Union's left flank entrenched on Little Round Top's high ground. Their ability to capture it looked certain, as only a few Federal soldiers were stationed there, but when Maj. Gen. George Meade, President Lincoln's top commander, discovered the situation, he rushed troops to the hilltop.
After almost two hours of intense fighting, a Union colonel and his men repulsed repeated Confederate attacks. When their ammunition ran low, the Federal soldiers fixed bayonets and counterattacked — a desperate act that halted the Southern charge. The successful defense of Little Round Top ignited another Union counterattack later that evening, and its use of artillery from the hill on July 3 pounded the Confederates' infamous and futile assault known as Pickett's Charge.
Little Round Top Gets New Pathways, Erosion Control
The park service noted on the Gettysburg NMP website that today's rehabilitation project at Little Round Top will address overwhelmed parking areas and safety hazards, significant erosion caused by heavy visitation, degraded vegetation and poor accessibility and related safety hazards. The rehabilitation of the hill is going to reestablish, preserve and protect the features that make up this part of the battlefield landscape.
In addition, the project also will enhance the visitor experience with improved interpretive signage, new accessible trail alignments and gathering areas to help visitors better immerse themselves into the historic landscape that is essential to understanding the Battle of Gettysburg.
The following areas on Little Round Top will be closed during the 18-month rehabilitation:
- The entirety of the hilltop, bordered by Wheatfield Road to the north, Crawford Avenue to the west, Warren Avenue to the south, and Sykes Avenue to the east.
- Sykes Avenue, Warren Avenue and Wright Avenue.
- The hiking trail that runs parallel to Sykes Avenue, located on the east side of the road, from Wheatfield Road on the north end to just past Wright Avenue on the south end.
During the repairs and updates, South Confederate Avenue also will be closed to all vehicle traffic south of the picnic area but will be open to pedestrians from south of the picnic area to near the four-way intersection.
Devil's Den Once Lived Up to Its Name
Although peaceful and bucolic now, save for its many modern visitors, Devil's Den was a far different scene on July 2, 1863, as heavy fighting and smoke swirled around the rock outcropping. The large boulders on the hillside were seen by both sides as the ideal place for artillery and sharpshooters to do their deadly work during the battle.
Union forces positioned there early in the day held the site before taking heavy fire and being driven away by the Confederate army in the afternoon.
Gen. Lee's sharpshooters were then stationed between the rocks at Devil's Den to fire upon Union soldiers at Little Round Top. However, Northern guns counter fired down onto them, resulting in hundreds of Southern troops being killed or wounded before the day was won by Gen. Meade's Army of the Potomac.
The defeat at Gettysburg ended Lee's attempt to invade the North and possibly capture the city of Washington. It also proved to be the turning point in the war in favor of the North.
Work Has Been More Extensive at Devil's Den
Jason Martz, information specialist of the Gettysburg NMP, told WHTM-TV in Harrisburg that rehabilitating the trails at Devil's Den, one of the park's best-known sites, has involved several layers of work.
"We'll be replacing old worn-out paths, and we're dealing with serious erosion projects that have occurred over the years," he said.
In the beginning, the contractor broke up chunks of the old pathways at and around Devil's Den before carrying them away via haul trucks. With that done, new material was brought on-site, including large granite blocks to be used for new steps on the trails. Each segment is specially treated to give park visitors better traction when walking or hiking.
"They've had a thermal or flash application applied to them, which means simply they have been roughed up, and have become a very sturdy, a very safe platform — even when wet," Martz explained.
In April, the steps were installed on the west and east stairways, along with the grading of the trail system and the concrete framework for the new pathways.
Workers in May poured aggregate concrete for the paths at Devil's Den, and since then, the park and its contractor have worked through the project's quality control list. In addition, in late July, boulder to sidewalk tie-in material was being installed, according to NPS.
Martz added that four cannons on the summit of Devil's Den, marking the spot where Union artillery tried to stop the Confederate advance on Little Round Top, have been taken to a temporary location and will be returned when the project is complete.
Visitors Unwittingly Create Damaging ‘Social Trails'
One of the major causes of erosion around Devil's Den are "social trails," or pathways made by people looking for shortcuts between sections of the site.
But the Gettysburg NMP has plans for dealing with these erosion-causing trails.
"In the areas where [these] trails have been [made] and the erosion is worse," Martz explained, "we're going to re-vegetate those areas to cut down on the creation of future social trails."
He told WHTM-TV that when the rehabilitation wraps up at Devil's Den, the new and improved site will keep the same look and feel as it once did. The only changes will be in the level of safety improvements and those to the trail system with the addition of new vegetation.
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