Gettysburg Railway Cut (2)

 Above: View South Southeast toward the Lutheran Theological Seminary on Seminary Ridge.

Above: View Southeast toward the town of Gettysburg (hidden by trees).

These views were taken from the same position under the bridge abutment as the previous view posted on Nov. 16, but the camera is now pointed southerly as opposed to northerly. In the upper view, the monuments of the 95th N.Y. Inf. and the 6th Wisc. Inf. may be seen on the right. The cut was shallower as it tailed off toward Gettysburg, and the Confederates were able to better utilize it as a protected firing position to rake the 6th Wisc. Inf. in its advance from the Chambersburg Pike (middle ground).

Gettysburg Railway Cut

View northwest showing the famous railway cut (well, one of them) west of Gettysburg, which was the scene of heavy fighting between elements of Cutler's Union brigade and Davis' Confederate brigade on July 1, 1863. On the ground shown, the 2d and 42d Miss. of Davis opposed the 95th N.Y. and 14th Brooklyn of Cutler in an epic struggle that resulted in heavy casualties on both sides and the surrender of over 200 Confederates trapped in the cut.

I was at the park last weekend with friends. To get this photo, I climbed down the embankment of the cut underneath the park bridge for the roadway over it and onto its abutment. The cut here is through McPherson's Ridge and is relatively deep for about 200 yards of its length. The view is toward the mountains at the Cashtown Gap.