Wheatfield Road
Encyclopedia
The Wheatfield Road is a Gettysburg Battlefield
crossroad from the Peach Orchard
east-southeastward along the north side of The Wheatfield (on the Peach Orchard-Devil's Den
ridge), north of the Valley of Death, and over the north foot of Little Round Top
. In addition to modern tourist use, the road is notable for Battle of Gettysburg
use and postbellum trolley use associated with the 1892-1896 US v. Gettysburg Electric Ry.
case of the US Supreme Court
.
, the dirt Wheatfield Road was used by various Union and Confederate troops (e.g., Crawford's
Third Division of Pennsylvania Reserves
), and Union troops deployed artillery westward to the Peach Orchard using the road. In 1884, the Round Top Branch
's wye with double spurs and station was built at the east end of Wheatfield Rd, and in 1894 the Gettysburg Electric Railway
was laid along a west portion of the road (trolleys also crossed the east end near Round Top Station). In 1895, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
ceded jurisdiction of Wheatfield Rd to the War Dept
, and in 1900 two cast iron identification tablets were placed to label the road. The Gettysburg Electric Railway
tracks were removed from the Wheatfield Road in 1917 and the road was repaired in 1931. The Wheatfield Rd was resurfaced with asphalt west of Sykes Av in 1933,http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=f4olAAAAIBAJ&sjid=s_IFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6137,1697771&dq=sykes-avenue&hl=en and completed "from the Rosensteel pavilion to the Taneytown road" in 1940 by the McMillan Woods
CCC
camp.
Gettysburg Battlefield
The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg within and around the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the 4 acre site of the first shot & at on the west of the borough, to East...
crossroad from the Peach Orchard
Peach Orchard
The Peach Orchard is a Gettysburg Battlefield site at the southeast corner of the north-south Emmitsburg Road intersection with the Wheatfield Road...
east-southeastward along the north side of The Wheatfield (on the Peach Orchard-Devil's Den
Devil's Den
Devils Den is a boulder-strewn Gettysburg Battlefield hill used by artillery and infantry during the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, Second Day...
ridge), north of the Valley of Death, and over the north foot of Little Round Top
Little Round Top
Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left flank on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg....
. In addition to modern tourist use, the road is notable for Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
use and postbellum trolley use associated with the 1892-1896 US v. Gettysburg Electric Ry.
United States v. Gettysburg Electric Ry. Co.
United States v. Gettysburg Electric Ry. Co. was a case to prevent trolley operations on the Gettysburg Battlefield. The dispute began in August 1891 when the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association's board approved attorney motion to deny trolley right-of-way along GBMA roads...
case of the US Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
.
History
During the Battle of GettysburgBattle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
, the dirt Wheatfield Road was used by various Union and Confederate troops (e.g., Crawford's
Samuel W. Crawford
Samuel Wylie Crawford was a United States Army surgeon and a Union general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
Third Division of Pennsylvania Reserves
Pennsylvania Reserves
The Pennsylvania Reserves were an infantry division in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Noted for its famous commanders and high casualties, it served in the Eastern Theater, and fought in many important battles, including Antietam and Gettysburg....
), and Union troops deployed artillery westward to the Peach Orchard using the road. In 1884, the Round Top Branch
Round Top Branch
The Round Top Branch was an extension of the Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railroad from the Gettysburg borough across the Gettysburg Battlefield to Round Top, Pennsylvania...
's wye with double spurs and station was built at the east end of Wheatfield Rd, and in 1894 the Gettysburg Electric Railway
Gettysburg Electric Railway
The Gettysburg Electric Railway was a borough trolley that provided summer access to Gettysburg Battlefield visitor attractions such as military engagement areas, monuments, postbellum camps, and recreation areas...
was laid along a west portion of the road (trolleys also crossed the east end near Round Top Station). In 1895, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
ceded jurisdiction of Wheatfield Rd to the War Dept
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
, and in 1900 two cast iron identification tablets were placed to label the road. The Gettysburg Electric Railway
Gettysburg Electric Railway
The Gettysburg Electric Railway was a borough trolley that provided summer access to Gettysburg Battlefield visitor attractions such as military engagement areas, monuments, postbellum camps, and recreation areas...
tracks were removed from the Wheatfield Road in 1917 and the road was repaired in 1931. The Wheatfield Rd was resurfaced with asphalt west of Sykes Av in 1933,http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=f4olAAAAIBAJ&sjid=s_IFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6137,1697771&dq=sykes-avenue&hl=en and completed "from the Rosensteel pavilion to the Taneytown road" in 1940 by the McMillan Woods
McMillan Woods
McMillan Woods was used during the Battle of Gettysburg and for Gettysburg Battlefield camps after the American Civil War, including the WWII POW camp at Gettysburg...
CCC
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
camp.
Route
| Location | Mi (km) | Intersection | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gettysburg National Military Park Gettysburg National Military Park The Gettysburg National Military Park is an administrative unit of the National Park Service's northeast region and a subunit of federal properties of Adams County, Pennsylvania, with the same name, including the Gettysburg National Cemetery... |
McGilvery Freeman McGilvery Freeman McGilvery was a United States Army artillery officer during the American Civil War. He gained fame at the Battle of Gettysburg for taking the initiative to piece together a line of guns that greatly contributed to the Union victory.-Biography:McGilvery was born in Prospect, Maine... Artillery Av |
(southward avenue)http://www.hscl.cr.nps.gov/insidenps/report.asp?STATE=&PARK=GETT&STRUCTURE=&SORT=&RECORDNO=160 |
|
| colspan=3 align=center | Wheatfield Road's 0.21 mi (0.3379614 km) Sickles Avenue section "constructed" in 1899 |
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