ART IN THE PARK: THE MONUMENTS AT GETTYSBURG
A memorial urn in the Soldiers’ National Cemetery became the first monument placed on the battlefield around 1867 — four years after the battle. It was placed there by the state of Minnesota to honor the First Minnesota Infantry, which sacrificed so heavily here at Gettysburg.
Most of the monuments on the Battlefield have been placed there by the veterans of the battle, to remember and honor the sacrifices of the soldiers who fought July 1, 2 and 3, 1863. For veterans of regiments/units who fought in multiple battles, Gettysburg had a particular significance and, upon the invitation of the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association and with financial support of their home states, veterans’ associations dedicated their regimental monuments on the Battlefield beginning in earnest in the 1880s. The monuments not only commemorate their service at Gettysburg, but at every other battle in which the units participated.
With nearly 1,400 monuments and memorials, Gettysburg National Military Park preserves one of the world’s largest collections of outdoor sculpture, some designed and sculpted by internationally recognized architects and sculptors.
