Cumberland Township near Gettysburg in Adams County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Capturing the Carnage
Gettysburg National Military Park
| | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | |
Photographed by Karl Stelly, March 4, 2022
1. Capturing the Carnage Marker
On July 5, photographer and Scottish immigrant Alexander Gardner and his assistants, Timothy O'Sullivan and James Gibson, arrived at Gettysburg to document the carnage. Gardner's photographs of the Antietam Battlefield in 1862 had elicited strong emotional response from viewers. The Gettysburg aftermath would, undoubtedly, do the same. Here, at the 280-acre Rose Farm, between 6,000 and 7,000 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured on July 2. Gardner took approximately 20 images of dead soldiers lying across the battlefield. These graphic images stripped away the pageantry of warfare, replacing it with gritty realism and the true cost of battle.
[Caption:]
Alexander Gardner, seated, holding his camera lens, carried bulky cameras, glass photo plates, and chemicals needed to process photos in a darkroom wagon.
Erected 2022 by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is July 5, 1863.
Location. 39° 47.745′ N, 77° 14.859′ W. Marker is near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in Adams County. It is in Cumberland Township. It is on Brooke Avenue
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Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Kershaw's Brigade (a few steps from this marker); 145th Pennsylvania Infantry (within shouting distance of this marker); 27th Connecticut Infantry (within shouting distance of this marker); 27th Regiment Connecticut Volunteers Position (within shouting distance of this marker); 53rd Pennsylvania Infantry (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Semmes's Brigade (about 300 feet away); Fourth Brigade (about 300 feet away); 64th New York Infantry (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gettysburg.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Images of Death (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Old Marker At This Location titled "Images of Death".
Also see . . . Gettysburg National Military Park. National Park Service (Submitted on April 21, 2022.)
Photographed by Karl Stelly, March 4, 2022
2. Capturing the Carnage Marker
A wider view, showing a little of the surrounding area.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 4, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 12, 2022, by Karl Stelly of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 500 times since then and 33 times this year. Last updated on September 4, 2024, by Mark P. Brock-Cancellieri of Baltimore, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 12, 2022, by Karl Stelly of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
