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Gettysburg Second Day Driving Tour

Enjoy this driving tour of some of our favorite points of interest on the Gettysburg Civil War Battlefield.




Start: Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, PA. Pick up a battlefield map and audio guide (optional).


The Round Tops
The Round Tops

Stop 1: Little Round Top

Sykes Avenue

  • Site of intense fighting where Union Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren realized the left flank was unguarded.

  • 20th Maine, under Col. Joshua Chamberlain, famously defended the extreme left against repeated Confederate attacks.

  • Stunning views of the battlefield from the summit.

Look for: Warren statue, boulders, and the 20th Maine monument.

On and around Little Round Top are many confirmed Witness Trees



Stop 2: Devil’s Den

Crawford Avenue

  • Rugged boulder-strewn ground where Confederates under Hood attacked Union sharpshooters.

  • Fierce close combat with high casualties.

Photo op: Massive boulders and sharpshooter positions.

At the top of Devil's Den is a confirmed Witness Tree


Stop 3: The Wheatfield

Ayres Avenue off Sickles Avenue

  • One of the bloodiest areas of the battlefield.

  • Control changed hands six times over the course of the day.

  • Fought over by troops from both sides in chaotic, confusing engagements.

Optional: Use the Gettysburg NPS app for an audio narration here.



The Peach Orchard looking toward Little Round Top
The Peach Orchard looking toward Little Round Top

Stop 4: The Peach Orchard

Intersection of Wheatfield Road & Emmitsburg Road

  • Union Gen. Daniel Sickles advanced his III Corps into this vulnerable position.

  • Confederates exploited the exposed line, breaking through and nearly collapsing the Union left.

Look for: Artillery monuments and the Sherfy peach orchard site.


Stop 5: Trostle Farm

Sickles Avenue

  • Site where Gen. Sickles was wounded by a cannonball.

  • Union artillery made a fierce stand here, even as Sickles’ lines were overrun.

Look for: The still-standing Trostle barn, marked by a visible cannonball hole.


Stop 6: Cemetery Ridge

Hancock Avenue

  • Union defensive line held here after falling back from the Peach Orchard and Wheatfield.

  • Meade used this ridge as the backbone of the Union center.

  • Central to Day 2’s regrouping—and Day 3’s Pickett’s Charge.

Focus: The importance of high ground and interior lines.



Culp's Hill in the spring
Culp's Hill in the spring

Stop 7: Culp’s Hill & East Cemetery Hill

Slocum Avenue & Baltimore Street

  • Union right flank, attacked late in the day by Ewell’s Confederates.

  • Union forces held firm after intense nighttime fighting.

  • Key to protecting the Union supply line and the Baltimore Pike.

Look for: Monuments to New York and Pennsylvania units, wooded terrain.

At Spangler's Spring (behind the spring) is a confirmed Witness Tree

At the observation tower is a confirmed Witness Tree





A Field Guide to The Witness Trees of Culp's Hill
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The Bloody Wheatfield Oak Witness Tree Wood Shadow Box
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1 Comment


SS409
Jun 30, 2025

Vary interesting and informative.

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