Gettysburg Second Day Driving Tour
- Gettysburg Sentinels
- Jun 30
- 2 min read
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).
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.
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.
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
Vary interesting and informative.