Do you enjoy studying sculptures of horses and their riders? There are eight large and beautiful equestrian monuments at Gettysburg National Military Park. This gallery shows them all.
Equestrian Monuments at Gettysburg
Interactive Quiz.
Scavenger Hunt.
Winfield S. Hancock Equestrian Monument, USA
Oliver O. Howard Equestrian Monument, USA
Robert E. Lee Equestrian Monument (Virginia Memorial), CSA
James Longstreet Equestrian Monument, CSA
George G. Meade Equestrian Monument, USA
John F. Reynolds Equestrian Monument, USA
John Sedgwick Equestrian Monument, USA
Henry W. Slocum Equestrian Monument, USA
Highlights
In this section, we list some interesting facts about Gettysburg’s eight equestrian monuments.
First, the two oldest equestrian monuments were both dedicated in 1896. The equestrian monument of Union Maj. Gen. George G. Meade stands on Cemetery Ridge, whereas that of Winfield S. Hancock stands on Cemetery Hill. Notably, both monuments are on the Union high-ground.
Second, sculptor Henry Kirke Bush-Brown created nearly half of Gettysburg’s equestrian monuments. He sculpted the equestrian monuments of Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds, and Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick.
Third, of Gettysburg’s eight equestrian monuments, six honor generals who served in the Army of the Potomac and two honor generals from the Army of Northern Virginia, which we will mention briefly in the two paragraphs that follow.
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s equestrian monument tops the Virginia State Monument. The sculptor, Frederick Sievers, studied the skeleton of Lee’s horse (named “Traveler”), which remains preserved at Washington and Lee University.
Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet’s equestrian monument is a recent addition to Gettysburg National Military Park. Sculpted by Gary Casteel and dedicated in 1998, the seven other equestrian monuments were dedicated 1896-1932 and mounted on large stone structures. The Longstreet equestrian does not have a pedestal and stands relatively low to the ground.
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