Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/795

GETTYSBURG are eight ancient olive trees, with several younger ones, which have been planted or have sprung up from the roots of older trees. This spot was several years ago bought by the Latin church, and laid out in walks and flow- er beds. In it is pointed out the grotto of the agony, excavated in the rock, the descent to which is by a flight of rudely cut steps. The form of the interior is circular, about 15 ft. in diameter, the roof, supported by pilasters, Gethsemane. being perforated to admit light. The Arme- nian and Greek churches deny that this is the true site of Gethsemane, and they have fixed upon another place a little to the north. Dr. Robinson thinks that the site claimed by the Latins is that believed to be the true one by Eusebius and Jerome, and as likely to be so as any. Dr. Thomson thinks both sites are too near the city, and that Gethsemane was in the secluded valley still further to the northeast. GETTYSBURG, a borough and the capital of Adams co., Pennsylvania, situated on eleva- ted ground in a rich farming country, at the terminus of the Susquehanna, Gettysburg, and Potomac railroad, 36 m. S. "W. of Harris- burg; pop. in 1870, 3,074. The court house and public offices are commodious brick struc- tures; the residences are generally neat and substantial. The borough is extensively en- gaged in the manufacture of carriages, is sup- plied with good water conveyed in iron pipes from a neighboring spring, and has two na- tional banks, a female seminary, two weekly newspapers, a theological quarterly, and eight churches. It is the seat of Pennsylvania col- GETTYSBURG (BATTLE OF) 779 lege (Lutheran), founded in 1832, and having in 1871-'2 11 professors and instructors (3 in the preparatory department), 92 collegiate and 37 preparatory students, and libraries contain- ing 18,300 volumes ; and of a Lutheran theolo- gical seminary, founded in 1825, and having 4 professors and 2 lecturers, 46 students, a li- brary of 10,100 volumes, and an endowment of $100,000. The buildings belonging to these institutions are large and beautiful edifices. The national cemetery, containing the remains of Union soldiers who fell in the battle of Gettysburg, occupies about 17 acres on Ceme- tery hill adjacent to the village cemetery, and was dedicated with imposing ceremonies, and an impressive address by President Lincoln, Nov. 19, 1863. A monument occupying the crown of the hill, dedicated July 4, 1868, is 60 ft. high, and is crowned with a statue of Liberty. At the base of the pedestal are four buttresses, surmounted by statues representing War, His- tory, Peace, and Plenty. Around the monu- ment, in semicircular slopes, are arranged the dead, the space being divided by alleys and pathways into 22 sections, one for the regu- lar army, one for the volunteers of each state represented in the battle, and three for the unknown dead. The number of bodies in- terred here is 3,564, of which 994 have not been identified. Adjoining the national ceme- tery is a national soldiers' orphans' homestead, founded at the close of the war by benevolent contributions of Sunday schools and individu- als, containing usually about 1 00 orphans. One mile "W. of the borough, near the spot where Gen. Reynolds fell on the first day of the battle, are the Gettysburg springs, whose waters, de- nominated katalysine, have acquired a wide reputation for their medicinal qualities. A fine hotel near by accommodates the patients who resort in large numbers to these springs during the summer. Since the battle Gettysburg has attracted tourists from all parts of the world. GETTYSBURG, Battle of, fought July 1, 2, and 3, 1863, between the Union army of the Poto- mac under Gen. Meade, and the confederate army of Northern Virginia under Gen. Lee. After the battle of Ohancellorsville (May 2-4, 1863), the confederates resolved upon an in- vasion of the north, believing that a decided success there would bring the war to a speedy close. Their whole disposable force except that in the west was to be employed in this en- terprise. Southern Virginia and North Caro- lina were almost stripped of troops to augment the army of Northern Virginia, and early in June a force of nearly 100,000 men, of whom 15,000 were cavalry, was concentrated in the vicinity of Culpeper. This was nearly the largest and by far the best organized and equipped army which the confederacy ever placed in the field. It was formed into three corps, under Longstreet, Ewell, and A. P. Hill, the cavalry being commanded by Stnart. It began to move slowly down the valley of the Shenandoah, whereupon Hooker, who then