Little Round Top

[Dusty Merritt]

Looking over the LOC's high-res images of Gettysburg's Little Round Top I noticed a couple of men (civilians scavengers? burial detail? Reb prisoners?) in one image (LC-B815-267). One of them has a sack of some sort slung over his shoulder. Upon closer inspection, I realized they're standing near a dead body. You can also see Plum/Bloody Run in the top right:



Here's another view of the body from a slightly different angle (LC-B817- 7318):



William Frassanito doesn't mention these figures in his studies of the Gettysburg aftermath photos. I found it unusual as there are no other dead visible at the foot of Little Round Top in these images. Any further theories as to the two living men?

[NYCivilWar]

Re: Little Round Top

Brendan,

Thanks for sharing this photo, it is an interesting shot. Actually William Frassanito does point this out in his work Early Photography at Gettysburg pg.307, fourth paragraph down. Frassanito believes that these two men may be Timothy O'Sulliavan (with sack over shoulder) and Alexander Gardner on right.

Just out of curiosity, where did you find this photo on the LOC site? I can't seem to find it myself-- would like to take a closer look at it as well.

-Kyle M. Stetz

[Dusty Merritt]

Re: Little Round Top

Oh wow. I actually don't have that Frassanito book. I have his other Gettysburg study and thought that I had read Early Photography but I don't remember that at all. Does he mention the body? I was not at all expecting to see one lone, forgotten corpse. A macabre find.

Here are the direct links to each image:

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cwpb.00080

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cwpb.03970

[NYCivilWar]

Re: Little Round Top

I think he does mention the body, I don't have the book on hand right at the moment, but he definitely does mention the two men in the foreground. The links you gave are the same photo, and only show the body, but not the two men.

Kyle M. Stetz

[Andrew Kasmar]

Re: Little Round Top

Hi,

That is a very interesting image.

[Dusty Merritt]

Re: Little Round Top

Ah. I see what I did wrong. It's edited--the top one should now go to the full stereoview with the two men.

[wilber6150]

Re: Little Round Top

There is at least one more unburied soldier about 45 degrees up the hill from the the two men..

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Little Round Top

Hallo!

"I found it unusual as there are no other dead visible at the foot of Little Round Top in these images."

In brief and to over-generalize...

The photographers are basically working with what "was left" after the burial details had already been at work.
In a macabresque POV, the handful of corpses left by Devil's Den would barely have earned a fitting title of the "Slaughter Pen." ;)

Curt