GDG- Hancock's Monument

[Alan D. Brunelle]

John Baniszewski wrote:
> Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
>
>
> Hancock's monument may seem to be in a backwater location now, but that was not the case when it was built.  East Cemetery Hill used to be prime real estate from a visitation viewpoint.  It was the site of one of the earliest observation towers.  
>
> It is unfortunate East Cemetery Hill does not get more visitors.   Few people appreciate its importance in the battle, and the July 2 action there gets fairly little written about it.  If one views ECH from the southeast, one gets a much better appreciation of how it looked in 1863, but not many folks see it from that angle.  
>
> Unfortunately, as much as I would like to stop there while giving my tours, ECH is hard to visit. in a two-hour tour.  This is due to the one-way road network in the park, and the lack of parking near ECH.  On many occasions I have been asked to focus on a specific place on the battlefield, rather than do an "overview" tour, but no one has ever requested that I take them to ECH.

Last summer, my son & I marched around that area using two monographs as 
guides:

"Cemetery Hill - The Struggle for the High Ground" - by Terry L. Jones

&

"East Cemetery Hill at Gettysburg" by John M. Archer

The latter, in particular, was quite helpful. I think the view from ECH 
over towards Steven's Knoll is also enlightening - it shows the height 
of ECH itself quite well (as does looking directly down the slope - it 
certainly gives you an appreciation for what the Confederates had to 
charge up).

Alan