Gettysburg Graphical Order of Battle

If you’re interested in the armies that fought at Gettysburg, we invite you to come by and see our Graphical Order of Battle. An “Order of Battle” shows the organization and hierarchy of the army but you’ve never seen one like this before! It is a big graphic chart — sort of like a big family tree — and it is a great way to learn about the participants in the battle.

But it is so much more than a typical Order of Battle! The Graphical Order of Battle includes the commander of each army and that of each corps, division, brigade, and regiment, along with his rank and (when available) his photograph, headquarters staff, troop strength/losses, and artillery complement. Corps insignia and notable unit nicknames are also included. The names of participants are color-coded to distinguish those officers who were killed or mortally wounded (red), wounded (pink), and missing/captured (blue border) — and, in those cases, the chart shows the succession of command over the course of the 3-day battle.

All recipients of the Medal of Honor for action at Gettysburg are included, regardless of rank. (Commanders who received the Medal of Honor for service other than Gettysburg are also annotated.)

Finally, a citation is provided to the report of each commander/unit in the Official Records (ORs).

This distant snapshot shows about half of the chart for the Army of the Potomac.

The corps and division levels reflect the battle flags that these units used to distinguish themselves on the battlefield.

Major General Dan Sickles was the commander of III Corps, the insignia and battle flags for which are shown. Sickles was awarded the Medal of Honor. When he was wounded in battle (pink), command fell to Major General David Birney who was also wounded. Click on any image to zoom.

The 20th Massachusetts was commanded by Colonel Paul J. Revere (grandson of the Revolutionary War midnight rider). When Col. Revere was mortally wounded, command of the 20th Mass fell to Lt. Col. Macy. When he too was wounded, Captain Henry Abbott took command of the regiment. As shown, Captain Abbott subsequently filed the ‘Official Report’ for the regiment (Series 1, Volume 27, page 445).

The 11th New Jersey had six commanders over the course of the 3-day battle. One of them was killed and ALL of the others were wounded. Two of the commanders (McAllister and Schoonover) filed Official Reports about the campaign, as did Captain William A. Dunning. The citations for all three of those reports are shown. As also shown, the regiment started the battle with 275 men and, of those, 17 were killed or mortally wounded, 124 were wounded, and 12 were missing or captured.

The Graphical Order of Battle for the Army of the Potomac (Union) is 18 feet wide (!) and is finished. The chart for the Army of Northern Virginia (Confederate) is 15 feet wide and is also on display at our location but we haven’t yet added all of the photos that we have for Confederate officers.

Come by to take a look:
Segway Tours and Rides of Gettysburg
22 Springs Avenue, Gettysburg
717-253-7987

Country music star Trace Adkins and Pulitzer-Prize-winning author and historian James McPherson were on the Gettysburg battlefield today. They were helping to publicize the Civil War Trust’s “Campaign 150: Our time, Our legacy“, a project to protect 20,000 acres Civil War battlefield land over the next five years.

Sherry Rudisill stumbled across Trace Adkins on the battlefield while leading a Segway tour. She couldn’t help interrupting the tour long enough to run over to him and get this photo. It was a great day on the battlefield for Sherry!

Published yesterday, June 23rd

To the General Commanding;

According to our spies, the enemy is planning the largest incursion into this part of the country in almost a year. I am pleased to report our progress in defense of the Borough of Gettysburg from this threat of invasion by the Army of Tourists.

To date, we have destroyed the bridges and affected strategic road closures on at least four of the main arteries into town, deterring access from the south, west, and north.

Since the newspapers in enemy territory have detailed a plan to demonstrate to the southwest of this town in early July, we have taken all necessary steps to impede any further progress towards town by those unwelcome hordes by way of the Emmittsburg, Taneytown, or Fairfield roads.

Should the invaders flank our defensive lines and gain access to the town, they will find their movements severely restricted by additional barricades and road closures. Any enemy units that dare to hold a position in town in order to harass our merchants will have their wagons and other conveyances targeted by our sharpshooters who will make them pay for their poor judgment.

Residents and merchants of this town will naturally find their own movements and access to supply trains limited by these necessary actions in defense of the town. But they have been assured that we will lift many of the access restrictions later in the year, after the greatest threat of invasion has passed.

Colonel Bob Velke
Militia in Defense of Gettysburg

It is our anniversary! This week marks a full year that we’ve been rated the #1 tour in Gettysburg by the popular travel site, TripAdvisor.com.

(Actually, we were also previously rated the #1 activity overall in Gettysburg but last winter TripAdvisor starting ranking tours separately from other types of activities.)

We’ve also been awarded a Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor because of our longstanding and consistent record of five-star reviews from our customers.

Thanks to all who have posted reviews or have otherwise helped to spread the word about the fun and educational Segway tours of Gettysburg!

We’ve previously reported evidence that Segways were used during the Civil War.

Now comes word that they have been around much longer than that!  Here’s the video evidence:

(If you can’t see the video for some reason, you may have better luck on this site.)

Actually, those aren’t real Segways but a cheap knock-off.  If you look closely, they have four wheels.

But it is funny anyway.

The scenic Pennsylvania countryside has many beautiful vistas but this is the one (hidden in the woods on the Gettysburg battlefield) that we’ve been waiting to see!

The First Sign of Spring

That’s right — the porta-potties are back in the Park and, like the Swallows to Capistrano, that’s a sure sign that Spring is finally here!

We’ve been doing Segway tours on the battlefield for a month already this year but we are sure looking forward to the warmer weather that is always forecast by the appearance of the porta-potties!

(If you weren’t there, be thankful that you didn’t have to witness the spectacle of our staff doing a happy dance around the porta-potties.)

Now please stand, tip your glass, and join us in a momentary celebration…

Woohoo!

OK, that’s enough.

Thanks to all that came to visit during our Open House on Sunday. We had a lot of curious folks come by to try about the amazing Segway PT. We had so much fun, in fact, that we might do it every year!

Here’s a sample video…

Segway Tours and Rides of Gettysburg (SegTours, LLC) is happy to announce an Open House on Sunday, 27 March 2011, to celebrate the opening of its new location in the Gettysburg Shopping Center. Attendees will receive free training and the opportunity for a free 10-minute indoor ride on a Segway Personal Transporter™.

Our New Indoor Training Area

SegTours, LLC provides tours of the Gettysburg National Military Park with Licensed Battlefield Guides. The company is starting its fourth season in Gettysburg, having moved over the winter from its previous location on Taneytown Road. After initial training in its new indoor facility, graduates can then experience the challenges of the new Segway obstacle course, including traffic cones, bumps, ramps, and other challenges under the supervision of SegTours staff.

“Our focus is principally on the history of the battlefield,” said owner Bob Velke, “but the new training area prepares riders for the terrain of the area and gives them the skills to safely operate the Segway Personal Transporter around curbs, ditches, parked cars, pot holes, and other potential hazards.” He added, “At the conclusion of training, the rider can comfortably operate the Segway PT and focus more attention on the history as it is presented by our excellent battlefield guides.”

“The Segway PT is an innovative and fun way to experience the battlefield,” said Gary Kross, a Licensed Battlefield Guide with 25 years of experience in the park. “It gives the visitor a more intimate perspective on the action and it gives me the flexibility to share stories from parts of the park that are otherwise infrequently visited,” he said.

Sunday’s Open House will be from 10am to 5pm at the company’s new location at 22 Springs Avenue, Gettysburg PA 17325 (near the Dollar General Store).

The Company: SegTours, LLC began offering tours of the Gettysburg National Military Park in 2008 and has grown to be the #1 rated activity in Gettysburg, according to the popular travel site, www.TripAdvisor.com. The company offers substantial discounts for tours and rides to Gettysburg residents, employees of the Gettysburg National Military Park, military and law enforcement personnel, and to first responders. Further details about the company’s offering are available from www.SegTours.com.

Contact:
Segway Tours and Rides of Gettysburg
info@segtours.com
717-253-7987

The 2011 tour season is starting and we have openings for several responsible people on our staff. Full- and part-time positions are available. For more information, please read the job announcement.

Winter is nearly half over (yahoo!) but we’ve been keeping busy in the off-season, preparing to bring you some really great news!

Segway Tours of Gettysburg is moving out of our little parking lot on Taneytown Road and into a spacious INDOOR location!

Take a sneak peak at some of our new space.

That’s right — this year we’ll have more room to spread our wings. The new location will not only have enough space to store and expand our fleet but there’s also room for a reception desk, a workroom, and a comfortable sitting area. And we’ll finally have our own restroom!

Best of all, our Segway training will now be conducted indoors and, for those who graduate the introductory course, you’ll be able to practice riding and test your new skills on our indoor Segway obstacle course! There will be cones, ramps, weave poles, and other obstacles to challenge riders of all skills levels. When you leave for your tour, you’ll feel even more comfortable on the Segway because you’ve mastered the bumps, hills, and a much wider variety of obstacles than you’ll ever encounter on the battlefield.

March and November can get really chilly in Gettysburg. And we always have a few really hot days in the summer — especially on the blacktop of a parking lot! But now you’ll be able to learn how to ride a Segway in climate-controlled comfort. And if it rains or it is too hot or cold to take a tour, you can get your “Segway fix” without ever leaving our building!

We’ll start the season at our new location on March 1st. Watch this space as the date gets closer and we’ll give you more details, including our new address.

At Segway Tours of Gettysburg, we’re gearing up for our fourth and best tour season ever! We’re looking forward to taking you on a Segway tour of the battlefield.