In compiling the Isometrical Drawing of the Gettysburg Battle-field, it
was first necessary to establish its extent and boundaries. When I
arrived at Gettysburg the _debris_ of that great battle lay scattered
for miles around. Fresh mounds of earth marked the resting-place of the
fallen thousands, and many of the dead lay yet unburied. It therefore
required no guide to point out the locality where the battle had been
fought.
As the term _field_, when applied to a battle, is generally used
figuratively, and, by the general reader, might be misunderstood, it is
well to consider at the start, that the battle-_field_ of Gettysburg not
only embraces within its boundaries many _fields_, but forests as well,
and even the town of Gettysburg itself is included in that battle-field.
The formation of the ground and the positions of the troops, favored the
plan of sketching the field while facing the west. Consequently the top
of my DRAWING of it is west: the right hand, north; the left, south, &c.
There was no point from which the whole field could be sketched, nor
would such a position have favored this branch of Art. On the contrary,
it was necessary to sketch from _every_ part of the field, combining the
whole into one grand view.
[Illustration: DEATH OF GEN. ZOOK.]
Having located its boundaries, I commenced at the southeast corner, and
gradually moving toward the _north_, I looked toward the _west_, and
sketched it carefully, as far as the vision extended, including fields,
forests, houses, barns, hills, and valleys; and every object, however
minute, which would influence the result of a battle. Thus I continued
to the northeast boundary, a distance of five and a half miles. The next
day I resumed my work at the south (having advanced to the point where
my vision had been obstructed the preceding day), and sketched another
breadth to the north, as before: and so continued, day by day, until I
had carried my Drawing forward four and a half miles, which included
within its limits the town of Gettysburg. When the Battle-field had been
_Isometrically_ drawn. I sketched in the _distance_ and added a sky.
This Drawing was the result of eighty-four days spent on that field
immediately after the battle, during which time I sketched accurately
the twenty-five square miles which it represents.
I spent two months in hospital writing down the statements of
Confederate prisoners, and as they became convalescent, I went over the
field with many of their officers, who located their positions and
explained the movements of their commands during the battle.
I then visited the ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, consulted with its
Commander-in-Chief, Corps, Division, and Brigade commanders, and visited
every Regiment and Battery engaged, to whose officers the sketch of the
field was submitted, and they, after careful consultation, located upon
it the positions of their respective commands.
[Illustration: PHILLIPS' 5th MASS. BATTERY]
From the information thus obtained, I have traced the movements of
_every Regiment and Battery_ from the commencement to the close of the
battle, and have located on the Drawing its most important position for
each of the three days.
Since its publication I issued an invitation to the officers of the Army
of the Potomac to visit Gettysburg with me, and point out their
respective positions and movements, thus giving an opportunity to the
_actors_ in this great drama to correct any misapprehension, and
establish, while still fresh in memory, the facts and details of this
most important battle of the age. This invitation was responded to by
over one thousand officers engaged in the battle; twenty-eight of whom
were Generals commanding. And it may be interesting to those who possess
the Drawing, to know that _but one solitary Regiment_ was discovered to
be out of position on it.
Many thousand copies of this work have been sold, yet the demand still
continues, and orders are constantly coming in from all parts of the
country. Though complete in itself, it is really but the _introduction_
to other works yet to be published on this battle, and will be
considered almost an indispensable companion to the history of it.
It can be furnished at the following: