Confederate Army

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Visitors Center	General Lee Monument in the Snow	Kitchen of Spangler Farm were Armistead Died

Photo of Spangler Kitchen and wording courtesy of "The Armistead Page" by Cynthia Buck-Thompson. A link to the page is on the left.

Lewis A. Armistead nearly scuttled his military career when he broke a plate over the head of fellow cadet Jubal A. Early and was expelled from West Point. He was, however, commissioned directly into the infantry in 1839 and served in the Mexican War, being wounded at Chapultepec and earning two brevets. He resigned his captaincy on May 26, 1861, and headed back east to offer his services to the Confederacy.

His assignments included: major, Infantry (from March 16, 186 1); colonel, 57th Virginia (September 23, 1861); brigadier general, CSA (April 1, 1862); commanding brigade, Department of Norfolk (ca. April 1-12, 1862); commanding brigade, Huger's Division, Department of Northern Virginia (April 12-July 1862); commanding brigade, Anderson's Division, lst Corps, Army of Northern Virginia July-September 17, 1862); and commanding brigade, Pickett's Division, in 1st Corps, Army of Northern Virginia (October 1862-February 25, 1863 and May-July 3, 1863), in the Department of Virginia and North Carolina (February 25-April 1, 1863), and in the Department of Southern Virginia (April 1-May 1863).

After serving in western Virginia, he was given command of a brigade in the Norfolk area and later served with it on the Peninsula, seeing action at Seven Pines and in the Seven Days. He fought at 2nd Bull Run and Antietam, where he was wounded. After being lightly engaged at Fredericksburg, he went to southeastern Virginia, his home state, with Longstreet. Returning for the invasion of Pennsylvania, he fell mortally wounded among the guns of Cushing's Battery during Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. He died two days later in Union hands. (Freeman, Douglas S., Lee's Lieutenants)\

The Armistead Marker

The Armistead Marker is a granite marker, that is 4 feet 6 inches in height. It is a tablet in the form of a scroll that rests on a pedestal with a 2 foot square base.

This marker was erected on the spot where Brig. General Lewis Addison Armistead was wounded on July 3, 1863 during Pickett's Charge, while leading his brigade in an assault of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge. While his wounds were not considered a threat to his life, General Armistead died two days later in the field hospital of the 11th Corps at the George Spangler Farm.

This marker was proposed first on May 5, 1887 when permission was asked of the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association (GBMA) to mark the spot where General Armistead was wounded. It was at first refused, because the request violated the GBMA rule that all monuments must be within the battle lines. But when it was pointed out to the Directors of the GBMA that numerous markers to Union commanders had already been placed, many without regard to the position of related unit movements, the GBMA reconsidered their previous decision and approved the Armistead Marker on July 12, 1887.

The Thomas Nawn Company of Concord, New Hampshire erected the Armistead Marker in 1888. The location of the Armistead Marker is 120 feet west of Hancock Avenue in the Angle, 220 feet northwest of the High Water Mark. The inscription on the Marker simply states:

Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead C.S.A. fell here July 3, 1863. The letter that Captain Henry Bingham wrote of his experience to finding the fallen General ..........

Captain Henry H. Bingham "January 5, 1869 My Dear General, I think I found you in about fifteen minutes after I got Armistead's messages and effects. When I found you, you were on the ground wounded. ... I did not give you the message on the field, but gave it to you at the Hospital in the woods where you were lying in the ambulance... I met Armistead just under the crest of the hill, being carried to the rear by several privates. I ordered them back, but they replied that they had an important prisoner and they designated him as General Longstreet... I dismounted my horse and inquired of the prisoner his name he replied General Armistead of the Confederate Army. Observing that his suffering was very great I said to him, General, I am Captain Bingham of General Hancock's staff, and if you have anything valuable in your possession which you desire taken care of, I will take care of it for you. He then asked me if it was General Winfield S. Hancock and upon my replying in the affirmative, he informed me that you were an old an valued friend of his and he desired for me to say to you, "Tell General Hancock for me that I have done him and done you all an injury which I shall regret or repent (I forget the exact word) the longest day I live." I then obtained his spurs, watch chain, seal and pocketbook. I told the men to take him to the rear to one of the hospitals."

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