Union Monuments at Gettysburg > Massachusetts
The monument to the 16th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment is south of Gettysburg on Emmitsburg Road.(Emmitsburg Road tour map)
About the monument
The granite monument is ten feet tall. Each side of its top section has a relief of the diamond symbol of the Third Corps. The monument stands at the position the regiment took on July 2nd before Longstreet’s attack. The monument was erected in 1885 and dedicated on July 1st, 1886 by the State of Massachusetts.
The 16th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment at Gettysburg
Lieutenant Colonel Waldo Merriam, a Boston merchant, commanded the 16th Massachusetts Infantry at the Battle of Gettysburg. He was wounded on July 2nd. Captain Matthew Donovan then took command. The regiment brought 307 men to the field, losing 15 killed, 53 wounded and 13 missing.
The regiment reached the field around 1 a.m. on July 2. The march from Emmitsburg took it down the wrong road and almost into the Confederate positions. They spent much of the 2nd in line of battle at the site of the monument. Around 4 p.m. Longstreet’s attack hit the regiment in the front and flank with superior numbers. The 16th Massachusetts eventually fell back around 300 yards before they rallied. It was here that they lost almost all of their casualties at Gettysburg.
The regiment moved on the 3rd to a small woods behind the lines. They were issued their first food here in 36 hours. The regiment then moved to the support of a battery on Cemetery Ridge. The regiment was south of the artillery barrage and Pickett’s attack and lost only 1 officer wounded that day.
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Attached to the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 3rd Corps, Army of the Potomac |  |
From the monument:
Sixteenth Massachusetts
1st Brigade 2nd Division 3rd Corps
Army of the Potomac
On this field July 2nd 1863
4 officers and 23 enlisted men
were killed
to whose memory this monument
is erected by the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
16th Mass. Vols.
Location of the monument
The monument to the 16th Massachusetts is on the east side of Emmitsburg Road. It is about 170 yards southwest of Sickles Avenue. (39°48’25.4″N 77°14’43.2″W)