Union Monuments at Gettysburg > Massachusetts


The monument to the 1st Massachusetts Battery is southeast of Gettysburg at the south end of the National Cemetery. (National Cemetery tour map)

monument to the 1st Massachusetts Battery at Gettysburg

About the monument to the 1st Massachusetts Battery

The granite monument stands a little over six feet tall. Its side is inscribed with the Greek Cross that is the symbol for the Sixth Army Corps. It is under the crossed cannon symbol of the Artillery and surrounded by a laurel wreath of victory. The monument was dedicated on October 8, 1885 by the State of Massachusetts.

The 1st Massachusetts Battery at the Battle of Gettysburg

The battery was commanded at Gettysburg by Captain William H. McCartney, a Boston attorney. It brought 145 men to the field serving six 12-pounder Napoleons. Held in reserve and firing only four rounds of long range solid shot, it suffered no casualties.

Official Records thumbnail

View of the monument to the 1st Massachusetts Battery at Gettysburg

From the monument:

First Massachusetts Light Battery
Artillery Brig. 6th Corps
July 3, 1863

Location of the monument

The monument to the First Massachusetts Battery is south of Gettysburg in the National Cemetery 80 yards east of the Taneytown Road entrance. (39°49’03.8″N 77°13’53.8″W)

See more on the history of the 1st Massachusetts Light Artillery Battery in the Civil War.