Gettysburg at Arlington Part 2: Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr

Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr is standing south of Mary Lee's rose garden, which is located in the background. He is pointing to the headstones of some of the first Gettysburg Campaign casualties. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

Arlington National Cemetery, overlooking Washington, D.C., has many connections to Gettysburg and to the Gettysburg Campaign. There are many more connections than to only Robert E. Lee's residence, and John F. Kennedy's grave. Almost every row in the older sections have someone buried there who had a link to Gettysburg. Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr shows us the individuals connected to Gettysburg who are buried at Arlington. To contact Rich Kohr, click here to reveal his email address. In our first Arlington post, Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr explains Robert E. Lee's connection with Arlington, how the Union Army first occupied the site, and why Union Brigadier General General Montgomery C. Meigs established a National Cemetery at Arlington. In today's post, Rich Kohr shows us the burial places of some of the first Union soldiers killed during the Gettysburg Campaign, and individuals such as John Gibbon and Hiram Berdan.

This map shows us the locations taken of videos for our Gettysburg at Arlington series. Video #1, was taken southeast of the Arlington House. Video #2 was taken in front of (east of) the Custis-Lee Mansion. Video #3 was taken behind (southwest of) the Custis-Lee Mansion near the grave of Brigadier-General Montgomery C. Meigs. Video #4 was taken south of Mary Lee's rose garden, at the graves of two members of the 1st Maine Cavalry Regiment. Video #5 was taken on the eastern slope of the grounds of Arlington at the graves of John Gibbon and Julius Stahel. Video #6 was taken at the graves of Wheelock Veazey and Hiram Berdan. This map was created facing north at approximately 7:00 PM on Tuesday, September 29, 2009.

In Video #1, Rich Kohr misspoke when he mentioned that this equestrian monument near the old Arlington Amphitheater was of Phil Sheridan. It is of Phil Kearny. This view was taken facing south at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

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In Video #4 (Videos #1 - #3 were shown in our previous Arlington posts) Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr is standing near headstones of two members of the 1st Maine Cavalry Regiment killed during the Gettysburg Campaign. Rich mistakenly said the equestrian statue was of Phil Sheridan, but it is to Phil Kearney. This view was taken facing west to northeast at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

Captain George J. Summatt was killed at the Battle of Aldie, Virginia on June 17, 1863 "while rallying his men under a murderous fire of grape and canister." This view was taken facing north at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

Private James A. Hurd was from Harmony, Maine. He was one of 29 casaulties suffered by the 1st Maine Cavalry Regiment at Aldie, Virginia on June 17, 1863. This view was taken facing north at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

Also in Mary Lee's rose garden are the remains to the Unknown Civil War Dead. This view was taken facing east at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

A closeup of the inscription on the monument to the Civil War unknowns. This view was taken facing east at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr is standing on the slope east of the Custis-Lee Mansion (Arlington House) near the graves to John Gibbon and Julius Stahel. This view was taken facing west at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

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In Video #5 Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Kohr is standing on the slope east of Arlington House. He shows the gravesites of John Gibbon and Julias Stahel. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

John Gibbon was a president of the Iron Brigade Association. This view was taken facing east at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

John Gibbon died of pneumonia in Baltimore, Maryland. This view was taken facing west at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

Julius Stahel's full name was Julius H. Stahel-Számwald (November 5, 1825 – December 4, 1912). He was a Hungarian soldier who emigrated to the United States and became a Union general. After the war, he served as a U.S. diplomat, a mining engineer, and a life insurance company executive. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry in action at the Battle of Piedmont in 1864. This view was taken facing west at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

Although Rich came to Arlington armed with a list of Gettysburg individuals for which to search, there were more Gettysburg individuals present. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

One of the individuals we found in this section was Captain George Thomas Carter of the 2nd New Hampshire Infantry Regiment. The 2nd New Hampshire fought in Gettysburg's Peach Orchard on July 2, 1863. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

We have now moved near the grave of Colonel Wheelock Veazey of the 16th Vermont Infantry Regiment. This view was taken facing northeast at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

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In Video #6 Rich Kohr is standing on the slope east of Arlington House. He shows us the graves of the 16th Vermont’s Colonel Wheelock Veazey and Colonel Hiram Berdan of sharpshooter fame. This view was taken facing southeast to northwest to west at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

Colonel Veazey was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions at Gettysburg. The citation reads, "Rapidly assembled his regiment and charged the enemy's flank; charged front under heavy fire, and charged and destroyed a Confederate brigade, all this with new troops in their first battle." This view was taken facing west at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

Hiram Berdan died at the Metropolitan Club in New York City on March 31, 1893. He appeared at the club around 5:00 PM, and mentioned to the club secretary that he was not feeling well. During a game of chess with "Admiral Crosby," the New York Times reported that at 5:45 PM "suddenly his head dropped and he began to breathe heavily and expired almost instantly." It was finally determined that his death was caused by a cerebral hemorrhage. This view was taken facing west at approximately 3:00 PM on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

To see other posts by Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guides, click here.