When Mom and I go to Gettysburg, we usually drive on West Confederate Avenue. This is where the Confederate state monuments are located. West Confederate Avenue was built by the War Department in 1894. It follows the crest of Seminary Ridge, the starting point for many of the Confederate infantry assaults on July 2 and 3, and the position of many Confederate artillery batteries.
The Virginia monument was the first southern state monument to be placed on West Confederate Avenue. It was dedicated in 1917 and is located near the spot where Robert E. Lee watched the repulse of Pickett's Charge. The monument stands 41 feet high and is the largest Confederate monument at Gettysburg. Ironically, when asked, Lee opposed building Confederate monuments.
Lee and his horse Traveller sit atop the monument.
Seven Confederate soldiers
The North Carolina state monument was dedicated in 1929. It features figures of North Carolina infantrymen advancing during Pickett's Charge. It is surrounded by dogwood trees (the North Carolina state flower).
North Carolina monumentPointing towards the enemy
The Mississippi state monument was dedicated in 1973. It features two soldiers and represents the hand-to-hand combat of the day.
Mississippi State monument
The Louisiana monument is rather unique. It features a wounded gunner at the base. Soaring above the wounded soldier is Saint Barbara, the patron saint of artillerymen. The monument was erected in 1971.
Saint Barbara
Wounded soldier
The Tennessee monument was the last state monument to be erected on the battlefield and the only one to be funded entirely by private donations. The monument honors the 775 men from Tennessee who fought at Gettysburg.
Dedicated in 1982
The monument commemorating General James Longstreet, Lee's most trusted commander, is "hidden" in the woods on West Confederate Avenue. After much delay, it was commissioned by the North Carolina Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and erected in 1998. After the war, Longstreet wasn't the South's favorite son, as he became the target of the "Lost Cause" myth.
Longstreet and his horse Hero
Post created 28 May 2026
