Library of Congress

Confederate prisoners pose for Mathew Brady’s camera shortly after the Battle of Gettysburg on Seminary Ridge, where the American Battlefield Trust is now looking to preserve 18 acres of land.

While turning to flee during the Battle of Gettysburg’s first day, a 24th Michigan Infantry captain caught a last glimpse of a wounded soldier clutching the regiment’s colors. Beside him lay an injured sergeant who couldn’t load his rifle but tore open cartridges with his teeth and handed them to the men around him.

These men were among the Union troops overwhelmed by the Confederate assault that crested Seminary Ridge on July 1, 1863, and sent remnants of the Army of the Potomac’s I Corps running east toward town.

Today, the American Battlefield Trust aims to permanently preserve this sacred ground where outnumbered Union regiments made their last stand in the face of the advancing Army of Northern Virginia. Here, Union cavalry general John Buford deployed a defense that bought time for infantry reinforcements to arrive and later enabled the broken I Corps to escape southeast through town to Cemetery Hill, high ground crucial to the battle’s outcome.

When General Robert E. Lee arrived at Gettysburg that afternoon, he quickly coordinated an attack that swept Union troops from their positions north and west of town. That night, Lee slept at Mary Thompson’s house on the Chambersburg Pike, which became his headquarters. In 2016, the Trust preserved Lee’s Headquarters and restored it to its wartime appearance.

Now, the Trust has targeted 18 adjoining acres, Seminary Ridge’s largest and most significant undeveloped tracts. Years in the making, this is one of the most important preservation efforts in American history. By January 31, 2019, our Civil War Trust division plans to raise $3.5 million—without government matching grants—to save this scene of ferocious fighting.

Bishop James Dunlop, president of Gettysburg’s United Lutheran Seminary, appreciates that heritage. “This property is a gift from God and we are stewards of this gift,” Dunlop said when announcing the seminary’s agreement with the Trust about the site. “We have a deep love for the property and its unique historic and scenic character.”

The land has been a part of the seminary since 1832. The Trust will acquire 11 acres along both sides of Seminary Ridge Road and conserve a seven-acre easement along the Chambersburg Pike to the east.

Like Bishop Dunlop, the Trust feels a sacred responsibility to see this site protected for future generations so that everyone can appreciate and learn from what happened here. It is a privilege to partner with the seminary to forever preserve this iconic landscape. Learn more about this exciting fundraising campaign at battlefields.org/gettysburg18

O. James Lighthizer is president emeritus of the nonprofit, nonpartisan American Battlefield Trust, which is dedicated to preserving America’s hallowed battlegrounds—Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War—and educating the public about their significance.