On Little Round Top
General Gouverneur Warren of the Union Army looking over the defenses
Patrick O'Rorke
Although the armies would leave the town of Gettysburg, those three days in July remain. Today the entire town and surrounding area of Gettysburg focus on the battle. Bookstores and tourist shops are filled with books, souvenirs, and pictures. A very common picture is the downhill charge of Colonel Joshua Chamberlain of the 20th Maine. The town’s most popular sites on the battlefield are Little Round Top and Picket’s charge. Colonel Chamberlain is credited as the hero of the battle for Little Round Top and for saving the Union Army. On the western slope of Little Round, overshadowed by a huge monument to New York is a small monument with a relief sculpture of Colonel Patrick O’Rorke of the 140th New York.
Colonel Chamberlain survived the battle and the war and wrote his memoirs, spoke at reunions, and was instrumental in the preservation and placements of the monuments at Gettysburg. Colonel Chamberlain and the 20th Maine held their ground against Colonel William Oates and the 15th Alabama. In spite of being hard pressed, the extreme left flank of the Union Army never collapsed. On the right side of Little Round Top the situation was different. The right flank of Colonel Strong Vincent’s brigade, which the 20th Maine was assigned to, collapsed under the Confederate assault. O’Rorke and the 140th New York arrived just as the rebels were preparing to sweep the Union from Little Round Top. Their valiant actions that day saved the position at Little Round Top. Colonel O’Rorke deserves as much credit for the defense of Little Round Top as Colonel Chamberlain. However, he died in the course of the action and his story has fallen in obscurity.
Colonel Chamberlain survived the battle and the war and wrote his memoirs, spoke at reunions, and was instrumental in the preservation and placements of the monuments at Gettysburg. Colonel Chamberlain and the 20th Maine held their ground against Colonel William Oates and the 15th Alabama. In spite of being hard pressed, the extreme left flank of the Union Army never collapsed. On the right side of Little Round Top the situation was different. The right flank of Colonel Strong Vincent’s brigade, which the 20th Maine was assigned to, collapsed under the Confederate assault. O’Rorke and the 140th New York arrived just as the rebels were preparing to sweep the Union from Little Round Top. Their valiant actions that day saved the position at Little Round Top. Colonel O’Rorke deserves as much credit for the defense of Little Round Top as Colonel Chamberlain. However, he died in the course of the action and his story has fallen in obscurity.
The Devil's Den below Little Round Top
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