Phil Lechak on “Camp Letterman, Gettysburg: 80 Acres for 121 Days”

Phil Lechak

When the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia left the Gettysburg environs on July 4, they left behind almost 21,000 wounded soldiers. These men were distributed over the countryside in roughly 160 locations. Casualties of this magnitude overtaxed the available resources immediately. Camp Letterman—the first of its kind, a large General Tent Hospital—was constructed. It occupied 80 acres on the site of the George Wolf Farm, on a hillside just one mile out of town on the York Pike, and existed for a period of 121 days. Continue reading →