Sunday, February 16 – “Unfit for Service” Unraveling the Story of a Gettysburg Photograph
John Heiser, Historian
Taken in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg, the heartbreaking photograph of a shattered artillery limber, scattered shells, horse carcass, and fresh graves is a visual testament of the ferocity of the battle. The exact location of this disturbing image has vexed historians for years, until a combination of photographic evidence and testimony by battle participants led to the discovery of this site in 2023. It was a discovery that revealed more than just a story of death and destruction, but also the desperate stand of a South Carolina battery on July 3, 1863, and a rarely recognized incident in the final hours of the battle.