First Defenders Civil War Round Table of Berks County

The Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association (GBPA) passed along an interesting tidbit: the Vermont legislature has unanimously passed a joint resolution supporting the preservation efforts for Camp Letterman in Gettysburg.

What makes this interesting is the joint resolution boasted 30 co-sponsors, which just happens to be the number of senators in the legislature.  Of even more interest is the measure received bi-partisan support from the 23 Democrats and 7 Republicans and took only one week from the time it was introduced until its passage.  So, in addition to being a boost to preservation efforts, the Green Mountain State legislature has also shown that elected officials can actually get something positive done!

The Camp Letterman site is located on the south side of the York Road east of Gettysburg, and the only indication of the tremendous suffering that occurred there following the battle is a single granite marker that one must take their life in their hands to stop and read.  The site is presently owned by S&A Homes of State College, and indications are that a subdivision is planned for the future.  The GBPA is hoping to convince S&A to preserve 17 acres where the hospital tents were actually located.