Identity, Place and Memorialization: A Linguistic Study of Union Monuments at the Gettysburg Battlefield

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Archaeology of Conflict (General Sessions)" , at the 2021 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The location of the American Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, now preserved at the Gettysburg National Military Park (GNMP), receives thousands of visitors every year. Visitors to the battlefield interact with over 1,000 monuments across the landscape that both commemorate the actions that took place and memorialize the participants in those actions. This study focuses on monuments dedicated to Union actions and soldiers on the battlefield. Presented here are the preliminary results of a linguistic study of these monuments. This study utilizes the text on the monuments and focuses on intertextuality, unit identity, and expressions of place as well as an analysis of how the Union monuments contrast with the Confederate monuments erected on the battlefield. In addition, this paper addresses battlefield tourism and the impact of the monuments on modern visitors, including the meaning they convey to the public.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archaeology of Conflict (General Sessions)   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2021

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology