Cemetery Ridge is a geographic feature in Gettysburg National Military Park south of the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, that figured prominently in the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1 to July 3, 1863. It formed a primary defensive position for the Union Army during the battle, roughly the center of what is popularly known as the "fish-hook" line.

The ridge rises only about 40 feet (12 m) above the surrounding terrain and is under 2 miles (3.2 km) long. The northern end rises to become Cemetery Hill, the southern descends to low, wooded, and sometimes marshy ground just north of Little Round Top.

At the northern end of Cemetery Ridge is a copse of trees and a low stone wall that makes two 90-degree turns; the latter has been nicknamed The Angle and the High Water Mark of the Confederacy. This area, and the nearby Codori Farm on Emmitsburg Road, were prominent features in the progress of Pickett's Charge during the third day of battle, as well as Maj. Gen. Richard H. Anderson's division assault on the second.

See also

• 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry
• 2nd Vermont Brigade

Further reading

• Haskell, Frank Aretas, The Battle of Gettysburg, Kessinger Publishing, 2006, ISBN 978-1-4286-6012-0. Haskell served in the II Corps in defense of Cemetery Ridge.

External links

• National Park Service: Gettysburg