Sculpted by Gary Casteel

1863 Signed and Numbered Limited Edition Monument Replicas
 
One of the iconic images from Gettysburg is that of Brigadier General Lewis Armistead lifting his black hat high on the point of his sword as he led his surviving men across the stone wall at the climax of Pickett’s Charge.  Lewis Armistead has become one of the best known Confederate officers, thanks to The Killer Angels and the movie Gettysburg.  He was born in New Bern, North Carolina, on February 18, 1817.
 
After serving in the Mexican war, he was appointed as quartermaster in Los Angeles and he became good friends with John Reynolds and Winfield Hancock.  With the secession of the slave states he resigned on May 26, 1861, and in a farewell party is reported to have told Hancock “May God strike me dead” if he ever raised a hand against him in battle.  Armistead made his was east to Texas, then to Virginia, where he was given a commission as a major.  He quickly became colonel of the 57th Virginia Infantry Regiment in September of 1861, and was promoted to brigadier general in April of 1862.  He served well in a number of battles, including leading the Confederate assault at Malvern Hill.
 
The image of Armistead at Gettysburg, hat on his sword as he led his brigade in Pickett’s Charge on July 3, 1863, is one of the icons of the Civil War.  He and a small group of survivors crossed the stone wall that was the objective of the attack.  It came to be known as the “High Water Mark of the Confederacy.”  Armistead was mortally wounded in the fierce fighting.  He died two days later.
The monument marks the spot where Lewis fell on July 3, 1863.  This was Gettysburg’s first monument to a fallen Confederate officer.
 
The monument is located on Hancock Avenue, inside the Angle north of the Copse of Trees, and was dedicated on July 12, 1887.