' J^' Dv- 'K •", °*---/ V'*^'/ %.^-'/ *<>*•" '•: %.** •^&"'. %-/ •^'•: %.*' *'^ ..." ,0^ '^^'^.T^T*' A GETTYSBURG NATIONAL PARK. INSPECTION REPORT OF COL. E. A. GARLINGTON, INSPECTOR-GENERAL U. S. ARMY. NOVEMBER, 1904. (^ WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1904. GETTYSBURG NATIONAL PARK. INSPECTION REPORT OF COL. E. A, GARLINGTOH INSPECTOR-GENERAL U. S. ARMY. NOVEMBER, 1904. !^. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1904. /&3 MAR 7 1905 D. ofD, INSPECTION REPORT, GETTYSBURG NATIONAL PARK. Headquarters Atlantic Division. Inspector-General's Office, Governors Island, JY. Y., Decemher 9, 1904^. Sir: I have the honar to submit the following report of an inspec- tion of the details of the work as carried on by the Gettj^s burg- National Park Commission, in compliance with letter of instruction from the Military Secretaiy's Office, dated November 7, 1904. Personnel of the Getiysburg Xatl.onal Park Commission. Col. John -P. Nicholson, Chairman. Maj. William M. Robbins. Maj. Charles A. Richardson. EMPLOYEES. Col. E. B. Cope, chief engineer and superintendent, at $150 per month. One assistant engineer, at f 80 per month. One rodman, at |50 per month. One assistant superintendent, at |50 per month. One storekeeper and timekeeper, at $50 per month. One messenger, at $35 per month. One hostler, at $30 per month. Five guards, at $40 per month each. Total monthly pay roll, $645. On the date of inspection, in addition to the above, there were employed 27 laborers at $1.50 per day; 3 carts, with horse and driver, at $2.25 per day, and 2 teams, with driver, at $3.25 per day. The pav roll for this class of labor during the month of November, 1904, was $1,367.92. means of transportation and implements. Three horses, 2 wagons, 1 cart, 1 steam roller, 1 horse roller, 2 bar mowers, 1 horse lawn mower, 1 water cart. buildings. One brick tireproof storehouse. office. The office of the Commission is located in the town of Gettysburg, for which a rental of $210 per 3'ear, including the water rent, is paid. The average cost of fuel is $24 per 3'ear; the average cost of lights, $30 per year. 3 4 GETTYSBURG NATIONAL PARK. The animals belonging to the C6mmission occiip}^ a stable in the town, for which a rental of $30 per year is paid. BOOKS AND RECORDS. Belonging to the Commission: 1. Journal: Extends from June 1, 1893, to date, and includes 12 volumes of over 5,000 pages, recording each day's transactions and meetings of the Commission. 2. Contracts: Full details of the work, 1893 to 1904, bound separately in 52 volumes. 3. A volume embracing legislative history of the battlefield from the organization of the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association, including all legislation by States and the National Government. 4. Applications by the Commission for authority for work and purchases, with the approval of the War Department, embracing 12 quarto volumes arranged by year. 5. Volume containing the number of letters written daily, relating to the work since 1893. 6. Volume containing copy of every Confederate and Union inscription prepared and placed on the field by the Commission since 1893. 7. Two volumes, folio, containing a record of every plat or piece of ground trans- ferred to the United States, as recorded, with full-page drawing of the i^roperty. 8. Four volumes, quarto, showing the property purchased, accompanied by the agreement of the owner to sell, authority from the Secretary of War to purchase, with blueprint description of the land. 9. Three folio volumes, containing applications from State commissions and associa- tions of survivors to locate monuments and tablets since 1893, with the correspond- ence relating to the location, designs, and inscriptions, with final approval of the Secretary of War. Engineer Department: 1. Journal :_7 volumes, July, 1893, to December, 1904. 2. Office memoranda: 2 volumes, July, 1893, to December, 1904. 3. Contract book: 1 volume, July, 1893, to December, 1904. 4. Cannon account: 1 volume, July, 1893, to December, 1904. 5. General information: 1 volume, July, 1893, to December, 1904. 6. Agreement of employees: 1 volume, 1893 to December, 1904. 7. Account book, employees: 1 volume, 1895 to December, 1904. 8. Account book, materials, etc. : 4 volumes, 1896 to December, 1904. 9. Eecord of position of tioops: 1 volume, July 1, 2, and 3, 1863. 10. Applicants for position on force: 1 volume. 11. Drawings and tracings: 1 volume, from 1893 to 1904. 12. Blueprints: 1 volume, 1893 to 1904. 13. Books, 30 l)y 36 inches: 2 volumes, containing 372 pages, with 542 blueprints. 14. Book, 30 Ijy 36 inches: 1 volume, office copy Warren map, 24 sheets. 15. Book, 30 by 36 inches: 1 volume, engineers' survey of Gettysburg battlefield. 16. Book, 21 by 30 inches: 1 volume, engineers' survey, colored maps and prints. 17. Book: 1 volume, Warren map, position of troops each half hour, July 1. 18. Book: 1 volume, Warren map, position of troops each half hour, July 2. 19. Book: 1 volume, Warren map, position of troops each half hour, July 3. 20. Time book, kept by timekeeper. 21. List of tools, kept by timekeeper. In addition to the above, the oiEce contains books and photographs of every monument on the field; views of all the different work on the field; photographs of important buildings and historic places on the field about the time of the battle, and folio books containing copies of every blueprint. The above records are very full and complete. I do not see that the intelligent system followed could be improved upon. Nearly all rec- ords are of great historic value, and some means should be provided at an early date to guard them against destruction l)y fire. BUSINESS METHODS. The Commission does not disburse funds. The money appropriated for the work done b}' the Commission is disbursed by the disbursing GETTYSBURG NATIONAL PARK. officer of the War Department under the orders of the Secretary of War. The amount to the credit of the appropriation on October 31, 1904, was $46,90.5.63. Except in case of ver}^ minor transactions, all purchases are made after competitive bids are requested and the con- tract awarded. All bills are verified and signed by the chief engi- neer and approved by the chairman of the Commission. All the work on property included in the park is done by contract after competi- tion, except maintenance and general repairs to roads, fences, etc., and the construction of gutters. The supervision of labor and record of work done and time employed is excellent. GUARDS AND LABORERS. The guards, five in number, have the authority of deputy marshals, and are employed in the general police of the park to prevent injuries to the public work or the mutilation of the monuments, and are recpiired to submit each evening a report covering their observations and work done during the da}', indicating what monuments or roads require repair or attention, also the number of articles, if any, which they have found on the field. The number of laborers is reduced to the lowest minimum from about the 26th of December every 5'^ear until about the middle of the following March. WORK DONE. Since July, 1893, there have been constructed 20 miles of telford avenues; 13i miles of avenue fencing, built of locust post and gas-pipe rails; 12^ miles of fencing built of posts and rails; 13 miles of gutter paving. Five and one-fourth miles of stone walls have been rebuilt at locations where stone walls existed at the time of the battle. Three hundred and twenty-four guns have been mounted; 462 tablets have been erected, and 17,100 trees have been planted. These trees are planted on ground that was covered with trees at the time of the battle. All this work has been well done. The roads have been constructed on the telford system; the road- bed, carefully graded and drained, was covered with a course of stone paved by hand, consisting of hard stone 8 to 10 inches long, T to 8 inches wide, and 4 to 6 inches thick; and bowlders about the same size, set up on edge, thickest edge down, length across the road, and laid so as to break joints as much as possible, forming a rough, irreg- ular pavement 8 inches thick over the whole roadbed, the joints between the stones being chinked and knapped with smaller stones and stone chips driven in, projecting points above 8 inches being knocked oti' with a hammer. A course of stones 12 inches high, 12 to 18 inches long, and 6 to 8 inches thick, is Itiid at the sides of the subgrade. This foundation is covered to a depth of 5 inches in the center and 4 inches at the sides with broken stone, l^-inch dimensions. This is rolled by a 13-ton roller at least five times after being sprinkled. One-half inch of clay is then spread over this layer, which is then covered with 2 inches of granite screenings, three-fourths of an inch in size, which is sprinkled and rolled five times; finally, over this a half inch of fine limestone screen- ings is evenly spread over the entire surface, sprinkled and rolled at least ten times. 6 GETTYSBURG NATIONAL PARK. Some of these roads have been in use for ten years and show veiy little signs of wear; in fact, they are as good as when first completed. The average cost of these roads has been about 7"^^ cents per square yard, something over §8,000 a mile. "With proper care and mainte- nance they will last indefinitely. The guttering along these roads, now being constructed under the supervision of the chief engineer by day labor, is an improvement over that first put down b}^ the contract S3^stem; it is of excellent quality and should endure for a long time. FARMING LAND. Within the limits of the park are twelve small farms. These farms are rented on a j'early lease to approved tenants under uniform leases, which carefully guard the interests of the park by including pro- visions which require the improvement of the land. There is also a small frame building, leased to an old soldier, within the limits of the park. The revenue derived from these leases amounts to $799 per annum. This money is, with the approval of the Secretar}^ of War, disbursed for the betterment of the park. EXTENT OF PARK. The Government now owns 1,380 acres of land on the battlefield. Thirty-six acres are now under condemnation proceedings before the courts. In the opinion of the Commission there still remain aliout 190 acres of land that should be acquired in order to preserve the integrity of the entire battlefield. This land is indicated on the accom- panying map as described in the legend. In order to connect the field where the cavahT action took place during this memorable battle it is very desirable to acquire a strip of land 50 feet wide. The road has been surve3'ed. The proposed avenue is entirely practicable and can be acquired for about $2,700. Under. the present arrangement it is necessar3^for anj^one desii'ing to visit the cavaliy field to travel about 4 miles over bad roads, and for this reason it is rarely visited by the numerous throngs of people who go to the infantr}" field. By the pro- posed route a distance of about 2i miles would be saved. It is ear- nestly recommended that this project be approved. The land to ))e acquired is mainl.y on that portion of the field occupied by the Confed- erate arm}', on which were stationed during the battle bodies of troops and batteries of artillery. CONCLUSION. I thoroughly inspected the roads, avenues, and the park generally, both on the infantry field and on the cavahy field. The roads, fences, monuments, woodlands, and shrubbery are in good condition; the entire park, as observed, was well policed and free from rubbish and other disfiguring elements. The character of the work done and the general conditions showed a very intelligent and thorough system as to construction, care, and maintenance. I have nothing to suggest in the way of improvements upon the methods and systems of the Commission. It appears to me th'.it they have accomplished a great work, one of the principal features being the extreme care taken to ascertain the positions held b}^ the various commands participating GETTY BBFKG NATIONAL PARK. 7 in the great battle fought there. There can be no doul)t that the positions thus far marked are accurate and trustworthy. An accurate topographical map of the entire iield has ])een com- pleted under the direction of Colonel Cope, the chief engineer. A list of blank forms used by the Commission, map of the field, map showing the land owned and such land as it is proposed to acquire, regulations for the government of Gettysburg Park, and specifications for roads, fences, and gun carriages, accompan}" this report. Very respectful!}", E. A. Garlington, Colonel^ Inspector- General. The Assistant Secretary of War, Washington, D. C. o 3477-22V STUB f :/ ^^' % ^WWS .^' A '-^P/ ^^ ^< - '?.^' "^ •'.^^W* "•-» "^ o V . '^^ .^.^ /^^^A^ V cV^ -^^ •AT • " ^*^ . t . . , -V o^ « o ^^ * • aV , '^<^ "" ^ ' ffi<