61st OH McGroarty
Gettysburg, Adams County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
61st Ohio Infantry. 1st Brigade 3d Division, 11th Corps Erected by the State of Ohio The 61st Ohio Infantry —- Gettysburg July 1,2, 3 1863.
The Story
Erected by the State of Ohio, this monument honors the 61st Ohio Infantry, which served in the Third Division of the Eleventh Corps during the three days of Gettysburg, July 1–3, 1863. The regiment took its place in the hard-pressed Union line north of town on the first day, part of the force that absorbed the Confederate assault before falling back to Cemetery Hill. Ohio placed monuments like this one across the battlefield to mark where its sons stood and fell.
Why it matters
State-sponsored regimental monuments turned Gettysburg into the nation's model battlefield park, where ordinary volunteer regiments — not just generals — are remembered by name.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
In the first days of July 1863, the Civil War reached a farm town in southern Pennsylvania that would give its name to the war's most famous battle. Robert E. Lee's Confederate army had invaded the North, and the Army of the Potomac met it at Gettysburg in three days of fighting, July 1 through 3, that left the surrounding fields and ridges scarred for a generation.
The first day, July 1, saw hard fighting north and west of town as Union troops tried to hold back a growing Confederate force. This monument stands on that first-day ground, where a regiment from Ohio took its place in the hard-pressed Union line before the day's fighting forced a retreat to the high ground south of town.
Long after the war, the state of Ohio — like many Northern states — set about marking the places where its regiments had fought and fallen. This stone is part of that effort, a deliberate act of public memory raised on the very ground its soldiers held.
People & events
This monument honors the 61st Ohio Infantry, which served in the First Brigade of the Third Division, Eleventh Corps, and its inscription records the full span of its service here: July 1, 2, and 3, 1863.
On the first day, the regiment took its place in the Union line on the exposed ground north of town, part of the force that met the Confederate assault head-on. Outnumbered as the day wore on, the Eleventh Corps was driven back through the streets of Gettysburg to the heights of Cemetery Hill, where the survivors dug in. Over the following two days, the regiment held its share of that defensive line as the battle reached its climax.
The monument was erected by the State of Ohio, not by a private committee, and that matters. It reflects a decision by an entire state that the service of its ordinary volunteer regiments deserved to be marked in stone, by name, on the ground where they stood.
Its place in the American story
State-sponsored monuments like this one transformed Gettysburg from a battlefield into a national memorial park. In the decades after the war, Northern states placed hundreds of markers across the field, each one naming a regiment and fixing its place in the line. The result is a landscape where you can still trace the battle regiment by regiment — something almost no other battlefield in the world allows.
What makes these monuments remarkable is who they honor. Not only generals, but the rank-and-file volunteer regiments — men who had left farms, shops, and schoolrooms to serve — are remembered here by name. Ohio's decision to mark where its sons stood and fell reflects a democratic idea of memory: that ordinary soldiers earned a permanent place in the nation's story.
The fighting the 61st Ohio shared in, north of town on the first day, was part of the costly effort that let the Union secure the high ground that ultimately decided the battle. Gettysburg became the turning point of the war, and monuments like this one keep the memory of the men who made it so.
If you visit
Read the dates on the monument — July 1, 2, and 3 — and let them register. This regiment was here for all three days of the battle, from the opening fight to its climax. That simple line of numbers is a record of endurance.
Look out over the open ground north of town, where the first day's fighting swept through. Then follow in your mind the path the Eleventh Corps took in retreat, south through the streets to the heights of Cemetery Hill. Standing here, you can begin to feel the shape of the whole battle.
This is a good stop on a tour of the first day's action, in a quieter corner of the field than the crowded sites to the south. Take a moment to notice how many states left their marks across these fields — this Ohio stone is one voice in a very large chorus of remembrance.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Beyond the Battle Museum0.2 mi away · 625 Biglerville Road, Gettysburg, PA
- Adams County Historical Society0.2 mi away · 625 Biglerville Road, Gettysburg, PA
- Ticket to the Past - Unforgettable Journeys0.7 mi away · 35 Carlisle Street, Gettysburg, PA
- Thompson House - Lee's HQ0.7 mi away
- The David Wills House Museum0.8 mi away · 8 Lincoln Square, Gettysburg, PA
- Seminary Ridge Museum, Gettysburg0.9 mi away · 61 Seminary Ridge Avenue, Gettysburg
Attractions
- John Eisenhower Bridge3.5 mi away · Waterworks Road
- Sachs Covered Bridge3.8 mi away
- Sachs Covered Bridge3.8 mi away · Waterworks Road, Gettysburg, PA
Food & drink
- CJ's Takeout & Late Nite Bites0.6 mi away · 150 Carlisle Street, Gettysburg, PA
- Tacos Monarca0.7 mi away · 11 West Railroad Street, Gettysburg, PA
- Lincoln Diner0.7 mi away · 32 Carlisle Street, Gettysburg, PA
- Mason Dixon Distillery0.7 mi away · 331 East Water Street, Gettysburg, PA
- Kazue0.7 mi away · 25 Carlisle Street, Gettysburg, PA
- Waldo's & Company0.7 mi away · 17 Lincoln Square, Gettysburg, PA
Places to stay
- Glatfelter Lodge0.4 mi away · PA
- Gettysburg Hotel0.7 mi away · 1 Lincoln Square, Gettysburg, PA
- The Union Hotel0.7 mi away · 27 Chambersburg Street, Gettysburg, PA
- The Brafferton Inn0.8 mi away · 44 York Street, Gettysburg, PA
- The LaVerne Private Guesthouse0.8 mi away · 27 York Street, Gettysburg, PA
- The Inn at Lincoln Square0.8 mi away · 12 Lincoln Square, Gettysburg, PA
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Related events
- · Battle of Gettysburg
Themes & tags
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