Gettysburg's Coster Avenue Mural

Hi,

During a recent trip to Gettysburg, I had the opportunity to visit one of the lesser known monuments, the Coster Avenue Mural.

Here I am sitting on the monument to the 154th New York in front of the mural.

This painting shows some of the fighting that took place here on July 1 between soldiers from the 134th New York, 154th New York and 27th Pennsylvania ( Col. Charles R. Coster's Brigade) who stood along a nearby fence line and fought against the attacks of two Confederate brigades under Generals Ivery and Hayes.

According to a small sign near the mural, the Union troops arrived in this area known then as Kuhn's brickyard from Cemetery Hill. The Union troops were then attacked by Confederate soldiers from Louisiana and North Carolina. The Union soldiers were outnumbered and were defeated and had to retreat back to Cemetery Hill.

The paper goes on to say that the mural was designed and funded by Mark H. Dunkelman who was a historian of the 154th New York. The final mural was painted by Rhode Island artist Johan Bjurman. The mural was dedicated on July 1, 1988, the 125th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Here is my friend CJ pointing to the painting:

Finally, here is a map from Google Earth of downtown Gettysburg to help you find the location of this beautiful painting.

Until next time...