STATEMENT OF DESCENDANTS OF THE NY 136TH
INFANTRY REGIMENT
Recorded on pages 119 & 120 of final hearing testimony report
The Descendants of the 136th New York Infantry Regiment respectfully request, from the Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands of the U.S. House of Representatives, that this statement be entered into the Congressional Record during public hearings scheduled to be held on February 11, l999. Our organization has a unique perspective concerning the Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for Gettysburg National Military Park [GNMP].
We feel compelled to speak, not only from our own point of view, but also, for the veterans of the 136th New York Infantry Volunteers. These brave men defended the exact position of the current National Park Visitor Center in Gettysburg National Military Park, some with their very lives.
We have included
photographs and human interest pieces from the men of this regiment, some of
whom were our ancestors. These were the real people spoken about in
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. We have included an account by an officer
detailing the regiment's viewshed during the battle, maps of the battle lines
the regiment defended, and comments and contact information for a few of
us.
We feel strongly that the removal of the current Visitor Center and Cyclorama, and all of their associated roads and parking lots, is long overdue. Removing these buildings will restore the view down the battle line, looking south from the Visitor Center. The 136th NY lost 109, out of the total of 971 men, who became casualties of the over 6,000 men who fought in this area. These buildings should not have been built on the main Union battle line of 1863 in the first place. We are decidedly FOR the National Park Service plan to restore Ziegler's Grove and the Visitor Center area to its 1863 historical appearance. This is federal land and it is the duty of this government to fund the restoration of this hallowed ground.
Much of the lines of battle of
the 136th New York are sadly not within GNMP boundaries. Steinwehr Avenue (named
after General Von Steinwehr, who led the Second Division of the XI Corps, of
which the 136 NY was a part) and the Colt Park Subdivision, were developed where
men died, some horribly. Gettysburg veterans did react to the loss of their
battle lines.
The first challenge from a developer occurred in the same year the park was created. A trolley company had constructed a rail line through the center of the battlefield to Devil's Den, despite objections by veterans of the battle and others, and they immediately brought a lawsuit against the government to block the acquisition of their land by the park. In a case that has been used countless times since as a precedent in federal condemnation actions, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1896 in United States v. Gettysburg Electric Railway Co. ''that the government had the right, indeed an obligation, to protect such areas.
''Can it be that the
government is without power to preserve the land, and properly mark out the
various sites upon which this struggle took place, or even take possession of
the field of battle, in the name and for the benefit of all the citizens of the
country, for the present and for the future? Such a use seems necessarily not
only a public use, but one so closely connected with the welfare of the republic
itself as to be within the powers granted Congress by the Constitution for the
purpose of protecting and preserving the whole country,'' the justices' opinion
read in part.
Has the passage of time allowed
some to forget ''what they did here''? The sacrifices made at
Gettysburg, and the entire reason there is a National Park there to commemorate
it, are getting lost in controversy. This Congress has in its power the
opportunity to correct a great wrong, and at the same time, fund the project for the removal of the Visitor Center in
a way that would make Lincoln and these veterans proud.
Respectfully,
Elizabeth
Stead Kaszubski,
Founder, Descendants of the 136th
New York Infantry Regiment
RICK SANTORUM
UNITED STATES SENATOR- PENNSYLVANIA
NEWS RELEASE
Melissa Sabatine- Communications Director (202)-224-0610
Robert Traynham- Deputy Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FEBRUARY 11, 1999
Santorum Testifies On Gettysburg National Military Park at
House Subcommittee Hearing in Washington
Urges Continued Support For America's Past "Treasures"
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) today offered testimony to the House National Parks Services Subcommittee urging support for a visitor center at the Gettysburg National Military Park.
The focus of the hearing is to examine the public-private partnership involving the Gettysburg National Military Park. This venture seeks to establish a new visitor center which will house and maintain the many historical artifacts that were used during the Civil War and that are in dire need of protection and in many occasions repair. "Words alone cannot accurately depict these conditions, and anyone who has visited the Park can speak to the need for improved facilities," said Santorum during his testimony.
"The existing visitor center and cyclorama building, constructed in the early 1960's, can no longer adequately serve the number of people that visit the park each year," he said.
January 1997, Senator Santorum was instrumental in securing an additional $1.052 million in increased funding for the Gettysburg National Military Park to be used for preservation and conservation of Civil War resources. Outside of Washington DC, Gettysburg is the most frequently visited historical sites in the United States. However, the monuments and historical artifacts are in a severe state of disrepair. Hundreds of historical, significant artifacts and records are currently stored in an poorly maintained facility that does not have the capability to control either the inside temperature or humidity.
The new visitor center will provide adequate facilities to display and store the many historical artifacts that tell the rich history of Gettysburg. The new center will better serve the public. It will present a better, historical interpretive experience for children and provide a better display for ninety-percent of the Park's artifacts that are currently in inadequate storage.
"the input I continue to receive through my constituent mail, phone calls, and meetings has been overwhelmingly positive. The majority of the constituents that have written are from the Gettysburg area, including business owners, individuals, and families. Additionally, the support for the visitor center has not been isolated to Adams County or Central Pennsylvania. Throughout my travel in the state, the expressions from constituents have been encouraging and supportive", Santorum concluded.
The purpose of today's hearing was to review the Park Service process in presenting the selected proposal to the public. Senator Santorum discussed his ongoing involvement with the Park and his support of the project. In addition, Senator Santorum discussed his continued support for public discussion of the site, an examination of the partnerships called for in the proposal and an understanding of the benefits of a visitor center to the Park and the public.
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