The Brian Farm is an

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

area of the

Gettysburg Battlefield The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the site of the first shot & at Knoxlyn Ridge ...

used during the

Pickett's Charge Pickett's Charge was an infantry assault on July 3, 1863, during the Battle of Gettysburg. It was ordered by Confederate General Robert E. Lee as part of his plan to break through Union lines and achieve a decisive victory in the North. T ...

. On January 23, 2004, the farm's buildings, Boundary Stone Wall, and ID tablet were designated

historic district contributing structure History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

s after the tract was used for the 1918 Camp Colt and other postwar camps.

History

Abraham Brian (

colloquially Colloquialism (also called ''colloquial language'', ''colloquial speech'', ''everyday language'', or ''general parlance'') is the linguistic style used for casual and informal communication. It is the most common form of speech in conversation am ...

Bryan as early as 1891) was a free black man who purchased the farm in 1857 just south of

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Gettysburg (; ) is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the borough had a population of 7,106 people. Gettysburg was the site of ...

(his wife died soon and he married a third wife.) The farm included an additional farm dwelling along the Emmitsburg Road. Prior to the battle, Bryan and several other blacks left the area to avoid capture and enslavement.

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

: Federal troops positioned around the Bryan House and barn were assaulted by Confederate troops of Mississippi under the command of J. Johnston Pettigrew. After the battle the house walls were filled with bullet holes, windows were broken, and the furniture was tossed about. Farm fences were gone, crops were trampled, and his orchard trees were useless. Bryan's $1,028 federal claim for property damage resulted in $15 paid for damage by Union troops (he sold the farm in 1869.) Postbellum additions to the Abraham Brian Farm House included a 2nd floor. The 1883

Gettysburg Cyclorama ''The Battle of Gettysburg'', also known as the Gettysburg Cyclorama, is a cyclorama painting by the French artist Paul Philippoteaux depicting Pickett's Charge, the climactic Confederate attack on the Union forces during the Battle of Gettys ...

(which was made in conjunction with William H. Tipton photographs) has a painted image of the house. The last inhabitant was Ernest Strickhouser in 1940, the 2-story farm house was demolished, and a 1-story reproduction of the Civil War structure was built. Battlefield monuments on the tract include the 111th New York Infantry Monument, 11th Mississippi Infantry Marker, and the Camp Colt commemorative pine tree and marker. The

Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association The Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association (GBMA) was a historic preservation membership organization and is the eponym for the Gettysburg Battlefield#Memorial association era, battlefield's memorial association era. The association was ch ...

acquired a 19th-century right-of-way and built a carriage road between the house and barn-- Grand Central Avenue (now Hancock Avenue) was Telfordized (paved) shortly after GBMA lands transferred to the War Department before the turn of the century.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brian Farm Buildings and structures in Adams County, Pennsylvania Gettysburg Battlefield Farms in Pennsylvania