Devil's Den and the Slaughter Pen

For weeks after the battle, a delirious wounded Alabama soldier repeated, “Awful, awful rocks!!” The labyrinth of boulders and crevices known locally as Devil's Den became famous in Civil War history, while the rocky gorge nearby came to be called the Slaughter Pen because so many Confederates were killed there. Late in the afternoon of July 2, Confederates of Hood's Division captured Devil's Den and the ridge above it in a bloody struggle lasting an hour and a half. Devil's Den then became a nest of Confederate sharpshooters who fired on Union officers and men on Little Round Top, and the sniping continued until the end of the battle on July 3. Historic photos show that the rocks of Devil's Den and the Slaughter Pen have changed little since the battle.

Pennsylvania · United States