Overlay of the previous image from 1880 onto my image from October 25, 2009. Today's lane is a little wider. The fence on each side has been moved further out. A split rail fence rather than vertical fence with horizontal rails was added on the right (monument was added too) but the most important change is that there was a building located on the north side of the curve where the Lane inclines on the west end. This structure is known as the Ward House. It was purchased and removed by the National Park Service many years ago. Going back to the previous image for better detail...... notice that this building looks like it was a two story structure that had to have a foundation. In other words, when it was built and then removed there had to be some significant ground landscaping movement of earth.

There were 5000 men killed that morning at this location. The dead, including horses, had to be buried. They were usually buried where they fell except Sunken Road was a thoroughfare and had to be cleared. Frank H. Schell drew this wartime sketch showing trenches dug for the Confederates. It was printed in Frank Leslie's Illustrated, October 1862, ANB, The view looks southwest along the lane from the position of where the future Ward house would be built. Roullete Lane cuts through the center of the sketch. One eyewitness recalled that the dead "were in rows like the ties of a railroad, in heaps like sticks of wood."

This is today's image of Schell's drawing.

Area where Ward house would have been built. looking SouthEast.

Panorama of the area where trench graves were dug. Looking South.

Another view of the area where Ward House was built. Looking East.

Here is Gardner's original stereo pair. It is possible to see a great deal more in 3D stereo than possible in a single flat image. Of the two images above, the one that is normally printed is the right one. But the left one shows the lane going downhill and to the right at the end of the image. A point obscured by an emulsion defect on the right image. Thus Gardner was near the top of the hill. Secondly, in 3D one can see an significant depression in the earth going down about 6 to 8 feet directly behind the horse. Also proof he was near the top of the hill. This can not be seen in a flat image. With the Ward House construction and graves dug near by this area must have been completely filled in over the years.

This is where Gardner stood. Where I am standing to take this photo. You can see my shadow. My first estimate, a few images back, was close but 25 feet or so too far down the hill. I found this location by photographing 30 or more different locations along the upper Lane and then overlaying the Gardner image onto mine adjusted for size. This was one of the last images taken in the series and highest. When standing in the actual Lane comparing Gardner's image and the actual view your opinion is that you are too high. You can see in the following four images the Gardner image over lay, increasing in opacity for each image.

This is 30% opacity. The monument is standing on what use to be a ground depression. And I think it is tilting backwards since the ground is not firm enough there. Go back and view a number of other images and the tilting monument is more illustrated. Most important in the overlay of these two images is alignment of the background hill curvature.

Here you can see the hill in the background lines up perfectly in both images. About 50% opacity.