Mystery Solved! Civil War Photo Location Discovered after 154 Years 

I grew up in Central PA and in 5th grade students would visit Gettysburg. I remember exploring Devil's Den and coming across the stone wall from the "Dead Confederate Sharpshooter" photograph, and recognized it immediately from books we had in the classroom. It made the Civil War feel palpable. At the time there was no marker, but now it's surrounded by informative signs.

My gg grandparents, William Cicero Phillips and Martha Smith Phillips built a beautiful house at Oak Level in Henry Co. Virginia around 1840. There is a photo of it in a book about our family genealogy I lovingly refer to as the 'begat' book. Several years ago as I was scanning the internet for old properties in Virginia when I came across a beautiful old white house situated on a rolling green hill. It had recently sold and there were numerous photos available. I instantly knew that I had stumbled upon my old family home. After comparing size, windows, clapboard siding and most importantly the bricks in the double fireplaces, I discovered that it was, indeed, the original Phillips home...I was able to find the owner and confirmed my discovery. So you see why I admire your tenacity. There are treasures reserved for those who quite simply, not only look but see what others do not. Cheers!!!

Awesome to watch these Videos! Thank you Garry for helping preserve History. And to all of the trust, thank you so for these amazing and educational videos.

Another relic of history erased by a northern VA McMansion suburb.

Fascinating video! It breaks my heart that they tore the house down though. 😢

Nothing is sacred to real estate developers

Well done Gary! Great detective work!

History can not hide from the eyes of G-dawg

The Civil War photo locations with Garry are the best!

You can’t defeat the desire for a McMansion.

Great job-Please keep up the good work!

How awesome! Thank you so much for this.

That is absolutely amazing detective work, Wow!😲 (& congratulations)!👍😃🇺🇸

Thank you for all you do, Garry. This is awesome.

Awesome video!! I wish they had not torn the original house down.

Wow! Sad that it's gone.

Thank you Gary. Great video on finding the location of the photo. Very cool 😎 💯👍👊

Amazing work, thank you!

Man, so sad that the house was torn down. Great video though. I’d like to place an order for 100 more just like it. 🙂

Thank You for doing all that work & research for us

Well done!

Excellent. Just excellent.

I say it everyday - just last night at a genealogy meet-up... there is always new history to be found. We have to just keep looking!!!

American Battlefield Trust meets geoguessr?! My kind of video.

Very cool. I Iove a good mystery (solved).

Great video!

Very cool

Fascinating stuff!

I wonder if the owners of that new home realize the history that took place on their property

Cool!

Neat story. Thank you.

So tragic. Found out too late but at least solved.

Love it!

Gary... always out there doing the Lord's work.

Great work. Gary, maybe you might reconsider John cummings proposed “harvest of death” location?

That is great the mystery was solved!!

It has a 1950 facade now. A buddy lived across the street and we got to go in. The original kitchen was still intact. This was around 1968.

Gary how does it feel to discover a location like this? What are you feelings? Like a kid in a candy shop? This is a great video. Thank you

I have to say, that's not the same house. The house that was torn down was a brick house, two story with windows on the second floor, but the one in the original photo is a clapboard house with only ground floor windows? Totally different roof pitch as well.

This is the stuff that melts my butter...thanks, Garry!

awesome

The monstrous house that is there now won't nearly as long as the beautiful old home that was there. They don't build solid houses like that anymore.

If they had only known what they were really fighting for, all those great American men would have never slaughtered one another all those years ago.

Wow, great detective work! I always found it fascinating that General McClellan would run for President (against Lincoln's re-election) in 1864. At one point during that election, Lincoln's popularity was low due to a war weary nation - the president felt he was going to lose and started to prepare accordingly. Some key battlefield victories revived Lincoln's political fate and he easily romped over his former General (winning 212 electoral votes to 21 for McClellan, who managed to win three states - New Jersey, Delaware, and Kentucky). Sadly, Lincoln's "win" would lead to his own assassination in April 1865.

What a shame it was pulled down. I don't understand how this historic house was not given any protection.

Nice ! Does Matthew Brady have a RU-vid page ?

The house was razed. 😢

So sad. Those GAR soldiers. Everyone knows the Confederacy was nearly perfect in every way. Wholesome. The most wonderful. General Wirz was a great man.

So sad.... you should have warned us this video would make you mad....

Why do southern states’ rich codgers wt keep erasing all our monuments?

First

Sadly Yankees destroyed Virginia.

Amazing

Sidebar: I spent 2 years finding the streetcin Rome my grandad walked down in WW2. Found it exactly. Sad that I could locate the exact buildingvin a 1000 year old city, but a historic home from a couple hundred years ago in NoVa is razed for a mcmansion.