McPherson Ridge, Protected ridge area in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States
McPherson Ridge is elevated terrain in Gettysburg National Military Park that stretches across open fields and wooded sections. Marked paths wind through the area along with abandoned railroad cuts and historic road grades that show how forces moved during battle.
The ridge became a critical defensive position on July 1, 1863, when Union cavalry under John Buford clashed with Confederate forces at the start of the Gettysburg battle. This opening clash set the course for one of the Civil War's most decisive engagements.
Monuments scattered across the land mark where soldiers and commanders fought and fell. They stand as reminders of the people whose lives changed this place forever.
Visitors can walk the area on marked trails, with parking near the main information centers. The site is most accessible from spring through fall, and sturdy shoes help on the uneven ground.
One of the region's oldest transport routes, originally laid out in 1747 as Nichol's Gap Road, runs through the ridge today as Fairfield Road. This path reveals how early settlers crossed the landscape generations before the battle took place.
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