The Peach Orchard was the exposed angle of Union General Daniel Sickles’ Third Corps line after his controversial advance on July 2nd. It stands on a small ridge about two-thirds of the way between Pitzer’s Woods and Cemetery Ridge.

Sickles felt that it dominated the ground he had been ordered to hold, but the extra ground he had to occupy as a result was far more than his corps could adequately cover. Longstreet’s attack in the afternoon resulted in desperate fighting for the area and Sickles’ position collapsed, resulting in near-disaster for the Union army.

After the battle, there were hundreds of peach trees that were broken and ripped out of the ground. There will still trees that survived, and the Sherfy’s were able to harvest some of the fruit and sell it as “Peaches from the original trees on the battlefield” and were able to raise enough funds to make repairs to their farm. The Federal Government were denying residents of Gettysburg any reimbursement for damages caused by the Confederate troops. The sales of this fruit helped save their farm.

People have reported seeing strange objects and apparitions in photographs taken in and around this area.