On July 2, 1853, during the Civil War, the rocky hills of Devil's Den became the scene of fierce fighting between artillery and infantry on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg.

    On July 2, 1863, over 3,100 Confederate troops clashed with 2,400 Union troops near Devil's Den, marking the start of the first battle of the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Over 5,000 soldiers fought a bloody battle at Devil's Den, known as the Devil's Nest, in Gettysburg. Devil's Den, a rocky hill, became a brutal battlefield during the second day of the Gettysburg battle, with intense artillery and infantry combat. Over 1,800 Confederate soldiers and over 800 Union soldiers were killed at Devil's Den. It was a blood-soaked day when the Confederates temporarily occupied the area. The Union suffered 138 deaths and 548 injuries. The Confederate Army lost 329 men killed and 1,107 wounded. Bodies lay scattered everywhere.

    On November 11, 1863, Peter S. Weaver photographed the scene from the northeast, near Little Round Top, looking toward Devil's Den. This photograph shows the bodies of nine Union soldiers killed at the Battle of Gettysburg, along with Dr. Lyford (left) and Dr. Chamberlain (right) overseeing them. It is known as the oldest photograph depicting both Devil's Den and Little Round Top, and serves as a photograph of the Gettysburg battlefield.

   The photograph illustrates the human cost of war. Though difficult to view, these photographs serve as a stark reminder that war claims countless lives and is far more brutal and gruesome than any illustration could capture. Some photographs of Devil's Den depict Union soldiers lying on the ground in staged scenes of death. Others capture real corpses or move bodies for dramatic effect, while still others depict the battlefield as it was shortly after the fighting ceased.