Sachs Bridge
$75.00 – $550.00
Dale Gallon has been commissioned to create a painting of Sachs Covered Bridge which will be the iconic image of the movie “A Gettysburg Christmas”. It was commissioned by the driving force behind the movie, Bo Brinkman and his partner Kris Webb. Bo starred in the movie Gettysburg as Lee’s aide, Walter Taylor, and has had an affinity for Gettysburg ever since. Bo adapted a story by Craig Rupp and wrote the script which will play out in downtown Gettysburg as well as rural locales. The movie’s cast includes many well known actors such as Lee Majors, Kate Vernon, Bruce Boxleitner, Kelley Jakle, Tom Vera, & Jake Busey. The movie will Premier at the Gettysburg’s Majestic Theatre in November 2023.
The 100′ covered bridge was built by workers under David Stoner between 1852 and 1854. The bridge has been closed to vehicular traffic since 1968. In 1938 it was declared Pennsylvania’s ‘most historic bridge’ by the Pennsylvania Department of Highways. It received the distinction due in part to its connection to the Battle of Gettysburg but also because of the uniqueness of its design, being one of the few covered bridges of its type in the area. On August 25, 1980, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Sachs Bridge and the Battle of Gettysburg
On July 1, 1863, the I Corp of the Union army heading towards Gettysburg crossed Sachs Bridge and the III Corp also crossed Sachs Bridge on their way to Black Horse Tavern.
After the Confederate loss on July 3, Gen. Lee called for his army’s retreat back to Virginia. He had lost 28,000 of his 80,000 men and the wounded Confederate soldiers who were well enough to travel joined the wagon train retreating from Gettysburg. The retreating men and wagons, being guarded by brigades from both Gen Imboden and Jeb Stuart, made the estimated 17 mile long procession that headed west to Cashtown and subsequently to the Potomac River. On July 4, while the wagon train was still crossing the mountains at Cashtown, the remaining bulk of Gen. Lee’s army left the battlefield and crossed Sachs Bridge heading towards the Fairfield Road which is today’s Rt. 116. The wagons then moved on to Fairfield.
