The 85 foot Observation Tower was constructed in 1897 at the east end of the Sunken Road (or Bloody Lane) by local workers from local stone. (Sunken Road East tour map) The tower was part of the War Department’s effort to document the battle, mark the lines and place information tablets around the field, creating an open air classroom of the battle. It allowed visitors to get a better overall view of the mostly low, rolling battlefield, much of which was private land at the time. 

The tower was originally constructed with an open viewing platform. The roof was added around 1909. The interior  holds an iron stairway to the observation deck.

See the view from the top of the Observation Tower.

The Irish Brigade Monument is just to the right of its base, with the mortuary cannon to Major General Israel Richardson to its left, flanked by a series of War Department tablets to the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac.