Devil's Den

Devils Den is a boulder-strewn hill on the south end of Houck's Ridge at Gettysburg Battlefield, once used by artillery and infantry on the second day of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. A tourist attraction since the memorial association era, several boulders are worn from foot traffic and the site includes numerous cannon, memorials, and walkways, including a bridge spanning two boulders.

Devils Den was formed with Little Round Top and Big Round Top by periglacial frost wedging of the igneous landform formed 200 million years ago when a diabase sill intruded through the Triassic Gettysburg plain. The feature acquired its foreboding name prior to the 1863 battle. Throughout the mid-19th Century, local residents believed that the crevices between the boulders were home to a large snake. The size of the reptile varied between accounts, but reports ranged from 8 ft to as large as 15 ft . The snake became known as "The Devil," and thus the area he was believed to inhabit became known as "The Devil’s Den." [1] Some soldiers' accounts used the name "Devil's Cave", and a depression on a boulder that collects water resembles a flying horned bat.

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