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| Thomas' Legion |
| Introduction & How to Use this Site |
| Cherokee Chief William Holland Thomas |
| Causes and Motives: American Civil War |
| Organization of Union and Confederate Armies: Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery |
| American Civil War: Union and Confederate Navies |
| American Civil War: The Soldier's Life |
| American Civil War Battles and Battlefields |
| Civil War's Turning Points |
| Civil War Casualties, Fatalities & Statistics |
| Civil War Generals |
| American Civil War Desertions and Deserters: Union and Confederate |
| Aftermath and Reconstruction |
| Civil War Genealogy and Research Tools |
| American Civil War Pictures - Photographs |
| African Americans and the American Civil War |
| North Carolina in the American Civil War |
| Civil War Battles Fought in North Carolina |
| North Carolina Civil War Regiments and Battles |
| NORTH CAROLINA HISTORY |
| North Carolina Coast: American Civil War |
| Western North Carolina and the American Civil War |
| Western North Carolina Regiments and Battalions |
| HISTORY OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA |
| Cherokee Indians: American Civil War |
| HISTORY OF THE CHEROKEE INDIANS |
| History of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian Nation |
| Cherokee Indian Heritage, History, Culture, Customs, Ceremonies, and Religion |
| Cherokee War Rituals, Culture, Festivals, Government, and Beliefs |
| Researching your Cherokee Heritage |
| Recommended American Indian History |
| North Carolina: American Civil War Photos |
| Thomas' Legion Papers, Diaries, and Memoirs |
| American Civil War Polls |
| Recommended Reading |
| Author's Recommendations: American Civil War |
| Civil War Video Games |
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Culp's Hill Battle of Gettysburg, Fish Hook Battle of Gettysburg Rock Creek Summit Spangler's Spring,
General Johnson's Division Ewell's Corps Culp's Hill, General Greene General Henry Slocum Battle of Gettysburg
Culp's Hill from Cemetery Hill
Gettysburg NMP | A
substantial hill with heavily wooded slopes, Culp's Hill was a perfect anchor for the Union right flank at Gettysburg, and
became known as the point of the famous "fishhook". It was first occupied on the evening of July 1 by Union soldiers of the
First Corps who had fought most of that same day west of Gettysburg, and spent their first hours on the hill felling trees
to build a strong line of earthen and log defenses called breastworks. They were joined the following day by the Twelfth Corps,
whose men added to the line of works stretching from the summit of the hill to Spangler's Spring. The remains of these breastworks still exist today, marking the Union battleline. Culp's Hill is still thick with tree cover
today, though at the time of the battle the woods were not as dense. Farmers cut down and removed smaller trees and brush,
leaving the healthy hardwoods of oak, maple and chestnut to grow large enough for later harvest as lumber for wagons, furniture,
and building material. This open nature of the woods benefited its defenders, providing them with a clear field of fire and
ability to see any enemy approach.
The situation on Culp's Hill remained quiet throughout July 2 until dusk when, in the gathering darkness, Union troops
distinctly heard the tramp of thousands of feet on dry leaves, which grew louder and closer with the gloom of night. It was
Maj. General Edward Johnson's Division from Ewell's Corps finally making their way down to Rock Creek, which runs at the eastern
base of the hill. Johnson had been forced to delay his attack that afternoon and it was not until after 8 P.M. when his men
were close enough to make the charge up Culp's Hill, unaware of what they would find once they reached it. The men waded the
creek and reformed their ranks in the dark woods before beginning the final advance.
Gen. Johnson
Generals in Gray |
Gen. Greene
Generals in Blue |
What Johnson did not know was that most of the Twelfth Corps who had manned the breastworks until the afternoon of July
2, were no longer there. The corps was ordered to reinforce the embattled Union left, leaving behind a single brigade of New
York regiments under Brig. General George Sears Greene to hold the hill. Knowing that it would be hours before the missing
troops would return, the 62 year-old Greene was determined not to give up any of this valuable ground. He ordered his officers
to stretch the line as thin and far as possible to cover the vacant works, and to hold their positions at all costs. Greene
completed his shifting of troops and not a moment too soon- Johnson's Confederates splashed across Rock Creek and began to
ascend the hill just as the last of his regiments deployed into the breastworks south of the summit. Greene's men silently
waited until the gray formations were within a hundred feet, when they stood and unleashed a perfect storm of musketry fire
into the darkness. "It was a critical period in the history of the battle," reported General Henry Slocum, commander of the
corps. "Although this attack on Greene was made by vastly superior numbers, suddenly and without warning, under the cover
of darkness, the gallant veteran promptly disposed his slender forces to the best advantage and held his line unbroken throughout
the night."
Confederates storm the summit of Culp's Hill
Battles and Leaders | Muzzle
flashes lit up the hillside. Greene's New Yorkers blazed away with a steady stream of fire, moving and shifting from one section
of works to another to stem Confederate thrusts. Regiments from the First and Eleventh Corps arrived to assist Greene and
moved into the lower portion of hill, throwing their weight in as they saw fit, keeping the Confederates off guard. Little
could be seen in the darkness and most southerners took advantage of cover provided by the multitude of large boulders and
trees on the rough hillside. In the end, Greene's tactics worked. In the confusion of the night battle, Johnson believed that
he was facing a much larger force than expected. "The attack was made with great vigor and spirit," the general wrote. "It
was as successful as could have been expected, considering the superiority of the enemy's force and position. (Brig. General
George) Steuart's Brigade, on the left, carried a line of breastworks which ran perpendicular to the enemy's main line, captured
a number of prisoners and a stand of colors, and the whole line advanced to within short range and kept up a heavy fire until
late in the night."
The firing died away near midnight, replaced by the dreadful groans of wounded soldiers lying on the hillside. Clear objectives
could not be determined in the darkness and with the belief that he was heavily outnumbered, Johnson decided to wait until
first light to renew his attack at which time he would have the necessary reinforcements.
The 29th Pennsylvania Infantry attacks, July 3, 1863
Battles & Leaders |
| Returning to Culp's Hill after midnight, troops of the Twelfth Corps deployed astride the Baltimore
Pike and prepared to retake the Confederate-held positions, also at first light. Union guns stationed near the Baltimore Pike
opened a furious bombardment at 4 A.M., quickly followed by the advance of line upon line of Union regiments that swept into
the woods. Johnson's men fought back furiously, grimly holding their positions without the benefit of any southern artillery.
The fighting continued for several hours and gun smoke hung thick under the tree cover. Soldiers hid behind rocks and trees,
firing at shadows in the gloomy woods that echoed with the cries of combatants and wounded men, fearful that no one could
get to them because of the intense rifle fire. "The enemy had been re-enforced during the night," General Slocum reported
after the battle, "and were fully prepared to resist our attack. The force opposed to us... under General Ewell, formerly
under General (Stonewall) Jackson,... fought with a determination and valor which has ever characterized the troops of this
well known corps."
Gettysburg NMP | Commanders shifted troops into positions up and down
the hill so that a constant fire could be maintained against the Confederates, the bullets slamming into trees and men alike.
Around the summit of Culp's Hill, Greene's New Yorkers faced Louisiana soldiers of General Nicholls' Brigade. The fighting
had reached a fever pitch with the southerners having made their way up to the summit before halting a mere thirty feet from
the Union works. In a bold move to clear the front of the Union line, the 66th Ohio Infantry moved out of the works and swept
the front of the hill, driving out a number of Confederate skirmishers who had crept within twenty paces of the Union position.
The bold sweep worked, driving back the exhausted Confederates. "We tried again and again to drive the enemy from their position,"
reported Lt. Colonel L.H. Salyer of the 50th Virginia Infantry, "but at length we were compelled to fall back, worn down and
exhausted. At one time we were within a few feet of their works, but the fire was so heavy we could not stand it."
By 10 o'clock that morning, the Union counterattack had succeeded and the hill was securely in Union hands. The battle
for Culp's Hill ended as Johnson's exhausted soldiers retreated across Rock Creek, leaving the woods filled with dead and
wounded.
Wesley Culp
Gettysburg NMP | Among the dead
was a young soldier who had grown up in Gettysburg and spent much of his youth exploring his uncle's hill. As a young man
he learned the trade of harness making and when his employer moved to Shepherdstown, Virginia, he bade his hometown goodbye
and moved to the small town across the Potomac River. Having adopted his southern home as his own and acquiring the southern
spirit, Culp enlisted in the Confederate army at the outbreak of the Civil War and served in the 2nd Virginia Infantry of
the famous "Stonewall Brigade". Little could he have known that one day he would be fighting on his uncle's farm in Adams
County. Sometime during the battle on July 3, Private Culp was killed. Comrades buried him near the hill and marked his grave.
After the battle a shattered remnant of his rifle was found, a portion of the wooden rifle stock with his name carved in it.
What happened to Wesley Culp's remains are a mystery, though it was rumored that family members located the grave and secreted
his body to the family plot in Evergreen Cemetery.
While the battle raged around the summit of Culp's Hill, there was also severe fighting at the southern end near Spangler's Spring.
Preservation of Battlefield Resources at Gettysburg National Military Park
Silent sentinels of the violence that raged there, the trees on Culp's Hill bore visible scars of the battle for many years
afterward and were a battlefield curiosity for early visitors. Though all of these original trees are gone, there are still
physical reminders of the battle in existence at Culp's Hill- the remains of breastworks constructed by Union troops, scars
on the landscape that mark the Union line of battle of July 1-3, 1863. They are more than mere bumps on the hillside- they
are surviving relics of the battle.
Photographed soon after the battle of Gettysburg, these breastworks at Culp's Hill were constructed by soldiers
of the Iron Brigade.
Library of Congress |
Traces of the Union breastworks still survive on Culp's Hill, stretching from its summit to the knoll above
Spangler's Spring.
Gettysburg NMP |
Preservation of these earthworks for future generations has always been a problem. The first park commission (1895-1933)
planted grass seed on the earthwork remains to help protect them and placed small signs asking visitors to keep off the mounds.
Yet, natural erosion, uncontrolled tree growth, vehicles and foot traffic from 1.8 million visitors per year have worn down
the remains of these structures. Slowly they are melting away and without preservation efforts taking place now, they may
all be gone in the not so distant future.
The National Park Service has undertaken a plan to preserve these important battlefield resources by using the natural
cover of grass and sod to save the works from further deterioration. Large trees and shrubs, whose roots undermine the earthwork
remains, have been trimmed back by volunteers. Some of the erosion damage has been repaired with rock and new topsoil. Stone
barricades have been restacked and the trenches of the earthworks have been cleaned of bottles and trash that had accumulated
in them over the past 60 years. Visitors to Culp's Hill and the other park sites that have the remains of trenches, earthworks,
stonewalls, and gun lunettes can also help by staying on designated paths and refraining from walking in the trenches or on
the earthworks. Every effort made by a visitor today will help preserve these important features for the visitors of tomorrow.
Source: National Park Service; Gettysburg National Military Park
Recommended
Reading: Gettysburg--Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill (Civil War America) (Hardcover).
Description: In this companion to his celebrated earlier book, Gettysburg—The
Second Day, Harry Pfanz provides the first definitive account of the fighting between the Army of the Potomac and Robert E.
Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill—two of the most critical engagements fought at Gettysburg on 2 and 3 July 1863. Pfanz provides detailed tactical accounts
of each stage of the contest and explores the interactions between—and decisions made by—generals on both sides.
In particular, he illuminates Confederate lieutenant general Richard S. Ewell's controversial decision not to attack Cemetery
Hill after the initial southern victory on 1 July. Pfanz also explores other salient features of the fighting, including the
Confederate occupation of the town of Gettysburg, the skirmishing
in the south end of town and in front of the hills, the use of breastworks on Culp's Hill, and the small but decisive fight
between Union cavalry and the Stonewall Brigade. Continued
below...
About
the Author: Harry W. Pfanz is author of Gettysburg--The First Day
and Gettysburg--The Second Day. A lieutenant, field artillery,
during World War II, he served for ten years as a historian at Gettysburg National Military Park and retired from the position
of Chief Historian of the National Park Service in 1981. To purchase additional books from Pfanz, a convenient Amazon Search Box is provided at the bottom of this page.
Recommended Reading:
Culp's Hill: The Attack And Defense Of The Union Flank, July 2, 1863
(Battleground America). Description: South of the town of Gettysburg,
Union troops take possession of the wooded heights at the tip of their "fishhook" defensive line. Defending Culp's Hill meant
protecting the flank; it was the key to victory. Using official reports, letters, diaries, and memoirs, this book describes
the struggle for the high ground and tells how and why the generals made their crucial decisions. "Cox tells this dramatic
story with great skill...Excellent narrative and analysis...Concisely written and informative." Continued
below…
About the
Author: John D. Cox is a lifelong student of Gettysburg and a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg
National Park. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he now spends his days
speaking at Civil War roundtables and giving tours at Gettysburg.
Recommended Reading: The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command
(928 pages). Description: Coddington's research
is one of the most thorough and detailed studies of the Gettysburg Campaign. Exhaustive in scope and scale, Coddington delivers,
with unrivaled research, in-depth battle descriptions and a complete history of the regiments involved. This is a must read for anyone seriously interested in American history and what transpired and
shaped a nation on those pivotal days in July 1863.
Recommended
Reading: Gettysburg, by Stephen W. Sears (640 pages) (November 3, 2004). Description: Sears delivers another masterpiece with this comprehensive study of America’s most studied Civil War battle. Beginning with Lee's meeting with
Davis in May 1863, where he argued in favor of marching north, to take pressure off both Vicksburg and Confederate logistics. It ends with the battered Army
of Northern Virginia re-crossing the Potomac just two months later and with Meade unwilling to drive his equally battered
Army of the Potomac into a desperate pursuit. In between is the balanced, clear and detailed
story of how tens-of-thousands of men became casualties, and how Confederate independence on that battlefield was put forever
out of reach. The author is fair and balanced. Continued
below...
He discusses
the shortcomings of Dan Sickles, who advanced against orders on the second day; Oliver Howard, whose Corps broke and was routed
on the first day; and Richard Ewell, who decided not to take Culp's Hill on the first night, when that might have been decisive.
Sears also makes a strong argument that Lee was not fully in control of his army on the march or in the battle, a view conceived
in his gripping narrative of Pickett's Charge, which makes many aspects of that nightmare much clearer than previous studies.
A must have for the Civil War buff and anyone remotely interested in American history.
Recommended Reading:
Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage. Description: America's
Civil War raged for more than four years, but it is the three days of fighting in the Pennsylvania
countryside in July 1863 that continues to fascinate, appall, and inspire new generations with its unparalleled saga of sacrifice
and courage. From Chancellorsville, where General Robert E. Lee launched his high-risk campaign into the North, to the Confederates'
last daring and ultimately-doomed act, forever known as Pickett's Charge, the battle of Gettysburg gave the Union army a victory
that turned back the boldest and perhaps greatest chance for a Southern nation. Continued below...
Now, acclaimed
historian Noah Andre Trudeau brings the most up-to-date research available to a brilliant, sweeping, and comprehensive history
of the battle of Gettysburg that sheds fresh light on virtually every aspect of it. Deftly balancing his own
narrative style with revealing firsthand accounts, Trudeau brings this engrossing human tale to life as never before.
NEW! Recommended Reading: General Lee's Army: From Victory
to Collapse (Hardcover). Review: You cannot say that
University of North Carolina
professor Glatthaar (Partners in Command) did not do his homework in this massive examination of the Civil War–era lives
of the men in Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Glatthaar spent nearly 20 years examining and ordering primary source
material to ferret out why Lee's men fought, how they lived during the war, how they came close to winning, and why they lost.
Glatthaar marshals convincing evidence to challenge the often-expressed notion that the war in the South was a rich man's
war and a poor man's fight and that support for slavery was concentrated among the Southern upper class. Continued below...
Lee's army
included the rich, poor and middle-class, according to the author, who contends that there was broad support for the war in
all economic strata of Confederate society. He also challenges the myth that because Union forces outnumbered and materially
outmatched the Confederates, the rebel cause was lost, and articulates Lee and his army's acumen and achievements in the face
of this overwhelming opposition. This well-written work provides much food for thought for all Civil War buffs.
Recommended Reading:
The History Buff's Guide to Gettysburg (Key People, Places, and Events) (Key People, Places, and Events). Description: While most history books
are dry monologues of people, places, events and dates, The History Buff's Guide is ingeniously written and full of not only
first-person accounts but crafty prose. For example, in introducing the major commanders, the authors basically call Confederate
Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell a chicken literally. 'Bald, bug-eyed, beak-nosed Dick Stoddard Ewell had all the aesthetic charm
of a flightless foul.' To balance things back out a few pages later, they say federal Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade looked
like a 'brooding gargoyle with an intense cold stare, an image in perfect step with his nature.' Continued below...
Although it's
called a guide to Gettysburg, in my opinion, it's an authoritative guide to the Civil War. Any history buff
or Civil War enthusiast or even that casual reader should pick it up.
Recommended Reading: The Maps of Gettysburg:
The Gettysburg Campaign, June 3 - July 13, 1863
(Hardcover). Description: More academic and photographic accounts on the battle of Gettysburg exist than for all other battles of the Civil War combined-and
for good reason. The three-days of maneuver, attack, and counterattack consisted of literally scores of encounters, from corps-size
actions to small unit engagements. Despite all its coverage, Gettysburg
remains one of the most complex and difficult to understand battles of the war. Author Bradley Gottfried offers a unique approach
to the study of this multifaceted engagement. The Maps of Gettysburg plows new ground in the study of the campaign by breaking
down the entire campaign in 140 detailed original maps. These cartographic originals bore down to the regimental level, and
offer Civil Warriors a unique and fascinating approach to studying the always climactic battle of the war. Continued below...
The Maps of
Gettysburg offers thirty "action-sections" comprising the entire campaign. These include the march to and from the battlefield,
and virtually every significant event in between. Gottfried's original maps further enrich each "action-section." Keyed to
each piece of cartography is detailed text that includes hundreds of soldiers' quotes that make the Gettysburg
story come alive. This presentation allows readers to easily and quickly find a map and text on virtually any portion of the
campaign, from the great cavalry clash at Brandy Station on June 9, to the last Confederate withdrawal of troops across the
Potomac River on July 15, 1863. Serious students of the battle will appreciate the extensive
and authoritative endnotes. They will also want to bring the book along on their trips to the battlefield… Perfect for
the easy chair or for stomping the hallowed ground of Gettysburg,
The Maps of Gettysburg promises to be a seminal work that belongs on the bookshelf of every serious and casual student of
the battle.
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