The Philadelphia Brigade (also known as the California Brigade ) was a Union Army brigade that served in the American Civil War . It was raised primarily in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , with the exception of the 106th regiment which contained men from Lycoming and Bradford counties.
80-744: The brigade fought with the Army of the Potomac in the Eastern Theater for the entirety of its existence and fought in several major battles, including the battles of Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and the Overland Campaign. One of its most famous actions was during Pickett's Charge on July 3 at the Battle of Gettysburg , where it defended the Angle on Cemetery Ridge. Half of the brigade
160-454: A "favorable opportunity presented." When Ewell informed Lane that his attack was starting and requested cooperation, Lane sent back no reply. Losses on both sides were severe; among the casualties was Col. Avery, who was struck in the neck by a musket ball, felling him from his horse, where he was discovered after the charge by several of his soldiers and Major Tate of the 6th North Carolina. Unable to speak from his mortal wound, Avery scribbled
240-739: A command in the Western Theater. The I, II, and XII Corps retained the same commanders they had had during the Fredericksburg campaign, but the other corps got new commanders once again. Daniel Butterfield was chosen by Hooker as his new chief of staff and command of the V Corps went to George Meade. Daniel Sickles received command of the III Corps and Oliver Howard the XI Corps after Franz Sigel had resigned, refusing to serve under Hooker, his junior in rank. William Franklin also left
320-479: A night assault against two lines of Union troops behind stone walls, backed up by significant artillery. Rodes's after-battle report also expressed concern about a lack of cooperation from the adjoining division on A.P. Hill's left flank. Maj. Gen. William Dorsey Pender had been wounded by a shell that afternoon and Brig. Gen. James H. Lane was in command of Pender's division. Ewell sent a staff officer to speak with Lane, who explained that his orders were to attack if
400-538: A number of brigades composed of short-term nine-month regiments departed as their enlistment terms expired. Darius Couch resigned from command of the II Corps after Chancellorsville, the corps going to Winfield Hancock. The Pennsylvania Reserves Division, having spent several months in Washington D.C. resting and refitting from the 1862 campaigns, returned to the army, but was added to the V Corps rather than rejoining
480-405: A regiment from Philadelphia, designated the 1st California. By October, he increased his command to a brigade, adding the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th California regiments, all of which were from Philadelphia. After his death at the Battle of Ball's Bluff , Pennsylvania claimed the regiments as its own and renamed them as the following: Now commanded by Brig. Gen. William W. Burns , it was then assigned to
560-500: A simple note for Tate: "Major, tell my father I died with my face to the enemy. I. E. Avery." He died the following day. On July 3, there was no infantry attack on Cemetery Hill; the primary Confederate attacks were on Culp's Hill and on the lower portion of Cemetery Ridge. Union cannons on Cemetery Hill counter fired on the Confederate artillery barrage that preceded Pickett's Charge and provided antipersonnel support fire during
640-526: A southwest–northeast direction for about 700 yards (640 m). A shallow saddle on the crest about 150 yards (140 m) from its northeast slope is the point where the Baltimore Pike crosses the hill and separates East Cemetery Hill from the remainder. The slopes to the north and west rise gradually; on East Cemetery Hill, the rise is steeper. The hill is crossed by the Baltimore Pike and
720-463: The 152nd New York Infantry was added to the brigade. Owen's superiors continued to complain about his performance as a commander; at Spotsylvania Court House , his brigade was ordered to make a reconnaissance in force against the Confederate lines but Owen was absent for unexplained reasons, forcing another brigade commander to take over. The brigade last fought as a unit at the Battle of Cold Harbor , where Owen both failed to have his brigade ready for
800-441: The Army of the Potomac defensive " fish-hook " line , the hill is gently sloped and provided a site for American Civil War artillery ( cf. the heavily wooded, adjacent Culp's Hill ). Cemetery Hill overlooks the main downtown area of Gettysburg from the south, at 503 feet (153 m) above sea level , 80 feet (24 m) above the town center, about 100 feet (30 m) above Winebrenner's Run at its base. Its crest extends in
880-594: The Army of the Potomac 's II Corps as the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division. It fought in the Peninsula Campaign , during which the 69th was credited by Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker with making "the first successful bayonet charge of the war" at the Battle of Glendale . It also fought during the Seven Days battles , including Allen's Farm and Savage Station ; at Malvern Hill it was posted on the Union right with
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#1732772536632960-729: The Battle of Williamsburg on May 5, McClellan requested and obtained permission to create two additions corps; these became the V Corps, headed by BG Fitz-John Porter, and the VI Corps, headed by BG William B. Franklin, both personal favorites of his. After the First Battle of Kernstown in the Valley on March 23, the administration feared the threat to the national capital in Washington, D.C. from "Stonewall" Jackson 's force. To McClellan's displeasure, it detached Blenker's division from
1040-579: The First Battle of Bull Run . The arrival in Washington, D.C. , of Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan dramatically changed the makeup of that army. McClellan's original assignment was to command the Division of the Potomac, which included the Department of Northeast Virginia under McDowell and the Department of Washington under Brig. Gen. Joseph K. Mansfield . On July 26, 1861, the Department of
1120-1750: The Irish Brigade , the Philadelphia Brigade , the First New Jersey Brigade , the Vermont Brigade , and the Iron Brigade , were well known to the general public, both during and after the Civil War. The army originally consisted of fifteen divisions, the Artillery Reserve and the Cavalry Command. Commanded by Edwin V. Sumner , William B. Franklin , Louis Blenker , Nathaniel P. Banks , Frederick W. Lander (replaced by James Shields after Lander's death on March 2, 1862, Silas Casey , Irvin McDowell , Fitz John Porter , Samuel P. Heintzelman , Don Carlos Buell (replaced by Erasmus D. Keyes in November, 1861), William F. Smith , Joseph Hooker , John A. Dix , Charles P. Stone (replaced by John Sedgwick in February, 1862), George A. McCall , George Stoneman (replaced by Philip St. George Cooke in January, 1862) and Henry J. Hunt . Because this arrangement would be too hard to control in battle, President Lincoln issued an order on March 13, 1862, dividing
1200-535: The Peninsula Campaign to produce two more. After the Second Battle of Bull Run , the Army of the Potomac absorbed the units that had served under Maj. Gen. John Pope . The belief that John Pope commanded the Army of the Potomac in the summer of 1862 after McClellan's unsuccessful Peninsula Campaign is mistaken. On the contrary, Pope's Army of Virginia was built around different units, although three corps of
1280-478: The XII Corps ; Banks' old Division under BG Alpheus S. Williams , Shield's Division: BG James Shields and a Cavalry Division under BG John P. Hatch ). Lincoln named as corps commanders the five highest-ranking division commanders in the army. McClellan was unhappy with this, as he had intended to wait until the army had been tested in battle before judging which generals were suitable for corps command. After
1360-441: The "Boy Major", was mortally wounded. Around 7 p.m., as the Confederate assaults on the Union left and center were petering out, Ewell chose to begin his main infantry assault. He sent three brigades from the division of Maj. Gen. Edward "Allegheny" Johnson across Rock Creek and up the eastern slope of Culp's Hill against a line of breastworks manned by the XII Corps brigade of Brig. Gen. George S. Greene . Greene's men held off
1440-703: The 106th reformed as a four-company battalion. During the war, the brigade lost 3,533 men out of a total 5,320 men who served in the unit, a casualty rate of 64%. Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War . It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and
1520-477: The 127th Pennsylvania to the brigade to replace it. The Philadelphia Brigade made it part way up the slope of the ridge but the rest of division failed to advance at the same time; both this and Confederate fire halted its advance. During the battle, the brigade lost 258 men, with the 127th Pennsylvania suffering 146 casualties. During the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863, Brig. Gen. John Gibbon's division (of which
1600-465: The 58th and 119th New York of Col. Włodzimierz Krzyżanowski 's brigade from West Cemetery Hill to the aid of Wiedrich's battery. Howard's lines were getting thin, so he sent for help to Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock of the II Corps . Hancock ordered one of his brigades under Col. Samuel S. Carroll to rush from Cemetery Ridge and assist the defenders. They arrived at the double-quick, charging through
1680-407: The 59th New York, on its left also retreated and due largely to the overwhelming Confederate numbers, the 69th held its position despite being flanked on both ends and being engaged in hand to hand combat. Company F was accidentally left isolated due to not hearing the order to refuse the flank and was engulfed by the attacking Confederates. The 72nd and the two remaining companies of the 106th behind
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#17327725366321760-587: The Army of the Potomac were sent to northern Virginia and were under Pope's operational control during the Northern Virginia Campaign . During the time that the Army of Virginia existed, the Army of the Potomac was headquartered on the Virginia Peninsula , and then outside Washington, D.C., with McClellan still in command, although most of his troops had been temporarily reassigned. After Pope's defeat at Second Bull Run , McClellan
1840-476: The Army of the Potomac. ††Major General John G. Parke took brief temporary command during Meade's absences on four occasions during this period) Notes Bibliography Further reading Cemetery Hill Cemetery Hill is a landform on the Gettysburg Battlefield that was the scene of fighting each day of the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863). The northernmost part of
1920-685: The Cavalry Corps have transferred in August 1864 to Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan 's Army of the Shenandoah , and the 2nd Division alone remained under Meade's command. On March 26, 1865, that division was also assigned to Sheridan for the closing campaigns of the war. Notes † Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant , general-in-chief of all Union armies, located his headquarters with the Army of the Potomac and provided operational direction to Meade from May 1864 to April 1865, but Meade retained command of
2000-403: The Confederate attack for hours, although the attackers were able to establish a foothold in some abandoned Union rifle pits. The fighting on Culp's Hill would resume the following day. Not long after the assault on Culp's Hill began, as dusk fell around 7:30 p.m., Ewell sent two brigades from the division of Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early against East Cemetery Hill from the east, and he alerted
2080-421: The Confederate infantry attack. National Park Service historian Troy Harman has written that Robert E. Lee 's ultimate objective for the assaults by Longstreet on July 2 and July 3 was actually Cemetery Hill, rolling the Union left flank up Cemetery Ridge. Post-battle, East Cemetery Hill was occupied for several weeks by state militiamen, who established a tented camp site to maintain a military presence, secure
2160-777: The Emmitsburg Road, with the Taneytown Road between them. The 1858 south boundary for the Gettysburg borough extended southeast from the Emmitsburg Road to the Cemetery Hill summit on the Taneytown Rd, then northeast across the Baltimore Pike summit to the hill's base, then northward to Winebrenner Run . On the south slope of Cemetery Hill (originally named Raffensperger's Hill, after farmer Peter Raffensperger, who owned over 6 acres (24,000 m ) on
2240-507: The I Corps. George Stoneman had been removed from command of the cavalry corps by Hooker after a poor performance during the Chancellorsville campaign and replaced by Alfred Pleasanton. George Meade was suddenly appointed the commander of the army on June 28, a mere three days before the battle of Gettysburg. At the battle, the I, II, and III Corps suffered such severe losses that they were almost nonfunctional as fighting units at
2320-773: The II Corps and sent it to West Virginia , where it served under John C. Fremont 's command. McDowell's I Corps was detached as well and stationed in the Rappahannock area. In June 1862, George McCall's division from I Corps (the Pennsylvania Reserves Division) was sent down to the Peninsula and temporarily attached to the V Corps. In the Seven Days Battles, the V Corps was heavily engaged. The Pennsylvania Reserves, in particular, suffered heavy losses including its division commander, who
2400-462: The June 3rd assault on time and also failed to participate in the attack as his division commander intended. As a result, for this incident and for the attack at Spotsylvania, Owen was relieved of command and mustered out of service. On July 22, 1864, the brigade was broken up. The majority of the 71st and 106th and the entire 72nd were discharged. The remaining men of the 71st were merged into the 69th and
2480-742: The Maryland Campaign, the Army of the Potomac had six corps. These were the I Corps, commanded by Joe Hooker after Irvin McDowell was removed from command, the II Corps, commanded by Edwin Sumner, the V Corps, headed by Fitz-John Porter, the VI Corps, headed by William Franklin, the IX Corps, headed by Ambrose Burnside and formerly the Department of North Carolina, and the XII Corps, headed by Nathaniel Banks until September 12, and given to Joseph K. Mansfield just two days prior to Antietam, where he
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2560-430: The Maryland Campaign. In the battle, Pope issued confusing orders to the V Corps, eventually directing them against Jackson's flank, ignoring Longstreet's troops on the Union flank. Pope blamed the defeat at Second Bull Run on Porter, who was court-martialed and spent much of his life seeking exoneration. Sigel's command, now redesignated the XI Corps, also spent the Maryland Campaign in Washington resting and refitting. In
2640-460: The Potomac was also the name given to General P. G. T. Beauregard 's Confederate army during the early stages of the war (namely, First Bull Run; thus, the losing Union army ended up adopting the name of the winning Confederate army). However, the name was eventually changed to the Army of Northern Virginia , which became famous under General Robert E. Lee . In 1869, the Society of the Army of
2720-406: The Potomac was formed as a veterans association. It had its last reunion in 1927. Because of its proximity to the nation's largest cities at the time, Washington, D.C. , Philadelphia , and New York City , the Army of the Potomac received more contemporary media coverage than the other Union field armies. Such coverage produced fame for a number of this army's units. Individual brigades, such as
2800-454: The Shenandoah , commanded by Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks , was merged with McClellan's departments and on that day, McClellan formed the Army of the Potomac, which was composed of all military forces in the former Departments of Northeastern Virginia, Washington, Pennsylvania , and the Shenandoah. The men under Banks's command became an infantry division in the Army of the Potomac. The army started with four corps, but these were divided during
2880-412: The Union defenders against Longstreet. Ewell was to exploit any success his demonstration might achieve by following up with a full-scale attack at his discretion. Ewell began his demonstration at 4 p.m. upon hearing the sound of Longstreet's guns to the south. For three hours, he chose to limit his demonstration to an artillery barrage from Benner's Hill, about a mile (1,600 m) to the northeast. Although
2960-411: The Union defenders on Cemetery Hill received some damage from this fire, they returned counterbattery fire with a vengeance. Cemetery Hill is over 50 feet (15 m) taller than Benner's Hill, and the geometry of artillery science meant that the Union gunners had a decided advantage. Ewell's four batteries were forced to withdraw with heavy losses, and his best artillerist, 19-year-old Joseph W. Latimer ,
3040-699: The West in late 1863 to support the Chattanooga Campaign , and while there were combined into the XX Corps, never returning to the East. The IX Corps returned to the army in 1864, after being assigned to the West in 1863 and then served alongside, but not as part of, the Army of the Potomac from March to May 24, 1864. On that latter date, IX Corps was formally added to the Army of the Potomac. Two divisions of
3120-405: The XI Corps. Both had seen heavy action on July 1 and they consisted of, respectively, 650 and 500 officers and men. Harris's men were stationed at a low stone wall on the northern end of the hill and wrapped around onto Brickyard Lane at the base of the hill. (Brickyard Lane was also known at the time as Winebrenner's Lane and today is named Wainwright Avenue.) Von Gilsa's brigade was scattered along
3200-476: The XI and XII Corps. At Fredericksburg, the I Corps was commanded by John F. Reynolds, the II Corps by Darius Couch, the III Corps by George Stoneman, the V Corps by Daniel Butterfield, the VI Corps by William F. Smith, and the IX Corps by Orlando Willcox . The XI Corps was commanded by Franz Sigel and the XII Corps by Henry Slocum, however, neither corps was present at Fredericksburg, the former not arriving until after
3280-537: The army at the start of Ulysses S. Grant 's Overland Campaign , rejoined the army later. For more detail, see the section Corps below. The Army of the Potomac fought in most of the Eastern Theater campaigns, primarily in (Eastern) Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. After the end of the war, it was disbanded on June 28, 1865, shortly following its participation in the Grand Review of the Armies . The Army of
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3360-486: The army for the same reason. Edwin Sumner, who was in his 60s and exhausted from campaigning, departed as well and died a few months later. William F. Smith resigned from command of the VI Corps, which was taken over by John Sedgwick. The I and V Corps were not significantly engaged during the Chancellorsville campaign. During the Gettysburg Campaign, the army's existing organization was largely retained, but
3440-737: The army from McClellan in the fall, he formed the army into four Grand Divisions. The Right Grand Division was commanded by Edwin Sumner and comprised the II and XI Corps, the Center Grand Division, commanded by Joe Hooker, comprised the V and III Corps, and the Left Grand Division, commanded by William Franklin, comprised the VI and I Corps. In addition, the Reserve Grand Division, commanded by Franz Sigel, comprised
3520-809: The army into five corps headed by MG Irvin McDowell ( I Corps ; Franklin's Division: BG William B. Franklin , McCall's " Pennsylvania Reserves " Division: BG George A. McCall and McDowell's old Division under BG Rufus King .), BG Edwin V. Sumner ( II Corps ; Sumner's old Division under BG Israel B. Richardson , Sedgwick's Division: BG John Sedgwick and Blenker's Division: Louis Blenker .), BG Samuel P. Heintzelman ( III Corps ; Porter's Division: BG Fitz John Porter , Hooker's Division: BG Joseph Hooker and Heintzelman's old Division under BG Charles S. Hamilton ), BG Erasmus D. Keyes ( IV Corps ; Keyes' old Division under BG Darius N. Couch , Smith's Division: BG William F. Smith and Casey's Division: BG Silas Casey ), MG Nathaniel P. Banks ( V Corps , which later became
3600-401: The arrival of the Army of the Potomac . On July 1, 1863, Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard left infantry and artillery to hold the hill in case the army needed to fall back from its positions north and west of Gettysburg. Cemetery Hill became the rallying point for retreating Union troops of the I Corps and XI Corps (from fighting north and northwest of town). One of the great controversies of
3680-421: The battery's position but insist that they were there only briefly." The collapse of "Cemetery Hill, the keystone of the Union line," "would have certainly required Meade to at least abandon his position" at Gettysburg, but the following day, artillery anchored here aided the repulse of the famous attack by Pickett, Pettigrew, Trimble, Wilcox & Lang. Generals Howard and Schurz heard the commotion and rushed
3760-496: The battle was over, and the latter was stationed at Harper's Ferry. Following Fredericksburg, Burnside was removed from command of the army and replaced by Joe Hooker. Hooker immediately abolished the Grand Divisions and also for the first time organized the cavalry into a proper corps led by George Stoneman instead of having them ineffectually scattered among infantry divisions. Burnside and his old IX Corps departed out to
3840-453: The battle was the failure of Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell , and his subordinate, Brig. Gen. William "Extra Billy" Smith , to attack and capture Cemetery Hill. Smith thought Union troops were approaching from the east, which caused Early to delay his attack on the hill to defend against the supposed threat. There proved to be no significant Union troop movements from the east, and Smith was the only brigadier general not commended by Early after
3920-497: The battle. On July 2, Confederate General Robert E. Lee ordered attacks on both ends of the Union line. Lt. Gen. James Longstreet attacked with his First Corps on the Union left ( Little Round Top , Devil's Den , Wheatfield ). Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell and the Second Corps were assigned the mission of launching a simultaneous demonstration against the Union right, a minor attack that was intended to distract and pin down
4000-529: The battlefield from looters and curiosity seekers, collect remaining military weapons, and provide manpower and services for the area's hospitals. Elizabeth C. Thorn (pregnant wife of the keeper of Evergreen Cemetery who was at war), her parents, and hired hands dug 105 graves for soldiers killed at or near Cemetery Hill. The Gettysburg National Cemetery was established in 1863 north of the Evergreen Cemetery . Abraham Lincoln 's Gettysburg Address
4080-470: The brigade was a part) initially remained in their winter camps to act "as a decoy while the rest of the army marched." On May 3, the division supported Major General John Sedgwick's attack on the Confederate rearguard at Fredericksburg and remained in the city afterwards to guard the city and the bridges across the river. Just before the Battle of Gettysburg , Brig. Gen. Joshua T. Owen was relieved of command and replaced by Brig. Gen. Alexander S. Webb , in
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#17327725366324160-402: The copse refused to counterattack. Webb was able to rally the 71st and move it in line with these two units; when he attempted to get these units to advance to retake the wall but the regiments refused to move. After other Union regiments joined in the counterattack on Pickett's Division, Webb was able to get his brigade to charge as well; although he was wounded in the groin, Webb refused to leave
4240-580: The dark from the cemetery, just as the Confederate attack was starting to ebb. Carroll's men secured Ricketts's battery and swept the North Carolinians down the hill. Over at Wiedrich's battery, Krzyżanowski led his men to sweep the Louisiana attackers down the hill until they reached the base and "flopped down" for Wiedrich's guns to fire canister at the retreating Confederates. Defending East Cemetery Hill would have been much more difficult had
4320-408: The division of Maj. Gen. Robert E. Rodes to prepare a follow-up assault against Cemetery Hill proper from the northwest. The two brigades from Early's division were commanded by Brig. Gen. Harry T. Hays : his own Louisiana Tigers Brigade and Hoke's Brigade, the latter commanded by Col. Isaac E. Avery . They stepped off from a line parallel to Winebrenner's Run, a narrow tributary of Rock Creek to
4400-541: The eastern slope ) is the 1854 Evergreen Cemetery and its 1855 gatehouse used as a headquarters during the battle. On June 26, 1863, prior to the Battle of Gettysburg, Lt. Col. Elijah V. White 's Confederate cavalry occupied the hill and captured several horses hidden by local citizens, then departed to York County, Pennsylvania . The Gettysburg Railroad Station telegraph was subsequently moved to Cemetery Hill. The hill remained essentially free of military forces until
4480-410: The end. One corps commander (Reynolds) was killed, another (Sickles) lost a leg and was permanently out of the war, and a third (Hancock) was badly wounded and never completely recovered from his injuries. The VI Corps had not been significantly engaged and was mostly used to plug up holes in the line during the battle. For the remainder of the war, corps were added and subtracted from the army. IV Corps
4560-546: The field. The brigade was able to capture four battle flags (of the 3rd, 9th, 53rd, and 56th Virginia Infantry). After Gettysburg, the brigade continued to serve in the Army of the Potomac, from the Overland Campaign to the surrender at Appomattox Court House , often losing heavily. Owen was restored to command of the Philadelphia Brigade (Webb was transferred to command of a different brigade) and
4640-628: The former Army of Virginia ), XII Corps ( Banks's II Corps from the Army of Virginia ), added in 1862; and the Cavalry Corps , created in 1863. Eight of these corps (seven infantry, one cavalry) served in the army during 1863, but due to attrition and transfers, the army was reorganized in March 1864 with only four corps: II, V, VI, and Cavalry. Of the original eight, I and III Corps were disbanded due to heavy casualties and their units combined into other corps. The XI and XII Corps were ordered to
4720-471: The grand divisions. Thereafter the individual corps, seven of which remained in Virginia, reported directly to army headquarters. Hooker also created a Cavalry Corps by combining units that previously had served as smaller formations. In late 1863, two corps were sent West, and – in 1864 – the remaining five corps were recombined into three. Burnside's IX Corps , which accompanied
4800-462: The gun barrels could not be depressed sufficiently, but they did their best with canister and double canister fire. The Confederate attack began with a Rebel yell against the Ohio regiments at the stone wall. Just beforehand, Ames had sent the 17th Connecticut from its place on the left of the line to a position in the center. This left a gap, which Hays's Louisianans exploited, and they bounded over
4880-467: The hopes of improving the discipline of the brigade. During the battle, it defended Cemetery Ridge near the famous Angle on July 2 and July 3, 1863. On the evening of July 2, it helped drive Brig. Gen. Ambrose R. Wright 's brigade back after it captured a portion of the ridge and recaptured a cannon. The 106th advanced as far as the Codori Barn near the Emmitsburg Road and the 72nd advanced just over
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#17327725366324960-546: The invaders. Major Samuel Tate of the 6th North Carolina wrote afterward: 75 North Carolinians of the Sixth Regiment and 12 Louisianians of Hays's brigade scaled the walls and planted the colors of the Sixth North Carolina and Ninth Louisiana on the guns. It was now fully dark. The enemy stood with tenacity never before displayed by them, but with bayonet, clubbed musket, sword, pistol, and rocks from
5040-590: The lane as well as on the hill. Two regiments, the 41st New York and the 33rd Massachusetts, were stationed in Culp's Meadow beyond Brickyard Lane in expectation of an attack by Johnson's division. More westerly on the hill were the divisions of Maj. Gens. Adolph von Steinwehr and Carl Schurz . Col. Charles S. Wainwright , nominally of the I Corps , commanded the artillery batteries on the hill and on Stevens Knoll. The relatively steep slope of East Cemetery Hill made artillery fire difficult to direct against infantry because
5120-400: The overall attack been better coordinated. To the northwest, Maj. Gen. Robert Rodes 's division was not ready to attack until Early's fight was almost over. It had filed west from the town and into the fields along the dirt path that is now Long Lane, where it stopped after advancing a short distance in the darkness. Brig. Gen. Dodson Ramseur , the leading brigade commander, saw the futility of
5200-506: The rest of the II Corps and consequently wasn't engaged during the battle. At the Battle of Antietam , the brigade, now commanded by Brig. Gen. Oliver O. Howard , was part of Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick 's attack near the West Woods. The division ran into stiff resistance and was then attacked in the flank. Most of the division was routed, including the Philadelphia Brigade; some companies had no time to return fire before being caught up in
5280-418: The rout. The brigade lost 545 men in as little as ten minutes. When Sedgwick was wounded during the battle, Howard took command of his division and Colonel Joshua T. Owen of the 69th regiment took command of the brigade. In the Battle of Fredericksburg the following December, the brigade participated in the assault on Marye's Heights. The 71st regiment was assigned provost duty in the city, so Howard transferred
5360-497: The southeast of town. Hays commanded five Louisiana regiments, which together numbered only about 1,200 officers and men. Avery had three North Carolina regiments totaling 900. The brigade of Brig. Gen. John B. Gordon was in support behind Hays and Avery but did not participate in the fighting. Defending East Cemetery Hill were the two brigades (Cols. Andrew L. Harris and Leopold von Gilsa ) of Brig. Gen. Francis C. Barlow 's division (now commanded by Brig. Gen. Adelbert Ames ) of
5440-404: The stone wall, before both regiments withdrew to their previous positions. On July 3, eight companies of the 106th were sent to Cemetery Hill (the other two were deployed along the Emmitsburg Road as pickets); the 71st was briefly sent to Culp's Hill but was later moved back to the Angle. Half of the regiment was posted at the portion of the wall closest to the Confederates while the other half
5520-442: The stone wall. Other troops exploited other weak spots in the line, and soon some of the Confederates had reached the batteries at the top of the hill, while others fought in the darkness with the four remaining Union regiments on the line behind the stone wall. On the crest of the hill, the gunners of Captain Michael Wiedrich's New York battery and Captain R. Bruce Ricketts 's Pennsylvania battery engaged in hand-to-hand combat against
5600-399: The wall, we cleared the heights and silenced the guns. Harry Pfanz provides an alternative view that contrasts with Tate's: "Although the Confederates wrote and spoke of occupying the crest of the hill and capturing the batteries there, Union accounts concede less Confederate success. The sparse accounts of Wiedrich's battery say that the Confederates attacked suddenly and violently and entered
5680-463: Was 50 yards to its right-rear. The 69th manned the wall to the left of the 71st. The 72nd was posted in reserve behind the copse of trees. Two companies of the 106th returned to the Angle and placed in reserve with the 72nd (the remainder of the regiment stayed on Cemetery Hill). During Pickett's Charge , the left wing of the 71st retreated from the stone wall, allowing the Confederates to pour over. The 69th refused its right to protect its flank; however,
5760-605: Was broken up after the Peninsula Campaign, with its headquarters and 2nd Division left behind in Yorktown, while its 1st Division moved north, attached to the VI Corps, in the Maryland Campaign. Those parts of the IV Corps that remained on the Peninsula were reassigned to the Department of Virginia and disbanded on October 1, 1863. Those added to the Army of the Potomac were IX Corps , XI Corps ( Sigel's I Corps in
5840-572: Was captured by the Confederates, and two of its three brigadiers, John F. Reynolds , who was also captured, and George Meade , who was wounded. The III Corps fought at Glendale, however, the rest of the army was not heavily engaged in the week-long fight aside from Slocum's division of the VI Corps, which was sent to reinforce the V Corps at Gaines Mill. The Army of the Potomac remained on the Virginia Peninsula until August, when it
5920-531: Was delivered there during the Consecration of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg . The 1867 National Homestead at Gettysburg operated as an orphanage at the north foot of the hill, and an 1878 wooden observation tower of 40 ft (12 m) East Cemetery Hill had been built near the monument for Battery B, Pennsylvania Light Artillery . The 1893–1917 Gettysburg Electric Railway
6000-589: Was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in April. The Army of the Potomac was founded in 1861. It initially was only the size of a corps relative to the size of Union armies later in the Civil War . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia led by Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell . It fought and lost the Civil War's first major battle,
6080-469: Was given back his original units, plus most of the units of the Army of Virginia, which were integrated into the Army of the Potomac ;– although not always successfully. The Army of the Potomac underwent many structural changes during its existence. The army was divided by Ambrose Burnside into three grand divisions of two corps each with a Reserve composed of two more. Hooker abolished
6160-432: Was killed in action. At Antietam, the I and XII Corps were the first Union outfits to fight and both corps suffered enormous casualties (plus the loss of their commanders) so that they were down to near-division strength and their brigades at regimental strength after the battle was over. The II and IX Corps were also heavily engaged but the V and VI Corps largely stayed out of the battle. When Burnside took over command of
6240-519: Was mustered out in June 1864 and the remainder was transferred to another brigade. The regiments in the Philadelphia Brigade were originally designated as California regiments. Some residents on the West Coast wanted California to have a military presence in the Eastern army and asked Oregon Senator Edward D. Baker to form a regiment to be credited to that state. Baker was able to recruit
6320-485: Was on several sides of the hill, and the 1921–2008 Gettysburg National Museum operated on the west side of Cemetery Hill along the Taneytown Road. The areas on the northern and western slopes of the hill are now largely occupied by tourist-related businesses (hotels, restaurants, gift shops, battlefield tour agencies, private museums, etc.). The military importance of the heights is not as evident today since
6400-645: Was recalled back to Washington D.C. Keyes and one of the two IV Corps divisions were left behind permanently as part of the newly created Department of the James, while the other division, commanded by Brig. Gen Darius Couch, was attached to the VI Corps. During the Second Battle of Bull Run, the III and V Corps were temporarily attached to Pope's army; the former suffered major losses and was sent back to Washington to rest and refit afterward, so it did not participate in
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