Known to friends and family as Keller, Benjamin Keller Culp was another cousin of John Wesley Culp whose fate added to the Culp family tragedy. Born on May 31, 1844, in Adams County, Pennsylvania, Keller’s life was profoundly shaped by the tumultuous events of the American Civil War.

In the summer of 1862, responding to President Abraham Lincoln’s call for additional troops, Keller enlisted in Company B of the 138th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. This company was predominantly recruited from Adams County, reflecting the local community’s commitment to the Union cause.

The regiment was officially organized at Harrisburg and mustered into service on August 16, 1862, under the command of Colonel Charles L. K. Sumwalt.

Initially, the 138th was assigned to defensive duties, stationed at Relay House near Baltimore, Maryland, as part of the Middle Department’s VIII Corps. This period involved guarding vital transportation routes and ensuring the security of the Union’s logistical operations.

As the war progressed, the 138th Pennsylvania Infantry became increasingly engaged in active combat operations:

• Bristoe Campaign (October 9–22, 1863): The regiment participated in maneuvers aimed at disrupting Confederate forces in Virginia, contributing to the Union’s strategic positioning in the region.
• Mine Run Campaign (November 26–December 2, 1863): The 138th faced Confederate forces at Payne’s Farm on November 27, where they encountered stiff resistance but played a role in the larger operational objectives of the campaign.

In May 1864, Keller and his comrades faced one of their most harrowing experiences during the Battle of the Wilderness (May 5–7, 1864). This battle, characterized by dense, tangled forests, resulted in chaotic and brutal combat. The 138th Pennsylvania Infantry, as part of the VI Corps under General Ricketts, was heavily engaged in this confrontation. On May 6, the regiment suffered significant casualties: 27 killed, 94 wounded, and 35 missing. During this intense fighting, Keller was among those captured by Confederate forces.

Following his capture, Keller was transported to Andersonville Prison in Georgia, officially known as Camp Sumter. Andersonville was notorious for its deplorable conditions, including severe overcrowding, inadequate shelter, insufficient food supplies, and unsanitary living environments. Designed to hold 10,000 prisoners, at its peak, it confined more 30,000 Union soldiers, leading to a high mortality rate (more than 12,000 died). The overcrowding was exacerbated by the breakdown of prisoner exchange agreements and the Confederacy’s limited resources to care for captives.

Tragically, Keller’s time at Andersonville was marked by suffering. He succumbed to the harsh conditions on December 17, 1864, at the age of 20. He was laid to rest in what became the Andersonville National Cemetery, a somber reminder of the war’s human cost. He joined fellow Adams County citizen George Washington Shriver who had died in the camp a few months before.

These are the facts we know, but the family has passed down an additional story.

In this version, Keller was to be released (probably in a prisoner exchange, we may suppose), but he was friends with a young man who had a wife and family who were waiting for him and were apparently ill. According to Luther Culp, a family member in Gettysburg during that era, Keller told the man to claim that he was Keller. The man went free, while Keller fell sick and perished.

Was the story true? Hard to say, and we don’t wish to disparage family history or family heroes. Other than Luther’s retelling, though, no sources support the narrative. Further, the article in the paper has Luther claiming that Wesley Culp had not been killed at the Battle of Gettysburg—the evidence for this being that his body was not found and that rumors were that he had returned to the South and disappeared. Of course, we know that Wesley was indeed killed at Gettysburg—men in his unit recounted his being shot through the head, and later, a gun butt inscribed W. Culp was recovered.

In addition, prisoners were not being released or exchanged throughout the second half of 1864. The Dix-Hill prisoner exchange cartel had been halted, and Ulysses Grant insisted that any further prisoner exchanges be one for one and that black soldiers be exchanged under the same policies as white soldiers. The Confederacy would not and could not acknowledge black soldiers as equal to white soldiers nor value them at anything other than property, so exchanges largely ceased.

The only possible movement of prisoners from Andersonville that might fit Luther’s scenario is the transfer of thousands of prisoners from Georgia to South Carolina following the Fall of Atlanta. It’s possible that Keller was to be moved in September 1864 and switched with another man, but neither would have been bound for freedom. Instead, either would have wound up in similarly horrific conditions at Florence Stockade. Most likely, the truth is simply that Keller died of illness, the same as more than 12,000 other men. That reality does not make his death any less heroic—after all, he willingly enlisted, fought, and gave his life for his country.