Author: Gordon Laws
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Tragedy of Young James Culp: A Family’s Loss After Gettysburg
The tragedy of young James Culp only multiplied the sorrows in the Culp family and the inexplicable horrors the town had experienced. Two months after the Battle of Gettysburg, shallow graves still dotted the farms; visitors poured in from around the country, seeking to reclaim their fallen loved ones; scavengers and souvenir collectors of all…
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David Culp: A Life Shaped by Gettysburg and the Civil War
David Culp was born in Gettysburg in 1830, a son of Adams County who would see his hometown transformed by war. A plasterer by trade, Culp’s work helped shape the town’s buildings, yet his legacy extends beyond construction. His service in the Civil War with the 87th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, his capture at the Second…
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William Culp, Older Brother of Wesley Culp
The second-most recognized Culp in history is Wesley’s brother William Culp. The two cannot be separated because they have come to be emblematic of “brother against brother” Civil War. In fact, unveiled in 2013 is a monument on Steinwehr Avenue with the face of William pointing north and the face of Wesley pointing south. Legends…
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The Battle of the Crater: William Bedford’s Valor
William Bedford was born in Maryland, the son of Sylvester and Agnes (Williams) Bedford. Though records indicate he was likely living in Frederick County in 1860, his exact location in that year’s census is uncertain. Standing 5 feet 9 inches tall with black hair, black eyes, and a black complexion, Bedford would later find himself…
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The Mystery of Eliza Armstrong’s Age and Legacy
On January 9, 1907, the Gettysburg Compiler noted the passing of Eliza Armstrong, a black woman then residing at the Adams County Almshouse. As with similar articles of the era, it fixated on curiosities barely connected to the life of the person. In this case, the issue was one of age, and here the newspaper…
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The Anonymity of History: Remembering William Burley
You don’t know William Burley. Neither do I. On Presidents’ Day, we have nearly innumerable sources to draw from in contemplating the lives and impacts of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Naturally, both are inextricably linked to the story of freedom for all in the United States. Most of us never generate this sort of…
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Exploring Joseph Craig’s Remarkable Journey
Joseph Craig’s life was short—just 39 years—but included a large family he grew up with, his own marriage and children, and enough hair-raising incidents for a couple of lifetimes. Joseph now rests quietly in the Lincoln Cemetery beneath a headstone provided by the government in 1887. He was born free in Adams County in 1843…
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Owen Robinson: From Enslaved to Entrepreneur
The roots of Owen Robinson may well be found in the pages of this will from the late 1700s. Wealthy plantation owner Thomas Barton Gorsuch carefully laid out the details of his plantation and those of his enslaved people, stipulating what his wife should get, his children, and even his grandson, Robert. To his wife…
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Francis Jackson: Enslaved to Soldier in Pennsylvania
When Francis Jackson went to war, he was 50 years old with whip scars on his back and gnarled, arthritic hands from his long days as a laborer and, likely, a slave. He joined earlier than almost every other black man in Gettysburg—he enlisted on July 18, 1863, in the 3rd USCT, just two weeks…
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Harriet Ciata Stanton: A Legacy in Gettysburg
Harriet Ciata Stanton’s ties go back to the founding of Gettysburg, and her descendants were still in Gettysburg at least through the early 2000s (and may still be there!). Even a hundred years ago, the newspapers referred to the family as the oldest in Gettysburg and Harriet as one of its most notable citizens. Harriet…