Category: Union Soldiers
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The Long Journey Home of John Burns
You won’t get through Gettysburg without hearing the legend of John Burns. And legend it surely is: Burns became nationally famous, wrote a pamphlet about his experience, traveled some to support it, and told fabulous tales of being wounded anywhere between three and seven times. His grave includes an American flag—one of two civilian plots…
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Exploring the Legacy of Emanuel Craig and Gettysburg’s Black Community
Emanuel Craig was an African American laborer, Civil War veteran, and family man in 19th-century Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. His life spanned the tumultuous Civil War era and Reconstruction, and his story illuminates the experiences of Gettysburg’s Black community during that period. Born around 1829 to Benjamin Craig and Mary (Wagner) Craig, Emanuel grew up in Adams…
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The Forgotten Heroes: Horses of Gettysburg
The horses of Gettysburg are their own tragedy. When the armies untangled from each other at Gettysburg on July 4, they left not only more than 6000 dead men, they also left between 3000 and 5000 dead animals. Horses and mules were integral to both armies, though their roles are generally only lightly touched upon…
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Truth or Legend? Feral Hogs at Gettysburg
On the night of July 2, 1863, the battlefield around Gettysburg fell into an eerie darkness punctuated by the groans of thousands of wounded men. Earlier that day, vicious fighting had swept through farmer George Rose’s wheatfield – a 20-acre expanse that changed hands multiple times in a bloody back-and-forth. More 6,000 soldiers were killed…
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The Farnsworth House Inn: Bullet Holes, Fine Dining, an Attic Full of Ghosts
I once brought a group of managers and leaders to Gettysburg for leadership training. The battlefield leadership decisions offer endless fodder for analysis and modern-day applications. On one of our evenings, we had dinner at the Farnsworth House Inn’s Meade and Lee Fine Dining restaurant, and we had the managers present on the history of…
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Farmer, Tailor, Soldier, Poet: The Life of James A. Wade, Half-Brother of Jennie Wade
The life of James A. Wade started as a crime. It continued into the worst poverty—time in the Adams County Almshouse and a period of being bonded out. Then it pivoted to the Civil War, which was made worse by the death of his sister, Jennie Wade. And for all that, Jim, as he was…
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The Big History of Big Round Top and Little Round Top
Prior to the Civil War, the twin hills south of Gettysburg were not known by the familiar names “Big Round Top” and “Little Round Top.” The taller, southern hill (today “Big Round Top”) was generally called “Round Top” or “Round Top Mountain” by locals, and sometimes simply “Round Hill,” reflecting its prominent rounded shape. The…
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Cemetery Hill: The Birthplace of Evergreen Cemetery
Culp’s Hill and Cemetery Hill are forever joined in history because of the great battle fought on their grounds—but they also share a common family history going back generations. Prior to becoming hallowed ground, Cemetery Hill was known locally as Raffensperger’s Hill, a prominent rise just south of Gettysburg. In the early 19th century it…
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The Life and Legacy of Peter Thorn in Gettysburg
As the legend goes, Peter Thorn was escorting his bride, Elizabeth Catharine Masser, on September 1, 1855, when all the bells in Gettysburg began to ring. Elizabeth asked Peter why all the ringing, and he explained that they were acknowledging the dedication of the Evergreen Cemetery. Of course, a short time later, Peter would be…
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Remembering Keller Culp: A Union Soldier’s Sacrifice at Andersonville
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…