Gettysburg--Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill (Civil War America)

Book 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.

Customer Reviews:

Experience readers only...........2005-12-13

I found Harry W. Pfanz's book to be well written, well researched and highly informative on the events that took in and around Culp's Hill and Cemetary Hill during the Battle of Gettysburg. Its pretty obvious to anyone who read this book that the author have great deal of understanding and knowledge of this part of Gettysburg and he spared no expense in writing about it.

However, its pretty clear that this book was not written for novice reader on the battle. Its highly detail, at time almost tedious in some areas, so much information that someone who may not be familiar with Gettysburg may have some sort of an information overload. I would recommend that anyone who's starting out on this battle, should skip this book until later on.

But on the other hand, if you're a experience Gettysburg reader, then this book is for you. I think its probably the best book written on the subject matter at hand, which was the actions around Culp's Hill and Cemetary Hill.

The book comes well illstrated with black and white paintings and photos of leaders. The maps are very useful and detail but I agreed with one previous reviewer, we could use more maps. The book is thick and but I would recommended it highly to any experenced Gettysburg reader who wishes to know more about this battle.

Detailed Account of the Fighting at Culp's and Cemetery Hill.......2005-05-27

Pfanz' final book in his trilogy of Gettysburg covers a relatively forgotten area of the Battle of Gettysburg. Granted, while I have visited Culp's and Cemetery Hill during each of my Gettysburg visits, I tended to spend most of my time around the second day's fighting (Little Round Top, Devil's Den, Wheatfield, Rose Farm and Woods, Peach Orchard, Trostle Farm) and Pickett's Charge. Pfanz has done the public a great service by providing a book of the actions around Culp's and Cemetery Hill. Indeed, no one probably knows more about Gettysburg than Pfanz.

As usual, he provides sometimes overwhelming details of the actions. His narrative is interesting and I enjoyed reading anecdotes of the main characters (Greene, Steuart, Howard, Meade, Ewell, Early, etc.). Pfanz describes terrain features, battle participants, battle actions, and other details like only he can.

However, there is one sticking point that I have noticed in other Civil War books and have noted in other reviews - there simply are not enough maps. While the maps provided are of excellent detail and contain helpful summaries of the actions represented in the maps, there could have been at least 10 more. I believe there are about 15 maps in the book - there easily could have been 25. I say this because of Pfanz' attention to detail - having more maps to support the battle actions would have made it easier for me to follow the actions. On more than one occasion I was bug-eyed trying to follow what Pfanz was describing!

I am certainly not a military expert (although I am an ex-Air Force Officer) nor an armchair general. I simply enjoy reading more about the heroic actions of soldiers on both sides during a tragic period of our great nation's history.

Complaint aside, I highly recommend Pfanz' title as the definitive account of Culp's and Cemetery Hill. Read, enjoy, and be prepared to follow the large amount of detail - you will need to put on your thinking cap for this and the other Pfanz titles!

A must for the serious student of Gettysburg.......2004-11-29

This is an outstanding and complete account of the events that occured on the Culp's Hill/Cemetery Hill line during the battle. This is not for the passing reader but a must for those serious about the battle. For best use of the book, read it THEN take a day and actually walk the Hills using the book as a reference. Far to many people visit the battlefield and never know what occured here or even visit this part of the field. Few know of Gen. George Greene and his role but all who read about the battle know of Col.'s Vincent and Chamberlain. Even fewer know that at one point a Confederate brigade was only a few hundred yards from the Baltimore Pike and for an hour the unguarded Federal Artillery Reserve. W. Culp couldn't have died on Culp's Hill if Co. B, 2nd VA was across Rock Creek on the skirmish line with elements of the 1st NC. Careful study of this material and the times will bring out many not so well known facts that occured on this "forgotten" part of the field and prove other myths wrong.

Perhaps Pfanz's best.......2004-04-08

Harry Pfanz likely knows Gettysburg better than any man around. Head historian for the NPS for many years, he has literally made Gettysburg his life's work. His books on the first and second days of the battle are considered must haves but this book on Culps Hill could be his best.

The battle for Culps Hill and especially East Cemetery Hill are today the most forgotten part of Gettysburg. Look around and you will find many books pertaining to Pickett's Charge, Devil's Den and Little Round Top but how many aimed at Culps Hill? Not many. Even at the park the auto tour has Culps Hill simply as an extra add towards the end of the tour.

With this book Pfanz takes a hard look at this forgotten area. We're use to the names of Chamberlain, Hancock and Pickett but here we hear names like Greene, Avery, Geary and Williams.

The advantage of this book is it's not aimed at the casual reader but the serious Civil War buff. The information included is extensive and detailed. While well written, it is not a piece of fluff or a light read. If you seriously want to find out what happened on Culps Hill this is the book for you.

A splendid historical book.......2004-01-07

My master's thesis was on George Sears Greene and his defense of Culps Hill, so as one can guess this was a very valuable source for information.
Pfanz's book is a continuation of his studies on the various areas of the Gettysburg battlefield. Culp's Hill and East Cemetery Hill are not considered "hotspots" of the national park and therefore have not received the same attention as "The Angle" and Little Round Top. Pfanz's book has and will change that outlook.
Pfanz's look at Culps Hill was both well researched and well written. He argues that the battle itself was determined on its flanks, both on Little Round Top and Culps Hill. The fighting on Culps Hill was not as destructive as the other areas of the battlefield, mostly due to the relatively low casualty figures from the breastworks constructed earlier on July 2nd, but its importance in the overall scheme has been unfairly overlooked.
This book boasts an impressive bibliography that includes various primary accounts that were largely unheard of until this book's publication. In short, it opened my eyes to the real story of Gettysburg.

Silent City on a Hill: Picturesque Landscapes of Memory And Boston's Mount Auburn Cemetery

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Silent City on a Hill: Picturesque Landscapes of Memory And Boston's Mount Auburn Cemetery
Blanche M. G. Linden
Manufacturer: University of Massachusetts Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

Winner of the Historic Preservation Book Award Winner of an ASLA Merit Award Originally published in 1989, this book offers an insightful inquiry into the in- tellectual and cultural origins of Mount Auburn Cemetery, the first landscape in the United States to be designed in the picturesque style. Inspired by developments in England and France, and founded in 1831, Mount Auburn became the prototype for the "rural cemetery" movement and was an important precursor of many of America's public parks, beginning with New York City's Central Park.

Book Description

The battle of Gettysburg included many dramatic and controversial moments, several of which involved Cemetery Hill. This book covers in detail the three-day struggle for that crucial high ground from the soldiers' point of view. Using official reports, letters, diaries, and memoirs, it tells how and why the generals made crucial decisions and what it was like to be a soldier involved in the bloody hand-to-hand fighting.

Customer Reviews:

Ewell's chance at Gettysburg........2007-02-26

This short read covers the first two days of the greatest battle on the American continent. Confederate Major General Ewell had a chance to defeat the North on the second day. He hesitated and the next day Lee ordered Pickett to go up the center. On the second day, Ewell and his North Carolina and Lousiana brigades could have thrown the Yanks off Cemetery Hill and won the battle if not the war.

This is a short read on the first two days of the battle. I guess I don't cotton much to what could have been. Lee's Army attacked strong defensive positions and lost close to 28,000 men. True if Ewell had shown more initiative, there might never have been a third day. However, Cemetery Hill was not taken by the LA Tigers, and the Army of Northern Virginia lost. I commend the author on summarizing the first two days in a highly readable account.

Cemetery Hill and Gettysburg.......2004-04-22

Cemetery Hill was critical to the Battle of Gettysburg. Controversy has ensued to the present day about the Confederacy's failure to attempt to capture this high ground on July 1, 1863, following its victory over two Corps of the Union Army to the North and West of town. Subsequent events during the Battle, such as Pickett's charge, the fighting on Little Round Top, and the fight for the Wheatfield, have received more attention than General Early's attack on Cemetery Hill during the evening of July 2. Yet, the fighting for Cemetery Hill was critical and may have constituted the South's best possiblity of winning the Battle of Gettysburg.

Terry Jones's "Cemetery Hill: The Struggle for the High Ground, July 1 -- 3, 1863" (2003) is part of a series called "Battleground America Guides" published by Da Capo Press. Each volume in the series attempts to highlight a small American battlefield or portion of a large battlefield and to explain its significance in a clear and brief narrative. Jones's study admirably meets the stated goals of the series.

The book opens with a brief setting of the stage for the Battle of Gettysburg. This is followed by chapters describing the Union and Confederate armies and the leaders who would play crucial roles in the fight for Cemetery Hill. There is a short discussion of the fighting on the opening day of the battle, July 1, 1863, which focuses on the failure of the South to attempt to take Cemetery Hill and the adjacent Culp's Hill following its victory of that day.

The chief subject of the book, however, is the fighting for Cemetery Hill late on July 2. Jones explains Cemetery Hill's role in Robert E. Lee's overall battle plan. He discusses the opening artillery duel on the Union right followed by the fierce attack by the Louisiana Tigers and North Carolina troops under the leadership of Hays and Avery on East Cemetery Hill. This attack reached the Union batteries defending Cemetery Hill and may have come within an ace of success given the depletion of the Union defense on the Hill to meet threats on the Union left. Elements of the Union 11th Corps and 2nd Corps reinforced the position and drove back the attack. Southern general Robert Rodes was to have supported this attack on the west but failed to reach his position in time to do so. General John Gordon's position was in reserve behind the troops of Hays and Avery but these troops were not ordered forward.

The book deals briefly with the third day of the Battle -- the day of Pickett's charge -- in which the Southern troops did not renew their efforts against Cemetery Hill -- such an attempt would have had scant chance of success in daylight. The final chapter of the book consists of Jones's views on the events of the battle, particularly the failure of the Lieuenant General Richard Ewell of the Second Corps of Lee's Army to attack Cemetery Hill on July 1, a decision Jones finds was correct, and the causes of the failure of the July 2 attack (poor coordination among Ewell, Rodes, Gordon, and A.P Hill of the Southern Third Corps.) There is a brief but highly useful discussion to the prospective visitor to Gettysburg of touring the Cemetery Hill portion of the Battlefield.

The book is clearly, crisply and succinctly written. It includes good maps and many interesting photographs and paintings. The reader with some overall knowledge of Gettysburg will find this book more accessible that the two volumes of Harry Pfanz's outstandingly detailed trilogy that deal with the first day of the battle and with the fighting for Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill. Serious students of the Battle of Gettysburg can get a good, clear overview of the fighting for Cemetery Hill from this slim volume.

I had a few caveats. I found some small errors in portions of the Battlefield that Jones was not treating extensively. I found one derogatory racial reference. I think this was due to the editorial failure to put quotation marks around a term that was used in a document contemporaneous to the Battle. Finally, although the book gives an excellent and clear discussion of Cemetery Hill, I found it overpriced. Readers on a budget will need to think about purchasing this volume or companion volumes in this substantively excellent series.

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Walking Gettysburg's Battlefield: East Cemetery Hill

Everything It promises it delivers

East Cemetery Hill at Gettysburg "The Hour Was One of Horror"
John M. Archer
Manufacturer: Thomas Publications (PA)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Little Round Top: A Detailed Tour Guide

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Cemetery Hill: The Struggle for the High Ground, July 1-3, 1863

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The Battle Between the Farm Lanes: Hancock Saves the Union Center: Gettysburg July 2, 1863 (Discovering Civil War America Series, V. 4)

ASIN: 1577470265

Book Description

It has been long neglected by historians and visitors to the battlefield, but the eastern-most reaches of Cemetery Ridge formed the critical apex of the Union battle line. The land nestled between Culp's Hill and the Soldiers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg is the only ground on which fighting occurred during each of the three pivotal days of the battle. Crested by the State of Maine monument where the statue of Oliver Otis Howard still stands watch over the valley below, East Cemetery Hill is a little known and less visited piece of the Gettysburg battlefield. Within days of the fighting in July 1863, the pivotal role of Gettysburg in the war was already apparent, and efforts were underway to preserve sites considered essential to commemorate and interpret the battle. The first areas to be secured and those most popular with early visitors, were where the scars of war intruded on the rural landscape. With its sweeping view of the town and battlefield from near the center of the Federal position, East Cemetery Hill was popular with early tourists and veterans' reunions alike. But as the scars faded and the historic significance and visual appeal of other areas became known, sites such as the High Water Mark, the Peach Orchard, and Devil's Den grew in popularity. It is ironic then, but not surprising, that interest in one of the first areas chosen for preservation has declined dramatically. Today, the exigencies of development have permanently altered much of the ground around East Cemetery Hill, making it difficult to interpret the site and understand what made the area critical to the development of the battle. This study invites the reader to tour this seldom explored segment of the battle, using first-hand accounts to help understand the area-much of which has changed dramatically in the past 130 years-with a participant's eye.

Customer Reviews:

Walking Gettysburg's Battlefield: East Cemetery Hill.......2007-02-20

"The Hour Was One of Horror: East Cemetery Hill at Gettysburg," Archer, John M., 100 pp., b/w photographs, maps, appendix, endnotes, index, 1997, $10.00

About half of the East Cemetery Hill battlefield has been lost to development; a watertower, a high school and middle school, and a tour bus center may obscure a casual visitor's comprehension of this portion of the battle. "The Hour Was One of Horror: East Cemetery Hill At Gettysburg" by John Archer is essential in putting the strategic and tactical puzzle together when touring this part of the battlefield. When thinking of East Cemetery Hill, one may picture the Hancock statue, artillery redouts and the Evergreen Cemetery Gate House. Archer's book takes the reader much further than the crest of the hill. East Cemetery Hill was the first land to be set aside as a park, along with Culp's Hill; it is not surprising that public interest in these areas is lags behind the public interest in the Round Tops, Devils Den, and the High Water Mark areas. Though closest to town, economic development and the layout of the park roads do not encourage quick study of this segment of the battle.

The tactical and strategic circumstances of July 1st and 2nd are reviewed in the first quarter of the discussion; then Benner's Hill, the terrain of Early's advance, Brickyard Lane, the CSA breakthroughs at the base of the hill and again at the top, and repulse by USA reinforcements is presented. Archer's presentation of the East Cemetery Hill battle begins, not on the hill but streets of Gettysburg. The retreat of the Federal First and Eleventh Corps, on July 1st from west and north of town to Cemetery Hill, East Cemetery Hill, McKnight's Knoll and Culp's Hill clarifies the combat exhaustion and readiness of the Union forces which defend the Evergreen Gatehouse on July 2nd and 3rd. Archer's discussion of the placement of CSA troops in front of these positions and on Benner's Hill, east of Culp's Hill reveals the terrain and logistical problems that Ewell, CSA 2nd Corps commander had in coordinating the Confederate attacks. Benner's Hill on July 2nd became the platform for CSA artillery that aided the attacks on both Culp's and East Cemetery Hill. The Federal domination of the Confederate artillery on Benner's Hill is essential in understanding the heroic nature of the Rebel attacks, unsupported by artillery, Archer explains.

Though a tourbook with designated stops, Archer's work may be easily used as a general presentation of the combat. Ten maps guide both the armchair reader and the battlefield walker. These maps are original to the book and not generic; based upon the 1864 Bachelder Isometric Map, the 1869 Warren Survey Map, the 1876 Bachelder Maps, and the 1900 Cope Map, these maps are models of clarity and precise reinforcement of the text. Nearly forty historic and modern photographs and illustrations aid the reader in recollecting the site from the armchair or present the walker with the exact spot which soldiers' primary sources discuss. There are no portraits of commanders in the book; this is not lamentable. The text is consistently reinforced with the words of the rank and file soldiers. What is lacking in the book, but is probably on the reader's bookshelf or in the backpack, is an order of battle. The index is brief and adequate. The notes are thorough and add to the text. "The Hour Was One of Horror" is both a fine presentation of the combat and an essential guide to understanding the strategy of the battle, as it developed in the minds of the commanders. This book is highly recommended for the committed student of the battle.

Everything It promises it delivers.......2000-01-26

This is an excellent book providing rich, orderly detailed narratives (i.e. easy to read), old & new photos to aid your tour and good graphic/maps. It cites quotations of battle participants in the context of the markers and photos. The author has done a very fine, interesting job in 90 pages. The book/guide is billed by the Tourist bureau net web site as a must read, and it is. It delivers. I'd suggest that this guide would be most appreciated by "return visitors" to the park, but first timers spending more than one day at the park could clearly get some very good value out of this finely detailed book also. I would further suggest that if one obtained the paperback gettysburg "Souvenir Guide to the National Military Park" (Gross & Collins) along with the Archer book they could greatly enrich their tour quality and efficiency. Hats off to John Archer, great work.

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The Bug Cemetary
Child's Eye View
Insight into children's thinking.

The Bug Cemetery
Frances Hill
Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0805063706

Book Description

A reassuring look at the cycles of life."When I found a dead ladybug one day, my sister, Wilma, buried it for me. She painted a rock to use as a tombstone."It doesn't take much to start a bug cemetery-a dead ladybug or inchworm, a pitcher of lemonade, and a few tears for a show of proper respect. But when a beloved pet suddenly dies, funerals are no longer any fun. A bug is one thing, but how do you mourn a special friend?With warmth and sensitivity, this subtle picture book explores the difficult emotions associated with losing a loved one.

Customer Reviews:

The Bug Cemetary.......2002-11-24

This was an odd book about children who made a bug cemetery. When they found dead bugs, they would have funerals for them and pretend to cry. Then one little boy's cat died. They buried Buster the cat in the Bug Cemetery, but they cried real tears. Then they decided funerals were no fun and they planted a garden there instead.

Child's Eye View.......2002-06-17

Without a touch of sentimentality, Hill shows us the child's eye view of the grieving process and ends her story on a life-affirming note. Children and adults alike will appreciate this heart-warming book.

Insight into children's thinking........2002-04-21

Ever wonder how small children really think and talk when no grownups are around?

The language found in The Bug Cemetery may give us an insight into the world of children as we read the book with them. It is direct, yet eloquent. The youngsters will take to it immediately, and their parents will find it thought-provoking on several levels.

Book Description

The distinctive dome-shaped hills scattered throughout Fort Hill Cemetery were formed ten thousand years ago when receding glaciers deposited debris in piles. Centuries later, these dunes are covered with topsoil that supports the growth of trees and foliage. The result is an atmosphere reverberant with magic. This ambiance was felt by the areaís many settlers, from the ancient culture of Mound Builders to the the Cayuga nation of the Iroquois Confederacy and even the descendants of the European settlers who pushed out the Cayugas and decided to use the land as a cemetery, to preserve its wild and majestic beauty. Judge Elijah Miller, William H. Sewardís father-in-law, was instrumental in making that happenóand was the first person to be buried there. ÝÝThe influence of the siteís mysticism is not limited to human perception. Tens of thousands of crows convene there from fall through spring for orientation to urban survival. It is as though Fort Hill is the Ellis Island for the corvine population. Before the crows arrive for their wintry bivouac, the monarch butterflies converge in early fall to perform their ritual aerial ballet in preparation for the migratory journey to the Yucatan. ÝÝ

Cemetery Hill: The General Plan was Unchanged

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Cemetery Hill: The General Plan was Unchanged
Troy D Harman , and Troy D. Harman
Manufacturer: Butternut & Blue
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Book Description

When struggling to answer the questions of “why” that surround the Battle of Gettysburg, there are fewer elements of certitude. One of the primary questions of incertitude that has been examined by historians in the past deals with the question of why Robert E. Lee conducted the battle as he did. This study provides a fresh and provocative analysis of that question. As the title implies, it is centered upon the thesis that the central and unchanged objective of Lee's tactical plans from the late afternoon of July 1st through the failure of Longstreet's Assault on July 3rd was to “render Cemetery Hill untenable.”

In these pages, Troy Harman has assembled an impressive set of arguments to support his theory. The historical records of the battle and its participants, presented with the understanding that control of Cemetery Hill meant the control of the town of Gettysburg, the surrounding countryside, and the entire road network radiating out of Gettysburg, appear highly convincing. Equally impressive, Troy has utilized his detailed knowledge of the battlefield terrain — both what it looks like today, as well as what it looked like in 1863 — to analyze and test his theory. The result is certain to stimulate debate among scholars of the Gettysburg Campaign.

This study will not definitively answer all the questions concerning why Robert E. Lee chose to conduct the battle of Gettysburg as he did. Indeed, no study will ever definitively answer all those questions, for only those directly involved in the heat of battle — that unique environment of fear, exhilaration, mayhem and death that we call combat — could definitively answer those questions. But it is the task of good historians to posit theories that help explain the known patterns of behavior or chains of events which the historical record has left us. This study does so, and is thus good history.

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