Culp's Hill - "The barb of the hook" - Gettysburg, PA
N 39° 49.552 W 077° 13.436
18S E 309675 N 4410796
This wayside marker is part of a small series about the battlefield which records the actions on the three days of battle here at Gettysburg. The marker is at the beginning of East Confederate Ave., just after Liberty Street, at the gated entrance.
Waymark Code: WMC8XE
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 08/09/2011
Views: 6
One of the more unique interpretives about the battlefield. Mostly all the historical markers are held horizontal in a thick, black, metal frame. This marker rests on a bunch of aligned wooden slats like the bottom of a park bench which is held up on a center post. The marker is tilted slightly forward to afford the viewer an easy read. I only saw a handful of these kind of set-ups at the historic battlefield. The sign is on the right or west side of the road if you are traveling in a southerly direction, in the grass, a few feet from the road. The sign is just past Lincoln Elementary School, which is also on the right, up the hill.
Culp’s Hill was the “barb” of the famous “Fishhook Line”, forming the extreme right of the Union line at Gettysburg. Culp’s Hill runs roughly north to south, and is bordered on the east by Rock Creek. It is connected to Cemetery Hill by a low ridge on which is located Steven’s Knoll. The strategic importance of Culp’s Hill has been largely ignored over the years, but the fact is that, had the Confederates taken Culp’s Hill, the Union position on Cemetery Hill would have been untenable.
The interpretive reads:
The hill to your front was occupied late on July 1 by Federal troops as they pulled back into defensive positions. The next evening most of these troops were sent to repel attacks along Cemetery Ridge. Returning that night, they found their earthworks occupied by Confederates. At dawn they attacked the interlopers with a tremendous barrage of musketry and by noon had driven them out of the works and across Rock Creek, to your left. The "fishhook" Union line was intact again.
On the bottom right side of the marker is a picture: Sketch of action on Culp's Hill, by Edwin Forbes..