The attack and defense of Culp's Hill : Greene's Brigade at the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863

Charles Clifford Fennel, West Virginia University

Abstract

This study investigates the role of Greene's brigade in the defense of the Union on Culp's Hill during the Battle of Gettysburg. The principle thesis is that Greene's brigade was primarily responsible for saving the Union on the evening of July 2, 1863, and played a significant part in the repulse of the Confederates on July 3. The role of field fortifications, as well as Greene's responsibility for building them, will be discussed. Finally, the author argues that the fighting on Culp's Hill was the high water mark of the Confederacy, and that the attack and defense on Culp's Hill, not Pickett's charge, was the true turning point of the battle and the war.