Absolutely a fantastic arrangement once again of your photographic genious Bob. A moment in history near and dear to my heart. A family ancestor (John Ayres Entsminger) saw action at Culp's Hill on July 3, 1863 so your portrayal here of this slug fest caught my attention and interest. Uncle John was a member of Company E, 52nd Virigina Infantry . . . part of Smith's Brigade, along with the 31st and 49th Virginia Infantry Regiments, Johnson's Division.
Sergeant W. O. Johnson of the 49th VA described the assualt on Culp's Hill: "Our two regiments (49th and 52nd . . . the 31st was held in reserve) charged and drove everything before us until we came to a small field at the foot of Culp's Hill on the bank of Rocky Run where the Yankees opened on us with grape and canister from a 20 gun battery and in less than 5 minutes killed and wounded 150 of our two regiments, which caused a halt . . . "
Captain Cyrus Benton "Bent" Coiner, commading Company B of the 52nd (commenting on the Regiment's attempt to come to the relief of the 2nd VA that afternoon) summed up this part of the fight: "General Smith took us into battle with out orders and had us badly cut up and we accomplished nothing".
The 52nd suffered severe casualties but nothing nearly as many as the 49th which lost 100 men out of about 250 engaged. Company E of the 52nd VA sufferd 2 KIA and 3 WIA at Culp's Hill. Uncle John survived the ordeal.
Oh what might have been if Ewell's and Longstreet's assualts on this day could have been better coordinated . . . .
:smile2: Mike