Command of Ruger’s 3rd Brigade, con-
sisting of the 27th Indiana, 2nd Massa-
chusetts, 3rd Wisconsin, 13th New Jersey,
and 107th New York, fell to the brigade’s
senior colonel, Colgrove, who was still
recuperating from his Chancellorsville
wound. Lt. Col. John Roush Fesler
assumed command of the 27th.
Throughout the three days of fighting at
Gettysburg, Slocum labored under the
deluded impression that he commanded
the so-called right wing, an arrangement
that Meade’s headquarters remained seem-ingly unaware of, as well as the new chain
of command in XII Corps. This unex-
pected shakeup of senior officers in the
middle of an active campaign led to a most
ungainly and unfortunate command struc-
ture at the worst possible time.
Colgrove’s brigade arrived at Gettysburg
on the afternoon of July 1 and initially
deployed for action in front of Benner’sHill. The brigade pressed forward, near the
crest, but was quickly called back. News
arrived of the collapse of I and XI Corps,
and Williams ordered a withdrawal of his
own troops to a safer position south of
Wolf Hill near the Baltimore Pike.
The following morning, Colgrove’s most
reliable regiments—the 27th Indiana, 2nd
Massachusetts, and 3rd Wisconsin—
engaged in a hot skirmish with the enemy
on Wolf Hill before the entire XII Corps
took up positions on Culp’s Hill, tying into
the right of I Corps. Slocum’s men imme-diately set to work erecting breastworks
and soon constructed a stout line of
entrenchments from the crest of upper
Culp’s Hill down across the lower hill and
ending near Spangler’s Meadow. The
meadow, largely surrounded by forest and
about 100 yards wide, was a low-lying,
boulder-strewn, boggy area. In the center
of the meadow bubbled Spangler’s Spring,a popular picnic site for the locals, and the
spring fed into a small rivulet that flowed
east into Rock Creek.
From their position on Culp’s Hill, the
troops could hear the roar of battle raised
by the grand Confederate assault that was
unleashed against Meade’s left during the
late afternoon. As the Rebel attack rolled
north along Cemetery Ridge, Meade
ordered the withdrawal of XII Corps from
Culp’s Hill to bolster his weakened left.
Following a mild protest from Slocum,
Meade allowed just one brigade of the
corps to remain behind and guard the sum-
mit of the upper hill. For the men of Col-
grove’s brigade, the maneuver proved anti-
climactic. The men formed and advanced
into Weikert’s Woods but just as quickly
were ordered back to their former posi-
tion. The Confederate assault on the left
had run out of momentum, but a new
threat had emerged on the right.
The Confederate division of Maj. Gen.
Edward Johnson assaulted the Federal
works on Culp’s Hill, and although John-
son’s men were unsuccessful in seizing the
stubbornly defended summit, they quickly
occupied the empty trenches of XII Corps
on the lower hill. As dusk fell, Colgrove
found McAllister’s Woods clear of Con-
federates, and he sent Company F of the
2nd Massachusetts across Spangler’s
Meadow to probe the lower hill. The Bay
Staters captured a Rebel officer and 22 sol-
diers who appeared to be straggling about
looking for water. Mudge reported that the
works on the lower hill had been captured
and occupied by forces from Brig. Gen.
George Steuart’s brigade, but Colgrove
and Ruger wanted further proof.
Mudge led his entire regiment to the
north edge of the meadow and ordered
Captain Thomas B. Fox’s Company K far-
ther up the hill. Two skirmishers from
Company K finally confirmed the pres-
ence, in force, of Confederate troops. The
two men fell in with a group of soldiers
from the 23rd Virginia and, after an
uneasy exchange, the Virginians
exclaimed, “Why, they are Yanks!” One
soldier was immediately captured, the
other sprinted back down the hill. WhileMap © 2015 Philip Schwartzberg, Meridian Mapping, Minneapolis, MN
From the comparative safety of McAllister’s Woods, the 2nd Massachusetts and 27th Indiana made a
gallant but unnecessary attack on Confederate forces at Culp’s Hill. “Well, it’s murder,” said Massachu-
setts Lt. Col. Charles Mudge, “but it’s the order.” Mudge died in the attack.CWQ-EW16 Culp's Hill *missing map_Layout 1 10/23/15 10:32 AM Page 44