Gettysburg National Military Park | SPANGLERS SPRING

Spanglers Spring at Gettysburg National Military Park

Spanglers Spring at Gettysburg National Military Park

GETTYSBURG BATTLEFIELD TOUR STOP 13

Spanglers Spring

Spanglers Spring at Gettysburg National Military Park gets its name from an actual fresh water spring, and it was a popular picnicking spot prior to the Civil War. The spring was covered by a stone memorial in 1905. At the time, visitors could still get water by lifting a metal lid and dipping a ladle into the water. Today the metal lid is locked, and taking water from the spring is no longer allowed.

Spanglers Spring Memorial at Gettysburg National Military Park

Spanglers Spring Memorial at Gettysburg National Military Park

Spanglers Spring is the first stop on the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour that deals with the fighting that took place at the north end of the Union line that formed following a disastrous first day of fighting. After being driven off McPherson Ridge in the late afternoon of July 1, 1863, Union troops retreated south through the town of Gettysburg towards the high grounds of Culp’s Hill, Cemetery Hill, and Cemetery Ridge. The first troops to arrive on Culp’s Hill were the 7th Indiana Infantry regiment of the Union I Corps.

Confederate General Robert E. Lee knew the importance of the hills south of town, and he ordered Lieutenant General Richard Ewell, commander of the Confederate II Corps, to take Culp’s Hill if at all possible on the first day of fighting. Ewell put Major General Edward Johnson, whose division of men had just arrived from east of Culp’s Hill, in charge of the task. Johnson sent a scouting party to check out the situation. After almost being captured by the 7th Indiana, they returned to report that the hill was already occupied. Because Ewell was also worried that the Union XII Corps was approaching from the east, he decided not to take the hill. This is one of the key strategic mistakes made at the Battle of Gettysburg.

The Union XII Corps commanded by Major General Henry Slocum arrived on the morning of July 2nd and fortified Culp’s Hill. Part of the garrison was the 3rd Brigade, five infantry regiments of New Yorkers under the command of Brigadier General George Greene. Greene was the oldest general at Gettysburg. He was also an engineer, and though his superiors thought it a waste of time, he convinced them to allow his men to build breastworks: walls made of earthen materials. Culp’s Hill was forested and rocky, so in this case the breastworks were low, stone walls with logs piled on top. You will see stone walls throughout the Gettysburg battlefield, but these are mainly reconstructions done in the 1880s, either of actual fences built by the farmers or existing breastwork ruins built by the military.

Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com

Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com

Rock-strewn field at Spanglers Spring, Gettysburg National Military Park

Rock-strewn field at Spanglers Spring, Gettysburg National Military Park

General George Greene statue on Culp's Hill at Gettysburg

General George Greene statue on Culp’s Hill at Gettysburg

Lee’s plan for the second day of fighting was to concentrate most of his effort on the Union left flank at the southern end of the battlefield. To keep Union General George Meade from shifting troops from the north to aid in the defense against the attacks in the south, Lee had Ewell and his II Corps make a diversionary attack on Culp’s Hill and Cemetery Hill. Ewell was allowed to escalate to a full-scale attack if he thought he could capture either of the hills.

The Confederate II Corps was ready to attack early in the morning of July 2nd, but Ewell had to wait for the southern attack to begin. It took Lieutenant General James Longstreet, commander of the Confederate I Corps, until late afternoon to maneuver his men into position for the attack on the Union left. Thus, the II Corps spent most of the day listening to Greene’s New Yorkers chop down trees and pile rocks, creating the breastworks that would be instrumental in the coming battle.

At 4 PM, Ewell heard cannon fire to the south, the que to begin his attack. The attack was largely limited to an artillery bombardment of Culp’s and Cemetery hills. This did not have the effect Lee desired, and Meade proceeded to shift nearly the entire XII Corps farther south along Cemetery Ridge. Soon all that was left on Culp’s Hill were the five regiments of the 3rd Brigade. Due to a lack of men, positions on the lower slope at Spanglers Spring were abandoned and soon occupied by Confederate infantrymen.

137th New York Infantry Monument (1888), Gettysburg

137th New York Infantry Monument (1888), Gettysburg

At 7 PM, Ewell launched a more substantial attack, sending 5,000 men of Edward Johnson’s division against Greene’s 1,400 on Culp’s Hill. Greene was able to secure 750 reinforcements from Cemetery Hill after an hour of fighting, but even so, he was highly outnumbered. What saved the day were the breastworks. In a fight that went on well into the darkness of night, the New Yorkers were able to keep control of the crest of Culp’s Hill.

Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com

Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com

The third day of fighting at Gettysburg is best remembered for Pickett’s Charge, but intense fighting of equal importance took place once again on the Union right flank, both at Culp’s Hill and Cemetery Hill. Men from the XII Corps who had been moved to Cemetery Ridge during the previous day’s fighting came back to Culp’s Hill during the night, so the hill was once again strongly fortified. In the darkness, some of the men actually went back to their Spanglers Spring breastworks and were standing right along with the Confederates before anyone realized who was who. A couple of them were captured. Once they realized the Confederates now occupied the area, the Union soldiers waited on the outskirts of Spanglers Spring until sunrise.

Lee’s battle plan for the third day was much the same as the day before. Ewell was to once again attack Culp’s and Cemetery hills as soon as Longstreet began his attack on Cemetery Ridge. Since the only success the Confederate II Corps had on July 2nd was at Culp’s Hill (seizing the unoccupied breastworks), Ewell decided to make that his focal point and reinforced Johnson’s division with three brigades of men from his other two divisions at the northern end of the battlefield.

However, it was the Union that began the battle with a 4:30 AM artillery attack on the Confederates occupying the slopes of Culp’s Hill. After being pinned down for thirty minutes, Johnson launched the first of three attacks against the Union position at the crest of the hill—all three were unsuccessful.

Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com

Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com

Believing the Confederates were ready to break after Johnson’s failed attacks, General Slocum decided that it was a good time to counterattack and retake the lost ground at Spanglers Spring. Of four infantry regiments in the area, due to limited space only two were chosen for the attack: the 2nd Massachusetts and 27th Indiana. The attack involved crossing an open field for nearly 100 yards and then attempting to overrun the Confederates entrenched behind the breastworks, a certain recipe for disaster. The 2nd Massachusetts lost 43% of its men; the 27th Indiana lost 32%. The attack was a failure, and it has since been debated if the order to charge was misunderstood. Sixteen years later in 1879, the surviving members of the 2nd Massachusetts erected the first permanent regimental monument at Gettysburg National Military Park.

2nd Massachusetts Infantry Monument (1879) at Gettysburg National Military Park

2nd Massachusetts Infantry Monument (1879) at Gettysburg National Military Park

By 11 AM, Ewell realized that further attacks were pointless, and the fighting ended. Just about this time Longstreet began his final assault on Cemetery Ridge—Pickett’s Charge.

Though not a stop on the Gettysburg Battlefield Tour, a short detour leads to an observation tower at the summit of Culp’s Hill (follow the road signs). It is 100 steps to the top, and believe it or not, the tower is not tall enough anymore. The trees have grown so tall that they block most of the view in all directions.

Observation tower on Culp's Hill, Gettysburg National Military Park

Observation tower on Culp’s Hill, Gettysburg National Military Park

View of Gettysburg National Military Park from the Culp's Hill observation tower

View of Gettysburg National Military Park from the Culp’s Hill observation tower

The road between Spanglers Spring and the top of Culp’s Hill is lined with monuments. Below are a few photos of the more interesting ones (dedication date is in parenthesis).

13th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Monument (1887), Gettysburg National Military Park

13th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry Monument (1887), Gettysburg National Military Park

123rd New York Infantry Monument (1888), Gettysburg National Military Park

123rd New York Infantry Monument (1888), Gettysburg National Military Park

29th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument (1889), Gettysburg National Military Park

29th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument (1889), Gettysburg National Military Park

46th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument (1889), Gettysburg National Military Park

46th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument (1889), Gettysburg National Military Park


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Last updated on January 24, 2025
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