See Stevens Knoll, Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania

Add to My List Check Off

Southeast of the town of Gettysburg, the high ground of Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill is connected by a low ridge dominated by a little knoll. Since the battle on July 1-3,1863, this connecting area has been known as Stevens Knoll, after Captain Greenleaf Stevens, the commander of the 5th Maine Battery (Battery E, Maine Light Artillery) that occupied it and fought off Confederate General Jubal Early's assault on the evening of July 2. On the left is a memorial to the 5th Maine Battery, and the equestrian statue portrays Union General John W. Slocum who commanded the 'right wing' of the Union army for most of the Battle of Gettysburg. (There is also an an equestrian statue of Slocum in the Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY.) When Union Commanding General George G. Meade ordered Slocum to send the entire XII Corps to assist the defense against Confederate General James Longstreet's assault on the Union left flank on the afternoon of July 2, Slocum recommended holding one brigade back in its position on Culp's Hill. Meade agreed. This brigade, under General George S. Greene, was able to hold out against Early's massive Confederate assaults on July 2 and 3, ultimately saving this critical position for the Union army.

Write a Review

No Ratings Yet

Flag as inappropriate ›