The railway cut of the

Gettysburg Battlefield The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg within and around the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the site of the first shot ...

was the place of an 1863

military engagement A military engagement is a combat between two forces, neither larger than a division nor smaller than a company, in which each has an assignor perceived mission. An engagement begins when the attacking force initiates combat in pursuit of its missi ...

during the first Day of the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

, near the

Edward McPherson Edward McPherson (July 31, 1830 – December 14, 1895) was an American newspaper editor and politician who served two terms in the United States House of Representatives, as well as multiple terms as the Clerk of the House of Representatives ...

farmhouse. It was an excavation in which railroad tracks had not yet been placed, but which provided a deep entrenchment. During the day, units from the Union

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

deployed near the railway cut to contest the attacks of the Confederate

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

. The Confederates were held off during the morning and early afternoon but were able to drive off the Union army due to superior numbers.

Background

The line of the

Hanover Branch Railroad The Hanover Branch Railroad Company was a railroad that operated in Pennsylvania in the mid-19th century. The company was incorporated on March 16, 1847, and began operating trains in 1852. It represents the oldest portion of the Western Maryland R ...

which ran from Hanover to Gettysburg ended in the northern part of Gettysburg; an additional spur was planned from to run westward from the town but at the time of the battle the proposed line was only laid out and graded. The unfinished portion cut through several ridges west of Gettysburg, the first cut running through Seminary Ridge, near the southern end of Oak Ridge, and another through

McPherson's Ridge McPherson Ridge is a landform used for military engagements during the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, when the I Corps of the Union Army had a headquarters on the ridge and was defeated by the Confederate division of Major General Henry Heth. The ...

. The Chambersburg Pike ran parallel to the unfinished rail line.

During the battle

At approximately 10 a.m. on July 1, the brigade of

Lysander Cutler Lysander Cutler (February 16, 1807July 30, 1866) was an American businessman, educator, politician, and Union Army General during the American Civil War. Early years Cutler was born in Royalston, Massachusetts, the son of a farmer. Despite object ...

, from the

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French A ...

division of

James S. Wadsworth James Samuel Wadsworth (October 30, 1807 – May 8, 1864) was a philanthropist, politician, and a Union general in the American Civil War. He was mortally wounded in battle during the Battle of the Wilderness of 1864. Early years Wadswor ...

, deployed near the cut on McPherson's Ridge with the 76th New York and 147th New York and

56th Pennsylvania Infantry The 56th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The unit has the distinction of being the first Union Army infantry regiment to open fire at the Battle of Gettysburg. ...

Regiments deployed north of the cut and the 84th New York (14th Brooklyn) and 95th New York Infantry Regiments south of the Chambersburg Pike. The 2nd Maine Battery deployed between the railroad cut and the pike. Minutes later the right wing of the brigade was attacked by the Confederate brigade of Joseph R. Davis with three regiments. The Confederates had a numerical advantage over the three Union regiments and consequently were able to overlap the Union right flank. The pressure on the Union regiments forced Wadsworth to order the regiments to withdraw. The 76th New York and 56th Pennsylvania managed to retreat, which allowed the Confederates to enfilade the 2nd Maine battery, forcing it to retreat as well; the 147th New York failed to receive the order and remained on the northern side of the railroad cut, suffering severe casualties as a result. The regiment retreated only after Wadsworth sent another courier through the Confederate fire. Following the Union retreat, Davis' three regiments moved to the railroad cut and faced south, with half of the brigade jumping into the cut to use it as a trench and the other half halting on the northern edge. Meanwhile, Wadsworth and the acting Union corps commander

Abner Doubleday Abner Doubleday (June 26, 1819 – January 26, 1893) was a career United States Army officer and Union major general in the American Civil War. He fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter, the opening battle of the war, and had a pi ...

organized a force to recapture the railroad cut, using Cutler's other two regiments and the

6th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 6th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent most of the war as a part of the famous Iron Brigade in the Army of the Potomac. Service The 6th Wisconsin was rai ...

of the

Iron Brigade The Iron Brigade, also known as The Black Hats, Black Hat Brigade, Iron Brigade of the West, and originally King's Wisconsin Brigade was an infantry brigade in the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. Although it fought enti ...

. The three regiments formed south of the Chambersburg Pike and advanced north, suffering 300 to 330 casualties. As the Union force closed in on Davis' brigade, part of the 6th Wisconsin moved across the eastern end of the railroad bed to the northern edge of the cut and enfiladed the Confederate positions. About three hundred Confederates surrendered, while the remainder of the brigade retreated out of the western of the cut. After the defeat of Davis' brigade, Cutler's brigade redeployed on the northern side of the railroad cut before being moved north to support the Union artillery near Oak Hill and to counter the arrival of

Robert E. Rodes Robert Emmett (or Emmet) Rodes (March 29, 1829 – September 19, 1864) was a Confederate general in the American Civil War, and the first of Robert E. Lee's divisional commanders not trained at West Point. His division led Stonewall Jackso ...

' division from the north. The brigade of

Roy Stone Roy Stone (October 16, 1836 – August 5, 1905) was an American soldier, civil engineer, and inventor. He served in the American Civil War, distinguishing himself during the Battle of Gettysburg, and took part in the Spanish–American War. He ...

was deployed south of the Chambersburg Pike, near the cut, and faced west. When

Junius Daniel Junius Daniel (June 27, 1828 – May 13, 1864) was a planter and career military officer, serving in the United States Army, then in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, as a brigadier general. His troops were instrumenta ...

's brigade of Rodes' division began moving south from Oak Hill towards his position, Stone shifted two of his regiments so they faced north along the Chambersburg Pike. Some of Daniel's men jumped into the cut but were unable to scale the south bank to fire upon Stone's brigade; when a Union battery started firing from their left, they retreated. The fire of Stone's brigade was sufficient to repulse Daniel's attack but Stone and the commanders of both regiments were all wounded. At about 4 p.m.,

Dorsey Pender William Dorsey Pender (February 6, 1834 – July 18, 1863) was a general in the Confederacy in the American Civil War serving as a brigade and divisional commander. Promoted to brigadier on the battlefield at Seven Pines by Confederate President ...

's and

Henry Heth Henry Heth ( not ) (December 16, 1825 – September 27, 1899) was a career United States Army officer who became a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He came to the notice of Robert E. Lee while serving briefly as his quartermast ...

's divisions launched an attack on McPherson's Ridge and Seminary Ridge, gradually pushing Stone's brigade back.Martin, pp. 240–247, 401. JSWadsworth civ

References

Sources

* Bennett, Gerald ''The Gettysburg Railroad Station: A Brief History''. Gettysburg Railroad Station Restoration Project, 2006. * Martin, David G. ''Gettysburg July 1''. Conshohocken, Pennsylvania: Combined Books, Inc., 1996. . * Petruzzi, J. David. ''The Complete Gettysburg Guide: Walking and Driving Tours of the Battlefield, Town, Cemeteries, Field Hospitial Sites, and other Topics of Historical Interest''. New York: Savas Beatie, 2009. . * Shue, Richard S. ''Morning at Willoughby Run: The Opening Battle at Gettysburg July 1, 1863''. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: Thomas Publications, 1998. . * Trudeau, Noah Andre. ''Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage''. New York: Perennial, 2002. {{ISBN, 0-06-093186-8 Gettysburg Battlefield Railway cuts in the United States