Flashes in the Dark

Flashes in the Dark

Culp’s Hill, a large wooded rise, was critical to the Union defensive line south of Gettysburg. Guarding their lines of supply, communications, and retreat, it was the scene of heavy combat on July 2 and 3. On the evening of July 2, Confederate General Edward Johnson advanced 4,700 soldiers against Union General George S. Greene’s 1,400 men entrenched on the hill. Confusion and disorder reigned as Confederates groped their way through the dark across uneven terrain strewn with boulders and fallen timber. Muzzle flashes, the only light permeating the smoke-filled air, did not identify friend or foe. Soldiers fired at the flashes, later discovering they had fired on their own men. The Confederates took lower Culp’s Hill, but Union reinforcements held the high ground. The fight stalled about 10:00 p.m.