Battle of Hunterstown
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Hunterstown was a minor cavalry
engagement in Adams County, Pennsylvania
, on July 2, 1863, during the Gettysburg Campaign
of the American Civil War
. In recent years, the engagement has been referred as the North Cavalry Field of the Battle of Gettysburg
, although the historical context has been to place this as an independent fight.
Army of the Potomac
had deployed near Gettysburg
in the general shape of a fishhook, with elements of the VI Corps and the cavalry posted elsewhere to protect the flanks and to look for Rebel activity, particularly Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart
's cavalry. Stuart arrived at Gen. Robert E. Lee
's headquarters between 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 that afternoon, and about an hour later Brig. Gen. Wade Hampton
's exhausted brigade arrived. Stuart ordered Hampton to take a position to cover the left rear of the Confederate battle lines. Hampton moved into position astride the Hunterstown Road four miles northeast of Gettysburg
, blocking access for any Union forces that might try to swing around behind Lee's lines.
and Elon J. Farnsworth
were probing for the end of the Confederate left flank. Custer collided with Hampton on the road between Hunterstown and Gettysburg. In the swirling fighting, Custer fell under his wounded horse as Confederates approached. He was saved only by the timely intervention of his orderly, Norvell Churchill. Hampton wanted to escalate the action, positioning most of his brigade along a ridge in readiness to charge Custer’s position. At that stage, Elon Farnsworth arrived with his brigade. Hampton did not press his attack, and an artillery duel ensued until dark when Hampton withdrew towards Gettysburg.
A small plaque in the village of Hunterstown commemorates the nearby fighting. On July 2, 2008, a marble monument honoring Custer was unveiled and dedicated.
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
engagement in Adams County, Pennsylvania
Adams County, Pennsylvania
Adams County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,407. It was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County and named in honor of the second President of the United States, John Adams...
, on July 2, 1863, during the Gettysburg Campaign
Gettysburg Campaign
The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...
of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. In recent years, the engagement has been referred as the North Cavalry Field of the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
, although the historical context has been to place this as an independent fight.
Background
At dawn, the UnionUnion Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
had deployed near Gettysburg
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg is a borough that is the county seat, part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the eponym for the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. The town hosts visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park and has 3 institutions of higher learning: Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg College, and...
in the general shape of a fishhook, with elements of the VI Corps and the cavalry posted elsewhere to protect the flanks and to look for Rebel activity, particularly Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart
J.E.B. Stuart
James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart was a U.S. Army officer from Virginia and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb", from the initials of his given names. Stuart was a cavalry commander known for his mastery of reconnaissance and the use...
's cavalry. Stuart arrived at Gen. Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
's headquarters between 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 that afternoon, and about an hour later Brig. Gen. Wade Hampton
Wade Hampton III
Wade Hampton III was a Confederate cavalry leader during the American Civil War and afterward a politician from South Carolina, serving as its 77th Governor and as a U.S...
's exhausted brigade arrived. Stuart ordered Hampton to take a position to cover the left rear of the Confederate battle lines. Hampton moved into position astride the Hunterstown Road four miles northeast of Gettysburg
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg is a borough that is the county seat, part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the eponym for the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. The town hosts visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park and has 3 institutions of higher learning: Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg College, and...
, blocking access for any Union forces that might try to swing around behind Lee's lines.
Battle
Two brigades of Union cavalry from Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick's division under Brig. Gens. George Armstrong CusterGeorge Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
and Elon J. Farnsworth
Elon J. Farnsworth
Elon John Farnsworth was a Union Army cavalry general in the American Civil War, killed at the Battle of Gettysburg.-Early life and career:...
were probing for the end of the Confederate left flank. Custer collided with Hampton on the road between Hunterstown and Gettysburg. In the swirling fighting, Custer fell under his wounded horse as Confederates approached. He was saved only by the timely intervention of his orderly, Norvell Churchill. Hampton wanted to escalate the action, positioning most of his brigade along a ridge in readiness to charge Custer’s position. At that stage, Elon Farnsworth arrived with his brigade. Hampton did not press his attack, and an artillery duel ensued until dark when Hampton withdrew towards Gettysburg.
Battlefield preservation and commemoration
The eastern portion of the battlefield has been lost through recent development of a power plant. The remainder lies in private hands.A small plaque in the village of Hunterstown commemorates the nearby fighting. On July 2, 2008, a marble monument honoring Custer was unveiled and dedicated.