Skirmish of Sporting Hill

Skirmish of Sporting Hill

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict = Skirmish of Sporting Hill
colour_scheme = background:#ffcccc
partof = the American Civil War
date = June 30, 1863
place = Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
result = Inconclusive (Confederates withdrew)
combatant1 = United States of America
combatant2 = Confederate States of America
commander1 = Darius N. Couch
commander2 = Albert G. Jenkins
strength1 = Elements of Pennsylvania and New York state militia
strength2 = Elements of the 16th Virginia Cavalry Regiment
casualties1 = 11 wounded
casualties2 = 16 dead
20-30 wounded

The Skirmish of Sporting Hill was a relatively small skirmish during the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War, taking place on June 30, 1863, in present day Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. It is known as the northernmost engagement of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War.

Confederate Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell had led two full divisions and a cavalry brigade through Maryland into central Pennsylvania in late June 1863, with the intention of seizing the state capital of Harrisburg. However, he had been significantly delayed in crossing the rain-swollen Potomac River, which allowed time for the Union to respond. Pausing another day at Chambersburg, Ewell finally marched northwards through the Cumberland Valley towards Harrisburg.

In response, Union Maj. Gen. Darius N. Couch, commanding the Department of the Susquehanna, dispatched troops to the present day borough of Camp Hill, located in the Cumberland Valley approximately 2 miles west of Harrisburg. Laborers hired by Couch quickly erected earthworks and fortifications along the western portion of Bridgeport, adjacent to Camp Hill. The two largest of these became known as "Fort Couch" and "Fort Washington."

Ewell's cavalry, a brigade under the command of Brig. Gen. Albert G. Jenkins, raided nearby Mechanicsburg on June 28. That same evening, receiving the unexpected news that the Federal Army of the Potomac was rapidly advancing through Maryland, Gen. Robert E. Lee was forced to consolidate his Army of Northern Virginia towards Gettysburg to counter this new threat. As a result, Ewell began to withdraw, and would never realize the objective of taking Harrisburg.

However, Jenkins briefly skirmished with the 22nd and 37th New York Militia at Sporting Hill on the west side of Camp Hill on June 29. The Confederates then pressed on to the outer defenses of Fort Couch, where they exchanged fire with the outer picket line for well over an hour. They later withdrew in the direction of Carlisle to rejoin Ewell's infantry for the march southward towards Heidlersburg and Gettysburg. At least 16 Confederates from the 16th and 36th Virginia Cavalry were killed during the fighting and an additional 20 to 30 were wounded. Union losses were listed at 11 men wounded.

The last remnants of the battlefield were recently lost to development. Today, it is marked by a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission historical marker in a parking lot.

References

* Boyd, Neil, [http://www.campcurtin.org/campcurtin/reenact/bsh.htm "The Confederate Invasion of Central Pennsylvania and the Battle of Sporting Hill"]
* "Yankee Gazette" #6 [http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/getteducation/bcast04/gazette/gazette06.htm Battle Imminent In Pennsylvania, Harrisburg Attacked]

Template group
list =


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gettysburg Campaign — thumb|400px|Gettysburg Campaign (through July 3)Cavalry movements shown with dashed lines.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… …   Wikipedia

  • Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania —   Borough   Motto: A Good Place to Live! …   Wikipedia

  • Harrisburg in the American Civil War — Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War was the capital of the second largest state in the Union. [U.S. Census data, 1860.] Located at the intersection of important railroads, Harrisburg was an important supply and logistics… …   Wikipedia

  • History of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania — The History of Harrisburg, the state capital of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, has occupied a central place in the development of the nation s industrial history, from its origins as a trading outpost to the present. Harrisburg… …   Wikipedia

  • High-water mark of the Confederacy — The high water mark of the Confederacy refers to a location on Cemetery Ridge, outside Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. A high water mark denotes the highest level reached by a body of water. Here it refers to the deepest penetration by the Confederate… …   Wikipedia

  • List of American Civil War battles — Contents 1 Major land battles 2 Battles rated by CWSAC 3 Other USA/CSA battles …   Wikipedia

  • Harrisburg, Pennsylvania — Harrisburg redirects here. For other uses, see Harrisburg (disambiguation). Harrisburg   City   City of Harrisburg …   Wikipedia

  • Darius N. Couch — Darius Nash Couch Portrait of Darius Couch by Mathew Brady or Levin C. Handy taken in 1861 or 1862. Born …   Wikipedia

  • Department of the Susquehanna — The Department of the Susquehanna was a military department created by the United States War Department during the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War. Its goal was to protect the state capital and the southern portions of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Timeline of the Irish Civil War — This is a timeline of the Irish Civil War, which took place between June 1922 and May 1923. It followed the Irish War of Independence (1919–1921), and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”