1.  Culp’s Hill was an important position on the Union right flank because:

•   It commanded the Hanover Road
•   It was the tallest hill near Gettysburg
•   It dominated the flank and rear of the Union’s Cemetery Hill position
•   None of the above
•   All of the above

Answer: It dominated the flank and rear of the Union's Cemetery Hill position.  If the Southerners captured and controlled Culp’s Hill, the Union right and center would have been compromised, as well as the Union army’s lifeline—the Baltimore Pike

2.  Which of the following statements is not true?

•   Culp’s Hill consists of two hills, an upper and a lower.
•   Severe fighting at Culp’s Hill raged from July 1 to 2, 1863.
•   Union General George Greene’s troops defended Culp’s Hill on the night of July 2, 1863.
•   Trees were felled on Culp’s Hill to make it a better artillery position.
•   Culp’s Hill was once one of the most popular sites on the Gettysburg battlefield.

Answer: Severe fighting at Culp's Hill raged from July 1 to 2, 1863.  The fighting at Culp’s Hill started on the evening of July 2, 1863 and raged for seven hours throughout the morning on July 3.

3.  Which Confederate division attacked Culp’s Hill on the evening of July 2nd?

•   General Edward Johnson’s
•   General Richard Ewell’s
•   General Jubal Early’s
•   General Henry Heth’s
•   General John Bell Hood’s

Answer: General Edward Johnson.  General Edward “Allegheny” Johnson’s Division, of Richard Ewell’s Corps attacked Culp’s Hill on both July 2nd and July 3rd.

To learn more about the life and career of " Old Allegheny," check out our Edward "Allegheny" Johnson biography »

4.  Which of the following was not a reason the Confederates failed to attack Culp’s Hill in force on July 1, 1863?

•   There were reports of large numbers of Union troops on the flank and rear of the Confederate left flank.
•   Union troops were found atop the hill during a Confederate reconnaissance.
•   The troops slated for such an attack were slowed by a lengthy wagon train.
•  Union Artillery atop Culp’s Hill covered the entire field of attack.
•   Robert E. Lee’s orders were discretionary—to attack the hills south of Gettysburg “if practicable.”

Answer: Union Artiller atop Culp's Hill covered the entire field of attack. Union troops did indeed fell trees to open a field of fire for a limited number of cannons atop Culp’s Hill, but did not deter a Confederate attack.

5.  Confederates had to cross Rock Creek to attack Culp’s Hill on July 2 and 3, 1863. Which of the following is not among Gettysburg’s other streams, creeks and runs?

•   Clapsaddle Creek
•   Plum Run
•   Steven’s Run
•   Marsh Creek
•   Rose Run

Answer: Clapsaddle Creek.  Clapsaddle is indeed a local, Gettysburg name, but not the name of a creek

6.  Culp’s Hill has been crowned since 1895 with a steel observation tower. Where are the other steel observation towers at Gettysburg?

•   Cemetery Ridge and Big Round Top
•   Big Round Top and Oak Ridge
•   Cemetery Ridge and McPherson’s Ridge
•   Seminary Ridge and McPherson’s Ridge
•   Oak Ridge and Seminary Ridge

Answer: Oak Ridge and Seminary Ridge.  Culp’s Hill’s 60-foot tower originally had four companions on the field—on Oak Ridge, Big Round Top, Cemetery Ridge and Seminary Ridge. The towers on Big Round Top and Cemetery Ridge were both removed in the 1960s, leaving only those on Culp’s Hill, Seminary Ridge and a shortened tower on Oak Ridge.

View from the observation tower on Culp's Hill. (Rob Shenk)

Charles Redington Mudge (Image courtesy of Clark B. Hall)

7.  On July 3,, 1863, Lt. Col. Charles Mudge of the 2nd Massachusetts said:

•   “Halt, you damn Rebels!”
•   “Well, it’s murder, but it’s the order.”
•    “Tell my father I died with my face to the enemy.”
•   “Oh, that I could see my mother.”
•   “Let us cross over the river and rest in the shade of the trees.

Answer: "Well, it's murder, but it's the order."  When ordered to attack toward the seemingly impregnable position across Spangler’s Meadow, Lt. Col. Mudge exclaimed, “Well, it’s murder, but it’s the order.”  Mudge was killed just minutes later in the attack.  More than 40% of his regiment were killed, wounded or captured.

8.  Of the six Union brigades positioned on Culp’s Hill on the afternoon of July 2, 1863, how many were ordered to leave Culp’s Hill in order to support the Union left flank?

•   None
•   Two
•   Four
•   Five
•   Six

Answer: Five.  Only General George Sears Greene’s Brigade remained on Culp’s Hill as the Confederates attacked that evening.

9.  On July 3, 1863, Union artillery on which hill laid down an incessant fire against Confederate positions near Lower Culp’s Hill and Spangler’s Spring?

•   Wolf Hill
•   Cemetery Hill
•   Casino Hill
•   Libby Hill
•   Power’s Hill

Power's Hill.  More than a dozen Union artillery pieces were positioned upon Power’s Hill.  The artillery fire from these and other guns along the Baltimore Pike made the Confederate positions an “artillery hell.”  Casino Hill is in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Civil War Trust has worked to save almost 700 acres of the Gettysburg Battlefield, including 5 acres on Power's Hill, the very spot from which Federal cannon unleashed "artillery hell" on July 3. 

10.  Whose Confederate brigade captured abandoned Union trenches on Lower Culp’s Hill on the evening of July 2, 1863?

•   Gen. William Smith’s
•   Gen. George Steuart’s
•   Gen. Evander Law’s
•   Gen. Isaac Avery’s
•   Gen. James Walker’s

Gen. George Steuart  General George Hume “Maryland” Steuart’s Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia soldiers came upon the abandoned trenches in the darkness and used them to great effect the following day.

The Battle for Culp's Hill by Forbes (Library of Congress)

 

More Civil War Trust Quizzes

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• Battle of Chickamauga Quiz
• Battle of Franklin Quiz
• Robert E. Lee Quiz
• Vicksburg Campaign Quiz