Ben Crippen, Sam Peiffer, and the defiant fist

I will be featuring the 143rd Pennsylvania’s monument with it’s own capsule post in June.  I occasionally come across a story behind a monument that’s more in-depth that deserves a longer feature than the more standardized monument entries — each basically designed just to be a capsule about the regiment and it’s memorial.  Anyway when researching to write about the 143rd Pennsylvania’s monument I found the 143rd has a little extra story behind their Gettysburg monument, and so I decided to give the story behind the monument it’s own post separate from the standard entry that will appear later.

Most people familiar with the battle of Gettysburg are aware that the bas relief on the front of the monument to the 143rd Pennsylvania located on the Chambersburg Pike near the intersection with Reynolds Avenue depicts Color Sgt. Ben Crippen.

Most people are not, however, aware that there is some controversy behind the monument.

As Stone’s Brigade retreated from McPherson’s Ridge on July 1 under the onslaught of Daniel’s North Carolina Brigade and Brockenbrough’s Virginia brigade, Lt. Col. Arthur Fremantle, an observer from the British Army with the Confederate troops was watching the progress of the fighting along with General A.P. Hill and other officers. Fremantle kept a diary and later wrote in his diary that:

A Yankee color bearer floated his standard in the field and the regiment fought around it, and when at last it was obliged to retreat, the color bearer retreated last of all, turning around now and then to shake his fist in the face of the advancing Confederates. He was shot. General Hill was sorry when he met his fate.

Fremantle, of course, did not identify the soldier or his unit; no official report mentioned the brave act of the color bearer either. The identity of the brave color sergeant sparked a controversy between two of Stones’ regiments, the 143rd and 150th Pennsylvania regiments.

The 143rd was sure that the color bearer seen by Fremantle was Sgt. Benjamin H. Crippen. The 21 year old color bearer was killed carrying the regimental colors on the first day. Sergent Simon Hubler of the 143rd recalled that ” It was in the field between the Chambersburg Pike and Gettysburg where Crippen our color bearer fell, defying the enemy.”

The 150th Pennsylvania, also of Stones’ brigade, disagreed. They thought that their color bearer, Sgt. Samuel L. Peiffer, had to be the defiant soldier seen by Fremantle. Like Crippen, Peiffer was killed on July 1, 1863. Colonel Huidekoper noted that Peiffer fell “bleeding from a mortal shot, while proudly flaunting the colors in the face of the foe”.

In this case, the fact that the 143rd had staked Crippen’s claim some 20 years before was convincing to the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association. They approved the 143rd’s monument design — a block of granite with a large bas relief of Crippen, shaking his face defiantly in the face of the on-coming enemy.

Although Crippen’s contribution was honored in stone and Peiffer’s contribution was mostly lost to history, nevertheless it is obvious much valor was expended by the Union troops as they retreated on the afternoon of July 1. They may have been defeated, but they were obviously still very much defiant.

134th New York Infantry

The 134th New York Infantry was raised from the counties of Schenectady and Schoharie counties and mustered in at Camp Vedder, Schoharie, New York on September 22, 1862.

Numbering almost 500, the men were commanded by Lt. Col. Allan H. Jackson (1836-1911), a graduate of Harvard Law School and a lawyer from Schenectady.

The 134th suffered severe casualties both on July 1 in defense of the Brickyard and then later in the battle on East Cemetery Hill. The main monument is located on East Cemetery Hill; a secondary monument is located on Coster Avenue “where it suffered the greatest casualties of any battle in which it was ever engaged.”

(Apologies for the poor quality photograph; this regiment is on the list to “re-shoot.”)

134th New York Infantry

11th Corps, 2nd Division, 1st Brigade

Engaged: 488; 42 killed, 151 wounded, 59 missing

Monument: East Cemetery Hill; secondary marker on Coster Avenue

141st Pennsylvania Infantry

The 141st Pennsylvania Infantry was recruited from the counties of Bradford, Susquehanna, and Wayne. It mustered in at Harrisburg in August 1862.

Their commander at Gettysburg was Col. Henry J. Madill (1829-1899), a native of Hunterstown and a lawyer in Towanda.

The regiment numbered 283 men at Gettysburg and suffered fearful casualties on the afternoon of July 2 in defense of the Peach Orchard.

The regimental monument is located at the Peach Orchard along the Wheatfield Road. This was the unit’s position from 4 until 6 PM on July 2.

141st Pennsylvania Infantry

3d Corps, 1st Division, 1st Brigade

Engaged: 283; 25 killed, 103 wounded, 21 missing

Monument: the Peach Orchard

2nd United States Artillery Battery G

2nd United States Artillery Battery G was also known as Thompson’s Battery. It was part of the Sixth Corps Artillery Brigade. The unit was made up of 6 Napoleons and 113 men under the command of Lt. John H. Butler (1838-1910). Butler was a druggist in Hartford, Connecticut prior to the Civil War.

Enlisted from New York City and Suffolk County, Massachusetts, this unit was originally organized in 1821. At the start of the Civil War, it was stationed at Fort Mackinac in Michigan.

It suffered no loss at Gettysburg.

2nd United States Artillery Battery G

6th Corps Artillery Brigade

Engaged: 6 Napoleons and 113 men; no loss

Monument: Near the old Cyclorama building in Ziegler’s Grove

95th Pennsylvania Infantry

The 95th Pennsylvania Infantry was nicknamed the Gosline Zouaves, the 45th Volunteers, and the 54th Volunteers. It was raised from Philadelphia and mustered in at Hestonville during the autumn of 1861.

The regiment was commanded at Gettysburg by Lt. Col. Edward Carroll (1825-1864).  Carroll was a Philadelphia carpenter killed leading the 95th on May 5, 1864 at the Wilderness.

The regiment numbered 356 and suffered 2 casualties at Gettysburg.  Their monument is located along the Wheatfield Road in the Valley of Death.  It marks the regiment’s location on July 2 until the end of the battle.

95th Pennsylvania Infantry

6th Corps, 1st Division, 2nd Brigade

Engaged: 356; 1 killed, 1 wounded

Monument: Wheatfield Road

15th New York Artillery

The 15th New York Artillery was assigned to the Artillery Reserve.  The Battery was recruited from New York City and mustered in at Throgs Neck as part of the Irish Brigade on December 9, 1861.

At Gettysburg, the 15th was commanded by Capt. Patrick Hart (1827-1892), of Irish birth and a soldier in the regular army in a variety of departments.

The battery consisted of 4 Napoleon cannons and 99 men.  They suffered 16 casualties, most of them in action near the Peach Orchard on July 2 where their monument now stands along the Wheatfield Road.  A secondary marker is located along Hancock Avenue that marks the July 3d position.

15th New York Artillery

Artillery Reserve, 1st Volunteer Brigade

Engaged:  4 Napoleon cannons and 99 men; 3 killed, 13 wounded

Monument: Wheatfield Road near the Peach Orchard

150th Pennsylvania Infantry

The 150th Pennsylvania’s monument is located along Stone Avenue near the McPherson barn on western McPherson’s Ridge. The monument features a large bas relief on the front of the die.

This was the “Third Bucktails” of Stone’s brigade. It was raised at Harrisburg from men from Philadelphia and the counties of Crawford, McKean, and Union. The regiment had nine companies at Gettysburg; Company D was detailed as guard to President Lincoln.

The nearly 400 men of this regiment were hotly engaged on July 1. This monument marks their most advanced line. The regiment went through several commanders. The first was Col. Langhorne Wister (1834-1891). Wister was promoted to command of the brigade after Stone fell wounded and Lt. Col. Henry S. Huidekoper (1839-1918) took command. Huidekoper, fresh from Harvard University (he was an 1862 graduate) later received a Medal of Honor for Gettysburg; his right arm was lost on July 1. Command then fell to Capt. George W. Jones (1833-1913), a carpenter from Philadelphia.

This regiment has a secondary monument on Hancock Avenue.

150th Pennsylvania Infantry

1st Corps, 3d Division, 2d Brigade

397; 35 killed, 152 wounded, 77 missing

Monument: Stone Avenue

1st New Jersey Artillery Battery B

1st New Jersey Artillery Battery B was part of the Third Corps Artillery Brigade at Gettysburg.  The battery consisted of 6 Parrotts and 143 men under the command of Capt. Adoniram J. Clark (1838-1913), a medical student.  The Battery was engaged on July 2 and 3d; the battery’s monument is located along Sickles Avenue on the edge of Excelsior Field where the unit fought on July 2.  A tablet on Hancock Avenue marks the July 3 position.  The battery suffered 20 casualties during the battle.

Battery B was recruited from Essex County.  It mustered in at Trenton on September 3, 1861.

1st New Jersey Artillery Battery B

3d Corps Artillery Brigade

Engaged:  6 Parrotts and 143 men; 1 killed, 16 wounded, 3 missing

Monument: Sickles Avenue

1st Rhode Island Artillery Battery B

1st Rhode Island Artillery Battery B was part of the 2nd Corps Artillery Brigade. It was also known as Hazard’s Battery. It was recruited in Providence County in the summer of 1861. On July 1, it was assigned to the 2nd Corps from the Artillery Reserve.

The commander was Lt. Thomas F. Brown (1842-1928), a diminutive (he stood only five foot) student from Brown University. When Brown was wounded on July 2, Lt. William S. Perrin took command. Perrin (1839-1876) survived Gettysburg only to lose his right leg during the Petersburg Campaign. He died in 1876 of an overdose of morphine related to this wounding.

The battery consisted of 6 Napoleons and 103 men. It suffered 28 casualties at Gettysburg. The simple monument to Battery B is located near the Angle along Hancock Avenue.

1st Rhode Island Artillery Battery B

2d Corps Artillery Brigade

Engaged: 6 Napoleons and 103 men; 7 killed, 19 wounded, 2 missing

Monument: Hancock Avenue

1st United States Sharpshooters (A, B, D, and H)

The monument to the 1st United States Sharpshooters (Companies A, B, D, and H) is located on Berdan Avenue, a small cul-de-sac located in Pitzer’s Woods off of West Confederate Avenue (the road the runs the length of Seminary Ridge).  The monument to Company F (Vermont) of the 1st U.S.S. is also located nearby as is a stone to the 3rd Maine Infantry.

On the afternoon of July 2, Third Corps commander Dan Sickles ordered the Sharpshooters and the 3rd Maine Infantry to scout these woods.  A brief fight occurred here between this Union detachment and Confederates from General Cadmus Wilcox’s command.

Companies A, B, D, and H of the 1st U.S.S. were recruited from the state of New York.  This is their main monument at Gettysburg.

1st United States Sharpshooters - Companies A, B, D, and H (New York)
Members of the 3rd Corps, 1st Division, 2nd Brigade

Commanded by Col. Hiram Berdan (1824-1893)

Engaged: 371; 6 killed, 37 wounded, 6 missing

Monument: A, B, D, and H Companies located along Berdan Avenue, Pitzer’s Woods