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27th Indiana at Gettysburg
The Gettysburg National Military Park has limited funds for battlefield maintenance. Therefore, it allows organizations to adopt
a unit monument to maintain the grounds around it at a level that government
funding cannot attain. ICWRT adopted the position of the 27th Indiana
Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
We are honored to serve the memory of this distinguished unit, raised
largely in south central Indiana with one company from Marion County.
For an overview of the regiment's assignments, we recommend this
link to Kristopher and Larry Liggett's Indiana and the Civil War website;
for a regimental history, we recommend: Giants in the cornfield :
the 27th Indiana Infantry, by Wilbur D. Jones, Jr.
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Spangler's Meadow
The regimental monument at Gettysburg
is in Spangler's Meadow, about 300 yards
east of Spangler's Spring, at the eastern foot of Culp's Hill.
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The Advance
The regimental monument commemorates the action of early morning, July
3, 1863. The 27th Indiana was ordered to conduct a reconnaisance-in-force
to see whether the Confederates were still occupying the lower slope of
Culp's Hill. The regiment advanced over 100 yards across the meadow towards
the hill until the defenders' fire forced it to retire.
This stone in the meadow marks the furthest
point of the regiment's advance
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The Left Flank
Another stone, in McAllister's Woods, about
150 yards east of the regimental marker, marks the regiment's left flank
prior to the assault.
The regiment began the engagement with 340 officers and men; 110 became
casualties during the assault, including four color bearers killed and
another four wounded.
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Here's the Civil War News article about ICWRT volunteers:
Indiana CWRT Adopts Position at Gettysburg
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Indianapolis Civil War Round Table enrolled in Gettysburg National Military Park's Adopt-A-Position program
and adopted the 27th Indiana Volunteer Infantry position in McAllister's Woods about 200 yards southeast of the lower Culp's Hill,
just north of Colgrove Avenue.
On the morning of the third day, elements of Gen. Richard Ewell's Second Corps occupied breastworks on the hill's lower slopes.
Gen. William Smith's brigade, Gen. Jubal Early's Division, held the works on the southeast slope of the hill, north of Spangler's Spring.
Gen. Henry Slocum, XII Corps, ordered Cot. Silas Colgrove, Third Brigade, to assault the breastworks with two regiments.
Colgrove selected the 2nd Massachusetts and his own 27th Indiana to conduct the assault.
The 27th Indiana advanced across an open meadow in the face of intense fire to a point about 50 yards short of the works.
After exchanging volleys with Smith's brigade, the 27th withdrew to its original position.
The regiment began its assault with 340 officers and men and sustained 110 casualties,
including four color bearers killed and another four wounded.
In two work days at the park round table members cleared brush, from Spangler's Creek, from Cosgrove Road north to Rock Creek
and northwest for about 100 yards along Rock Creek, and cleared brush to create an eight-foot path on both sides of a long rock wall
used as a breastwork by the 13th New Jersey in the woods southeast of the meadow.
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