Penguins. He is passionate in history and especially the civil war. He serves on the board of trustees for the Pittsburgh Heinz History Center in design the board of directors for the friends of flight 93 and the Marketing Committee for the gettysburg foundation. Gettysburgbook is whols, five native sons came to fight as confederate soldiers. Without any further introduction, i present to you, mcmillan. [applause] thank you. N if i am standing or walking funny, in my 24th Straight Year of coming to the anniversary days, i finally went on a battlefield horse tour. The thing i learned was i not be in the cavalry. It was actually a great experience. It is also special to be here at the Heritage Center because this is where i gathered a fair amount of research. The right through the door is one of the best civil war book stores the country. I would get one, and up with four. What is interesting is outside is a littleknown monument to the Koch Brothers at gettysburg, a key part of this book. Leslie fought with the confederacy in his older brother the union. They would have seen some humor in the fact they have a monument at all. It is placed between a History Museum and the brewery. Ago i wrote a book about flight 93, the september 11 flight that crashed a little over 100 miles from here. I want to write a book about gettysburg but was not sure it was a fresh topic. I did not want to be the guy that wrote the 15th book on the second day, but there was one that had been tearing me right actually aout mile and a half down the road i measured yesterday, at the intersection with louise field road, there is an iron tablet that says went south. No one goes there. It is across the street, the Peach Orchard which is one of the most visited places. You can see the barn, a great injury no one goes to this place because it looks like nothing is there. You see the irregular Stone Foundation in the background you see the irregular Stone Foundation. John had brought this property in 1836. When you moved in, the family with larger, more children including a nineyearold son named henry who grew up here. Yards to the west is another iron tablet. We see over the field. This is for the virginia battery. If you see it over there on the afternoon of july 63, this was the position of confederate artillery Sergeant Henry once, 600 yards, not only from the also whereew up but his parents were still living and unbeknownst to him at the time, his dad has decided to write out the battle in the salt in the seller cellar. Thisf the other men in story, leslie called, is the one most known. Many have heard of him because of his connection to the prolific coal family of gettysburg, the hill, the farm. There were 70 members of the colts family listed. The story with leslie if he moved out for work in the 1850s, joint the second virginia, and was killed at the gettysburg battle. 3ey say he was killed on july on his heel on his film what was described as his uncles farm. His on what was described as his uncles farm. It was actually on wolf hill, and the man was not his uncle are far more distant relative, first cousin once removed. I talked to my literary agent and told him about this. He said you have to write this one. Go after this. Is there enough . I said i dont know if there is enough for the book. Did research, it was exciting, and i stumbled across three other guys. To the extent leslie cold is written about, he went south with his employer named Charles William hoffman here researching him i found in 1850 census report for virginia genealogy. 1850. Three young sons in if you have 10 years to their age, they would have been soldiers in the 1850s. Sure enough robert frank and leslie hoffman, all born in the 1840s and raise here, not only in the Confederate Army but were in units with robert e. Lee in the great evasive here is that man. Battery m taylors this is the stonewall brigade, Robert Hoffman can Virginia Company b. They joined the same as a unit. This was commonplace in the union and confederate armies. The 38thfman was in and hillary battalion, and the youngest of the guys, part of the mountain rangers, quite a name for a cavalry. Thinking of this, how surreal this must have been, there were northerners who fought for the south and northerners southerners who fought for the north, but they were foreign invaders coming back to their own hometown. I want to get into that mindset. But i researched this, there is robert e. Lee or his senior commanders had any idea they had five gettysburg men in their army. It was lack of communication. It was commonplace in the Confederate Army, they were on campaign, near richmond or fredericksburg, and it was the local man in the ranks, temporary pull him out and make him a scout or guide. It makes sense. Stonewall jackson did that. A man who was said to know every hog path, but these guys werent chosen. There were at least two occasions were the confederates either got lost where the confederates either got lost or stuck in rain. Several hoursback later reporting they scaled the peak of Little Round Top and saw no union troops in the vicinity. Years later we know he could not have scaled Little Round Top and seen that because union troops were all over the place. They were not on Little Round Top, but they were in the area. He would have seen them, they would have seen him. Therefore robert e. Lee based his battle plan on faulty intelligence. Later afternoon james long street and his divisions are starting to execute that plan, going to attack the union. They were warned to conceal themselves from signalmen on the route. They came over on the fairfield road, they see the men, the men see them, changes plans. They are frustrated they have to walk several miles and cost several hours in delays. That, and aore little unit an artillery unit came by. Over the same rights, would have been visible, figured out a way to get down there. According to alexander this exact through the field, they zigzaged through the field. Is there any coincidence that happened with henry wentz . He never wrote about his civil war experiences, or the if he did, those things dont exist. Alexander wrote all the time. He never mentioned this or henry wentz. Alexander was a good engineer. Maybe he did his own on his own. The one unit that got there had a gettysburg man in the ranks. I will always believe henry wentz had something to do with it. The other thing about this book that made it fascinating for me, most of these books are about generals or medal of honor winners were people who created glorious deeds for people who have done glorious deeds. These were never above the rank of private. It was digging in all of these places, i was able to talk to a number of descendents, one of whom is here tonight. They helped me. They gave me perspective, and also unpublished family histories. It is amazing what you find in county courthouse is, deeds, newspaper articles, advertisements. Putting a puzzle together. This is leslie called colt, shows in occasional civil war books. Thanks to the Gettysburg Museum for performing providing this. Here are the photos of the other guys. This is not a 60yearold man who screwed up his powerpoint. Our familyexist, members could not find them. Because this book is out maybe there will be a descendent somewhere that will open boxes and say, i did not realize that is who that was. Leslie is the only one we have. So the story starts with them, the most wellknown of these guys. Adams born july 1839 in county. He was born in petersburg 14 while miles from here. They had gettysburg roots, here since the revolution. His father was born and raised here, started his family here. To father moved his shop petersburg, and leslie lived there for seven or eight years. The family moved back to gettysburg in 1847. How do we know that . Paper ads. His tree t moved peter s to about nine years, very formative years, that he left to go south with his employer. Why did his employer go south, cw hoffman . I thought he would be a fringe part of this story. He is essential. He is a central figure. He was born in germany. He came to the u. S. As an infant. His father never fit in. They moved it were nine times from maryland to pennsylvania. They lived in gettysburg. I think cw who was an entrepreneur at heart was determined to not be the failure his father was. Caret industry was very the carriage industry was very popular. He opened this shop. There was one on chambersburg street that was the hub of his business. This coming up, but there is a small sign between 117 and 119 chambersburg that says this is the last remaining building of the chamber complex. The carriage complex. To the extent he is mentioned, it is always as a carriage maker. I found he was one of the most prominent citizens at gettysburg in the 1840s and 1850s. He has been wiped out of town history because he had confederate sympathies. He owned multiple businesses, 10 pieces of property. He was elected three times to the council. He was a trustee of the methodist visible church. He rep. Reed episcopal church. At theesented gettysburg state fair. He was one of a group of prominent citizens who conceived and formed evergreen ceremony cemetery, which became Cemetery Hill and years later where Abraham Lincoln delivered the address. 1856. Left in 1854 he has been elected to a threeyear term on council. Mill, whyew steam would he leave . They thought it was the carriage industry was popular in virginia, this would be the place to go. Sticking around the Historical Society and Methodist Church records, they were not exciting, church records, but i found this. On monday the 26th day of june, he prudently and unnecessarily engaged with john baron in a cruel fight by striking with a stick or club, striking with iron, using the stick and stones and there it using the iron with the intention of barrett using the iron with the intention of killing. This showed highly Improper Conduct on the part of cw hoffman and shamefully outraged because of god. This was a sitting councilman out oft the crap somebody. He was assaulted, paid a fine, punished by his church. He appended attended two more council meetings. Then he was off that Borough Council and placed an ad saying he was moving in a year. March 1856, we have the deed records that he bought property in shepherdstown, moved there. 1856 he pulls out. This is important because he takes future confederate soldiers with him. If they had stayed in gettysburg maybe they would have fought for the union army, but this transplanted for young men that would fight for the Confederate Army. Four young men that would fight for the Confederate Army. Kaufman,ke and robert they join a militia unit. This is commonplace in the 19th century. Every town had one. You put on a uniform, fire a gun, pretend you are in the army. You get to show a great social outlet for young men at this time. 50 milesonly moved from gettysburg to shepherdstown in virginia, but it was north to south. They get to see loyalty, they will join other young men and protect shepherdstown. Miles away, the same thing happens. Henry wentz had come earlier. He was 12 or 13 years old but did the same thing. He joins the martinsburg independent group. The militia groups are independent and let into the civil war, but a couple of them had already had their First Military action in 1859 before the civil war at Harpers Ferry. It was close to martinsburg and shepherdstown. That is where the john brown raid. He had this crazy idea he was men, to take an army of 20 steel into Harpers Ferry, sees the armory and arsenal, get prisoners, free some slaves, a massive slave uprising. Sure enough he did steal into Harpers Ferry with his men, they got to the army and arsenal, they freed some slaves, and they decided in a panic in the incited a panic. Out to thery reached militia unit from among other towns shepherdstown and ,artinsburg, and there he is directly circumstantial evidence hoffman and henry were among the call. The attention of president mckinnon in washington dc, he sent in buchanan in washington dc. He sent in marines. Colonel, in an Army Property lee. Robert e lee, and they put down the raid. He was sentenced to hang several months later. Not the first or last that henry wentz and Robert Hoffman served under robert e. Lee. Guys did nothese write during the civil war. I found some letters from leslie. It is an indication it is important. They were in the shepherdstown march, they were in the area where the seeds of the civil war are being planted. They had to be affected by this atmosphere. The john brown raid is what the most unofficial start, but it did not affect every aspect of their lives. Early photography at gettysburg, i found a family from central pennsylvania. He was nice enough to lend me letters leslie had written to his sister. Other than the fact that your hands tremble, these were under makeable on the remarkable letters. It was a man writing to his sister, about two turns 21, living in martinsburg at the time, visiting his friends. Celebrate your 21st birthday you do now. He also said he would go west to seek his fortune. Book,f the letter in the his handwriting and signature. His name was john, john leslie culp is the signature. This is 1860. Nine months later something changed his life and hundreds of thousands of other young men. The can to raise fire on fort sumter. Confederates fire on fort sumter. Withinffman and culp all two weeks, they are in the Confederate Army. They report to Harpers Ferry and become part of the second virginia, and the first virginia brigade. The commander is Thomas Jonathan jackson, not yet stonewall. This was the beginning of the famed stonewall brigade, the famous unit. Imagine what they experienced throughout the war. The same thing was happening over the north and south. Men were flocking to enlist in the union army. This happened in gettysburg. On the same day april 20 that wesley was in the army, his older brother enlisted in the union army. Asee months regiment known the second pennsylvania, some of his friends also enlisted including jack scilly, a name known in hattiesburg history. They go to camp gettysburg history. They go to camp. Those units met early in the war before the battle of first manassas. There was a scuffle in northwestern virginia. The union outnumbered jackson, he pulled back after firing. The confederates retreated. Second pennsylvania got there after the shooting was over. Jack scilly wrote a very bold letter to his mother. He had not been under fire. They would not stand and fight, we would have given them what they were due. He picked up the haversack and other implements, but he also wrote leslie was among them. He was seen, so this was the first in the case and first back in gettysburg and july 1860 11 of their own was fighting for the Confederate Army. Own was fighting for the Confederate Army. Three of the battles three of these guys were at first manassas. They rally behind virginians. I follow that, but i try to piece some quirky things of the records. There are tidbits in the Service Records. Robert hoffman went awol for times. He was also allowed back in the army for times which struck me as odd. I had to come up with a theory. After several years in shepherdstown, his family decided to get out of the carriage business. 1859 he was to another county and buys a farm. This becomes a slave owner. He became a confederate sympathizer. Quite the entrepreneur of the early days in gettysburg. He starts to do business with the Confederate Army. There are a number of receipts. Providing goods and services, cattle and horses. The farm was located not far from washington d c, really between the lines most of the poor. It is dangerous most of the war. It is a dangerous place. He would check on his parents and wife, and also help his father with his business of supplying the army. That may have been the reason they allowed him back in. There had to be some reason. That stands. Leslie was always getting into adventure. He was captured twice in three months. Prisoner of war twice in three months. He was captured shortly after the battle of kearns town near winchester. He mustve been held for about a week. He wrote about it to his sister in gettysburg. She lived on west middle street. The letter does not exist, but his sister lived across the street from the scilly family. They talked to the sister of a confederate soldier who was talking to the mother of a union soldier. Elizabeth writes a letter to jack. Did you know leslie was taken prisoner but released on parole . , do you pityne him, and tried to excite sympathy . This is what happened. Towns fighting against one another, this is what happened in this situation. He is released. His Service Records are murky. I found more from letters and newspaper stories. He is captured again shortly after this in late may. He is taken to a prison in baltimore. We know that because his brother with 87 pennsylvania is stationed in baltimore in midjune, he gets a pass to go visit his brother in prison. The union rather visits the confederate brother. He wrote to anne she knew a lot and was getting letters from everybody. I got a permit from a Provost Marshal to visit wesley. I was with him two hours and a half. He told me to tell you not to be uneasy because he is well and will get out. I will see him as often as i can. It is hard to get a permit to see anyone in the jail. I use the word surreal. That is surreal. Shortly before that, we have another prisoner, cw hoffman, the old man, is taken prisoner. Is not in the union army, but they are tired of him supplying the army. They go to his farm in virginia and take him. They to a prison take him to a prison in washington dc. There is a clipping in early june 1862 which mentions in the consecutive paragraphs cw. Offman and wesley culp there it is. I printed them out so you can read them easier. The worst says we learned c w hoffman, coach maker, formerly of this place has been in the rebel army. He was captured a few days ago by general gearys commands. How much better to have joined his fortunes with the union men then send his name down to posterity as a traitor. One paragraph below, leslie was takenp prisoner, released, joined a band of gorillas and has been geuruerillas. This media. They were not happy. The story never made the connection that wesley worked for cw or they went south together. These guys, these men are in prison, cw is out in july. He is back selling stuff to the Confederate Army. You find receipts july 1862. Wesley was released, went home to martinsburg for a couple of weeks and rejoined his army, his unit in the fall. Juneforward now to early 1863. Robert e. Lee is forming his army 75,000 men for the invasion of the north. This is the first time that all five gettysburg rebels are together in the same big army. Frank hoffman with artillery, wesley are in the cavalry. They took part in the battle at Brandy Station at the beginning of this great campaign. They were coming north, but they were not planning to come to gettysburg. They had assignments coming north, a division of confederate troops assigned to clean out a garrison in winchester. They are going to attack this Union Garrison at winchester. Brother versus brother, this was a time where it really was. Battlefield and the third day they collided. Veterans got the better of it, the union was the confederate government better of it, the union was retreating. They took 200 prisoners from the 87th pennsylvania. One of them was not william culp. They walked back to gettysburg. They got back three or four days later. Some ladies wrote about that. Other prisoners are paraded through camp. This is when wesley sees a familiar face, an old friend of his and distant cousin. This shared that they shared the same greatgrandfather. Can i do anything for you . He said i am fine, but jack scilly is at the edge of the woods, and he is wounded. Finds his old friend, have him taken to a hospital. They have a conversation. This is part of the way to legacy. They were channing wade legacy. They were romantically linked. There is a message for jenny. In the early 1900s, he gave wes a message for his mother. They talked, does not appear that was a written message. Could have been verbal, then jack dies in early july. There was one other position change or assignment change before the guys. Robert hoffman got tired of going awol, they put him in the commissary department. Midjune, by the time they have the battle of winchester, confederate Service Records note he was assigned to drive chattel for the stonewall brigade. Cattle for the stonewall brigade. Robert e lee had many purposes coming north, one was together provisions and talent. They needed beef on the move. A lot of this heard was sent back to it supply herd was sent back to this supply line. Robert stayed with the army in pennsylvania because there are two receipts, one copy here, but he signed june 30 in carlisle, pennsylvania where johnson had come through. There is the name at the top, delivering june 30, 1863. You see for the use of the stonewall brigade with roberts signature. He has come north, three or seven miles behind the troops, the battle line, did not think of it. He would have been one of these me was fromy known gettysburg, they could pull him out of the ranks and be a scout or guide. That did not happen. None of these guys made it here for the first day of fighting. Wesley culp came on the evening after the major fight. They came down carlisle street, made a left into town square to the hanover road. How do we know that . A friend who served with him in company b was on the brigade staff, the stonewall brigade. An interview in the early 1900s for the pittsburgh gazette times, we came in on the carlisle road, turning left into the square. There were few citizens to be seen because there had been much fighting in the streets. The townspeople made themselves scarce so no one welcomed or recognized wes culp on his homecoming. They knew he was the gettysburg rubble. Rebel. The stonewall brigade moves to hanover road, the camp over there near a farm that is still there. There is a marker you can see. A lot of the men settled in. He goes into town to visit his sister. The confederates held the town, but it is a union town. There are guys with muskets. His heart was that been pounding. There he is walking down the street. He goes to the door, it is their confederate brother. Hugging and kissing, they have talked to each other in two years. He tells them about billy [please stand by] i did not know. Stay, say weim to might not see you again. He has got to go back to his unit late in the night. 3, aights later on july city man named benjamin walked the same way and goes to the area where they lived. He had known them for their many inps to visit wes shepherdstown. He was delivering news their brother had been killed, wes culp had been killed. Service records said july 3. Benjamin told the sisters and the culp family has believed it, repeatedg of july 2 over and over, one of his nieces wrote a family history. Our mother told us this story thursday, july 2 in the morning. When he did the interview, pendleton said it was thursday morning to life 2 july 2 on the skirmish line. This is what the family believes. I want to check if they were on the skirmish line. This does ring true. The commanders say the second virginia were on the skirmish line early on july 2. They were skirmishing your wolf hill. Near wolf not many people write about this skirmish, but Union Residents to. Do. They were believed from research farm, a famouser farm. It was known to people back then. 15,s now by modern route but the house still exists on montclair road. I believe this is where wes culp was killed. One of his fellow soldiers lifted his head over a rock, he was he said he lifted his head over a rock, he was killed. The body was never found. They said they buried the body where it fell. They said it was culp hill. This was a virginian who did not know gettysburg geography. All of the landmarks were not identified properly. They never found the body. , w. Did find the gunstock culp, which he obviously carved into that. My theory is with lack of equipment, he was the only man from his unit who was killed during the battle of dave berg. There is no way anyone would leave a functioning musket. They want to they were on or near the hill. He was wounded and cut in the retreat. Family discounted rumors they secretly buried him. There is a tombstone for him at hollywoods military in richmond. Be inbelieved to memoriam. There is no record he was ever buried there. It is one of the mysteries of this family. Ps story. Wes cul and then later that afternoon henry went is involved wentz is involved. He is placed near the long street tower now. They are firing away at union troops in the Peach Orchard at the wentz house. Cant imagine what that was like. Accounts from second New Hampshire talk about service here the wentz house. They advanced, swept across the field, signalmen up the hill. Up, got the artillery men charged forward in one of the most inspiring moments of the battle. This is where henry wentz was charging to his boyhood home, charging over land he personally owned. It was 18 47 that his father bought a nine acre plot diagonally across from the house. L wentz it was transferred to henry in 1850. No record of ownership until 1872. There is no record to dispute he owned the property. He charged over land he owned, through his front yard. The work is done after all the fighting, there are 115 they are 115 yards north at the end. Henry went into the house, curiosity got the best of them. He went into the house. It is for battle, written by wc anyage, he was not runofthemill historian, he was a gettysburg residents. He became a battlefield guide. By his older sister was henry wentzs nephew. He had access to a media. He writes on the night of the second day after the signal line advanced, they had been repulsed and occupied by forces under general lee, henry wentz visited his home and was greatly surprised to find his father still there. It was lee coel wesley culp visits his sisters, henry wentz visits his father. And then the artillery unit is new the rogers house. Henry wentzs unit is on the other side of the road across from the clinical house on the west side of the road. They take part in the great candidate of pickens charge. One confederate shell, not from these guys, flies into Evergreen Cemetery and hits a tombstone. It is the tombstone of wesley culpsfather. Father. S you can see it today. This lecture was taken that picture was taken in year ago. Still there. The flag is still there. So about 12,000 troops, a bloody repulse that effectively ends the fighting at gettysburg. There were a three a few there were a few skirmishes of cavalry, but this is pretty much the end of the fighting. Wentzs wasr, henry one of the last to leave. They went latew. Ent late. In to see his father. Story says he pinned a note on his shirt. That seems romanticized, but he could have done this. But ends the battle for these guys. Survived ther battle, go on to serve throughout the war. Two of them wounded, all for taken prisoner all four taken prisoner. This is roger oppen hoffmans oath of allegiance signed in Harpers Ferry, virginia. He went to Harpers Ferry for john brown. He went to enlist in the Confederate Army, now he is signing his oath of allegiance to become a citizen of the united states. None of these guys ever moved that north. And we went came back at least once henry wentz came back at least once to gettysburg. After his parents died, he went to settle there is a their estates. He sold the land he owned. Rumors say he was written out of he split upt no, the property among his surviving children. Henry was the first to die, 1875. He has obituary in the martinsburg statement. He was a brave confederate soldier and his father owned part of a battlefield at gettysburg. His friends knew he was a rebel. Wesley inherits the farm, marries a descendent, has eight children, dabbles in local politics, dies in 1896. Robert hoffman could never settle down. Jobs in alexandria, shepherdstown, virginia, dallas. Moves to west texas, gets a land grant, dies in 1801 1901. Submit for aars to confederate pension in the state of texas. There is a statement from benjamin pendleton, the wes culp guy, who knew robert. He said robert was moving from gettysburg in the 1850s. Longest,fman lives the until 1920. He sold his culpeper farm, moves with his unmarried daughters. They no doubt provided information for extensive obituary in the washington times, titled pa man who fought for the confederacy. Daughters lived until the age of 94. She lived to 1972, 45 years ago one of the gettysburg rebels, a lot of people interviewed her. She knew many stories, but she did not. That is their story. They were on the losing side, the wrong side of history with their choices, but these guys had a unique perspective. They were unique participants in the great traumatic and defining moment of American History. They were foreign invaders in their own home town. I thought their story needed to be told. [applause] you are watching American History tv, all weekend, every weekend on cspan3. Like us on facebook at cspan history. Cspan, where history unfolds daily. In 1979, cspan was created as a Public Service by americas tables built cap cabletelevision companies and is brought on your cable or satellite provider. Announcer 2 next on the civil war, drew makowski talks about how confederate general robert e lee maneuvered his army after the battle of getters for gettysburg and the pursuit. He also describes the reorganization of the armies after they retreated across the potomac river. This halfhour talk with hosted by the gettysburg Heritage Center. Cash was hosted by the gettysburg was hosted by the gettysburg Heritage Center. Our next presentation is by joe mcknight ski. He is a licensed battlefield guide here at Gettysburg National military park. Joe is the past president of the association of licensed battlefield guides and the gettysburg civil war roundtable. In addition, he is on the faculty of the