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The Battle of Sporting Hill
Robert E. Lee did not intend to fight a battle in Gettysburg when he invaded
Pennsylvania as his original target was the City of Harrisburg. As Lee maneuvered his
armies through Virginia, Maryland, and ultimately into Pennsylvania, the Union Army
was not sitting back waiting for an invasion north of the Potomac. Initially there was
confusion on the part of the Union Army in at least some quarters it was felt the invasion
was being directed towards Pittsburgh. In response to the fears of invasion, the Union
Army created two now military departments - the Department of the Monongahela and
the Department of the Susquehanna.
In early June, 1863, Major General Darious N. Couch
assumed command of the newly formed department
and established his headquarters in Harrisburg arriving
by train on June 11. General Couch is portrayed in this
picture credited to either Mathew Brady or Levin C.
Handy taken c. 1861.
Major General Darious Couch
Lee organized his army into three corps and
assigned leadership of one of the corps to General
R.S. Ewell who would ultimately be leading the
Confederate forces who invaded the Harrisburg
area. On June 11th, in preparation for the Battle of
Winchester, General Albert G. Jenkins, with his
1600-man cavalry brigade reported to General Ewell
who would ultimately lead the effort to take the City
of Harrisburg.
General Albert Jenkins
1
1
Library of Congress and Explore PAhistory.com
On Saturday, June 27, 1863 in
anticipation of the rebels probe of
the Harrisburg area General Couch
directed General Smith to deploy
the 56th New York on to Simpson
Ferry
Road
towards
Shiremanstown
and
another
regiment, the 23rd New York
through Camp Hill on the Carlisle
Pike to Oyster Point.
Construction of fortifications around Harrisburg
2
On that same day, General Jenkins who had been moving north since the Battle of
Winchester had moved through Carlisle and was preparing to enter Mechanicsburg.
Union troops shut down the telegraph station in Mechanicsburg and quickly returned to
their lines at Oyster Point.
On Sunday morning, the 28th, General Jenkins
arrived in Mechanicsburg. He bivouacked at
the site of the old IBM Distribution Center on
Simpson Ferry Road and established his
headquarters at the Rupp house located on
Trindle Road just east of Mechanicsburg. 3
One of Jenkins' regimental commanders camped
at the site of the springs at the end of Orr's
Bridge along with several other officers and
soldiers. General Jenkins visited this site which
was his northern line and turned south along St.
John's Church road to visit troops stationed at the
Peace Church.
Units on both sides exchanged artillery fire throughout the day culminating in Jenkins
withdrew his lines and moved west to bivouac. While this was going on the evening of
2
The Yankee Gazette July 1, 1863 (National Park Service archives, 97 Taneytown Road, Gettysburg, PA
17325
3
Picture from the Camp Curtin Historical society and Explore PAhistory.com
the 28th General Lee sent orders to his three corps: Ewell was to take Harrisburg,
Longstreet was to march from Chambersburg in support; and Hill was to move in Early's
footsteps, cross the Susquehanna downstream from Harrisburg and capture the railroad
between Harrisburg and Philadelphia. 4 On the next day, however, General Lee heard
reports that the Army of the Potomac was marching into Maryland and Lee sent orders
to General Ewell on the afternoon of the 29th to withdraw his forces and move back
towards Chambersburg. Unfortunately for General Jenkins, General Ewell did not
communicate this to him and Jenkins was unaware of the change in plans until the 30th.
In any event he most likely had already withdraw to Silver Springs Creek leaving
Ferguson's men as his rear guard posted at Sporting Hill.
General Couch ordered General Ewen to march west on the morning of the 30th to find
and engage the Confederates. My mid-afternoon Ewen and his troops had reached the
eastern crest of Sporting Hill. McCormack's barn was located about 400 yards right of
the head of his column. Immediately puffs of smoke were seen and shots were being
fired from Confederates located within the barn.
Note:
The wooden part of the
McCormack barn was reportedly
destroyed by a tornado c. 1976,
however the limestone foundation
remains and has been preserved by the
developer of the nearby Brambles
apartment complex. Part of the actual
battlefield was lost to development and
the construction of PA Route 581.
Confederate field pieces located in Gleim's woods begin firing on Ewen's men. That
evening Union artillery pieces arrived and began shooting at McCormack's barn at
which time the Union forces could see Confederate soldiers begin fleeing the barn. As
evening fell, Ewen withdraw his forces. The Confederates were ready to attack by the
morning of June 30, when word arrived from Robert Lee recalling all units to assemble
near Cashtown. On July 2, Jenkins was wounded in the battle of Gettysburg. He died
on May 24, 1864, while fighting near Dublin, West Virginia. 5
4
5
Here Comes the Rebels, Wilbur Sturtevant Nye, page 343, copyright 1965
Library of Congress and ExplorePAhistory.com
6
The skirmish at Sporting Hill rates as the most northerly engagement of the Civil War. 7
It is estimated that sixteen confederates were killed and another eleven Union and 2030 Confederates were wounded in the action. 8 General Ewell would regroup and
march on Gettysburg to meet up with General Lee and the other two Confederate Corps
where they would engage Union forces on that fateful day of July 1, 1863.
While not on the scale of other battlefields, the area known as Sporting Hill is certainly
hallowed ground due to the sacrifices made by veterans from the two armies.
6
Here Comes the Rebels, Wilbur Sturtevant Nye copyright 1965 Map 13 The Harrisburg Area
Ibid, page 356
8
ExplorePAhistory.com
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