Gettysburg in Adams County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
A Tale of Two Brothers
Photographed By Karl Stelly, July 1, 2013
1. A Tale of Two Brothers Marker
Inscription.
A Tale of Two Brothers. . When Abraham Lincoln prophetically spoke of a "house divided", he might well have referenced the sons of Easias Jesse and Margaret Sutherland Culp. Both boys, William E. "William", (b. 1831) and John W. "Wesley", (b. 1839), grew up in Gettysburg and were employed by the town's noted carriage maker, Charles William Hoffman. In 1856, Hoffman uprooted his business and moved it to Martinsburg, Virginia. Perhaps seeking his own independence, Wesley followed but brother William did not and remained in Gettysburg. When war came, the brothers' allegiances followed this pattern; Wesley enlisted in the 2nd Virginia Infantry, and William signed up with the 2nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, a 3 month unit, and later the 87th. Although now "brother against brother", it is unrecorded if William and Wesley ever saw each other again. William and Wesley's regiments did face each other in combat just once, at the Second Battle of Winchester on June 15, 1863. There, neither was wounded, but Wesley recognized a Gettysburg friend, Union soldier Jack Skelly, who had been (wounded). Skelly gave Wesley a note to give to his girl, Virginia "Jennie" Wade, back home in Gettysburg. However, Wesley was unable to deliver the note as he was shot and killed on his uncle Henry's farm, July 2nd, the famed "Culp's Hill." Wesley, like so many Confederate soldiers, now rests in an unmarked grave. Post-war, William returned to Gettysburg in 1882 and is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery where entire family plots are common and where Wesley's absence serves as silent witness to the personal cost of conflict. The Culp Brothers Memorial Erected by the Pvt. John Wesley Culp Memorial Camp #1961 Sons of Confederate Veterans Gettysburg, Pa. Dedicated July 6, 2013
When Abraham Lincoln prophetically spoke of a "house divided", he might well have referenced the sons of Easias Jesse and Margaret Sutherland Culp. Both boys, William E. "William", (b. 1831) and John W. "Wesley", (b. 1839), grew up in Gettysburg and were employed by the town's noted carriage maker, Charles William Hoffman.
In 1856, Hoffman uprooted his business and moved it to Martinsburg, Virginia. Perhaps seeking his own independence, Wesley followed but brother William did not and remained in Gettysburg. When war came, the brothers' allegiances followed this pattern; Wesley enlisted in the 2nd Virginia Infantry, and William signed up with the 2nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, a 3 month unit, and later the 87th.
Although now "brother against brother", it is unrecorded if William and Wesley ever saw each other again. William and Wesley's regiments did face each other in combat just once, at the Second Battle of Winchester on June 15, 1863. There, neither was wounded, but Wesley recognized a Gettysburg friend, Union soldier Jack Skelly, who had been (wounded). Skelly gave Wesley a note to give to his girl, Virginia "Jennie" Wade, back home in Gettysburg. However, Wesley was unable to deliver the note as he was shot and killed on his uncle Henry's farm, July 2nd, the famed "Culp's Hill." Wesley, like so many Confederate soldiers,
Click or scan to see this page online
now rests in an unmarked grave. Post-war, William returned to Gettysburg in 1882 and is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery where entire family plots are common and where Wesley's absence serves as silent witness to the personal cost of conflict.
The Culp Brothers Memorial
Erected by the
Pvt. John Wesley Culp Memorial Camp #1961
Sons of Confederate Veterans
Gettysburg, Pa.
Dedicated July 6, 2013
Erected 2013 by Private John Wesley Culp Memorial Camp No. 1961, Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Location. 39° 49.189′ N, 77° 14.059′ W. Marker is in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in Adams County. Marker is on Steinwehr Avenue (Business U.S. 15), on the right when traveling south. Marker is located in a little plaza on Steinwehr Avenue, just north of the American Civil War Museum, also known as the "Wax Museum.". Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Gettysburg PA 17325, United States of America. Touch for directions.
To be unveiled on July 6, 2013; View is looking toward the west
Photographed By Karl Stelly, July 1, 2013
6. Culp Brothers Monument
To be unveiled on July 6, 2013; View is looking toward the east
Photographed By Karl Stelly, July 10, 2013
7. Culp Brothers Memorial Plaza
The Culp Brothers Memorial is mounted atop the small boulder. It was dedicated on July 6, 2013. The wayside exhibit, "A Tale of Two Brothers," is at the left of the photo.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on July 2, 2013, by Karl Stelly of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,371 times since then and 161 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on July 2, 2013, by Karl Stelly of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on July 3, 2013, by Karl Stelly of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. 7. submitted on July 11, 2013, by Karl Stelly of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
