General Samuel Sturgis: Hero of Antietam's Burnside Bridge

General Samuel Sturgis: Hero of Antietam's Burnside Bridge (HM299Q)

Location: Shippensburg, PA 17257 Cumberland County
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Country: United States of America
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N 40° 3.019', W 77° 31.263'

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Inscription

Shippensburg Civil War Trail

Samuel D. Sturgis, born in Shippensburg in 1822, was the son of hat-shop operator "Squire" James Sturgis who later constructed this elegant Greek Revival dwelling. After graduating from West Point in 1846, Samuel Sturgis served under General Zachary Taylor in the Mexican War and saw extensive service in the Civil War. At the Battle of Antietam in 1862, General Sturgis commanded the Second Division of the federal Ninth Corps under General Ambrose Burnside. During this engagement, Burnside repeatedly ordered his men to charge across a 12-foot wide bridge spanning the Antietam Creek defended by 500 Confederates. After several failed attempts to secure the bridge, it was men under Sturgis's command, the 51st New York and 51st Pennsylvania Regiments, who finally took the bridge and secured the opposing shore (after being promised to have their whiskey ration restored). Following Antietam, Sturgis held several commands in the West. He retired to Minnesota in 1886, where he died in 1889. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Did you know?
Samuel Sturgis's son, 2nd Lt James G. Sturgis, also pursued a career as a professional soldier. He served with the 7th Cavalry, Troop E, under George Armstrong Custer, and was killed at the Battle of Little Big Horn on June 25, 1876. At the time of his death, the commander of the



7th Cavalry was his father, Samuel D. Sturgis, who had left Custer in command while he was away on recruiting duty.
[Bottom left photo caption reads] Burnside Bridge
Details
HM NumberHM299Q
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Placed ByShippensburg- Historical Society, Borough Historical Architectural Review Board, Chamber of Commerce, University, et al
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, July 11th, 2018 at 7:02pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18T E 284949 N 4436387
Decimal Degrees40.05031667, -77.52105000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 40° 3.019', W 77° 31.263'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds40° 3' 1.14" N, 77° 31' 15.78" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)717
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling East
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 14 PA-696, Shippensburg PA 17257, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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