Tuesday Evening Walk – “Robinson’s Division”

As Binghamton NY native John Cleveland Robinson arrived with his two-brigade division to the first day’s battlefield, he briefly placed them near the Lutheran Theological Seminary.  In front of the Seminary some of the men threw up a hasty breastwork. These brigades were made up of men from several Northern States,  New York, Pennsylvania Massachusetts, and Maine.  The brigades were, in turn, ordered to a ridge northwest of town along the Mummasburg Road. In what order did they arrive?  What was their mission? We will endeavor to break their story down to understand what happened on this ridge. Their story includes a dog, an unfortunate chaplain, and a great deal of confusion, with many commanders being wounded as the Confederates from Robert Rodes’ division attacked from different directions. There is an attempt at mutual destruction as the two sweaty, thirsty, grimy, armies struggle against each other. These U.S. soldiers of Robinsons division, running low on ammunition and men, began to retreat.  Their Maine comrades were ordered to hold the ridge as long as possible while the others made their way out of the hard fought position. The survivors of the day’s fight will spend the next two days being shuffled from location to location on Cemetery Hill and Ridge as needed.  We will also take some time to look at some of the distinctive memorials that the survivors erected after the war.  

Meeting Place: Please park in the Eternal Light Peace Memorial parking lot where we begin their story. From the grassy area adjacent to the parking lot we will walk down Confederate Ave., across the Mummasburg Road, and along  Doubleday Ave to near where the Doubleday Inn is today. We will then, as the story unfolds, walk back toward the Mummasburg Road and conclude the story near the tower.