THE BULLETS FLEW LIKE HAIL: Cutler's Brigade at Gettysburg, from McPherson's Ridge to Culp's Hill

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Revised and updated edition describes the brigade's origins, its march to the field on the morning of July 1, 1863, and how it went into action piecemeal and vulnerable. Brig. Gen. Lysander Cutler arrived with his 1st Corps brigade of infantry just in time to relieve Buford's hard-pressed cavalry. Cutler's stubborn defense, together with the arrival of the famous Iron Brigade, stopped the Confederate advance long enough for other Union troops to reach the field. The desperate fighting that morning helped save the important high ground upon which the battle would be fought-and won-over the next two days. Includes photos and 24 maps.

Two of Cutler's regiments, the 14th Brooklyn and the 95th New York, along with the Iron Brigade's 6th Wisconsin, participated in one of the most famous assaults of the war. The trio of regiments simultaneously charged across open ground, repulsed the attack of Brig. Gen. Joseph Davis's Rebel brigade, and captured a large number of Mississippi and North Carolina troops in an unfinished railroad cut.

By the end of July 1, Cutler's command had faced off against Confederate brigades led by James Archer, Joseph Davis, Alfred Iverson, Junius Daniels, and Alfred Scales. The brigade was one of the last to leave the field of battle and successfully reformed on Cemetery Hill. The brigade was sent to Culp's Hill on July 2, where that evening and during the early morning hours of July 3, Cutler's men assisted Brig. Gen. George Greene's 12th Corps brigade in repulsing spirited Southern attacks against the Union right flank. In doing so, Cutler's veterans held the distinction of being among the few Union troops who fought all three days of the battle. The performance of the brigade came at a great cost. Only five Union and Confederate brigades sustained 1,000 or more casualties at Gettysburg, and Cutler's was one of them.