Shortly after President Lincoln's call for "75,000 three-months service volunteers" that the citizens of Amherst, at the Town Hall meeting held Monday, April 23, 1861, decided their course of action. Charles H. Phelps, a young man of nineteen when the war began, attended the meeting. At day's end, he and sixteen other Amherst boys enlisted for service in the United States Army.
Following the completion of his three-month enlistment with the First New Hampshire Regiment, Charles opted to reenlist and signed on with Lt. Col. Charles Hapgood's Company I for service with the Fifth Regiment New Hampshire Volunteers. Ironically enough, Hapgood, himself a citizen of Amherst, had presided as Secretary over the very Town Meeting where Charles Phelps enlisted. Both men earned distinction and favor with the Fifth's commander Colonel Edward E. Cross. For his military bearing and knowledge of drill, Phelps was promoted to fourth sergeant.
After fighting in the battle of Antietam and being wounded at Fredericksburg, Phelps was hospitalized and four months later rejoined his unit. On July 2, 1863 Phelps, and the rest of the Fifth, marched to Gettysburg where they spent the majority of the afternoon on picket duty near the Taneytown Road.
Late in the day the Fifth was ordered to engage the enemy in the woods and assumed the left flank position of the brigade while 148th Pennsylvania advanced on the right. Together both units entered the woods on the east side of the Wheatfield. The Fifth engaged the Fifteenth Georgia and the First Texas at a stone wall running along the edge of Wheatfield. Colonel Cross, a second corps brigade commander and formally Colonel of the Fifth, dismounted from his horse at this point, and proceeded to quickly evaluate the situation in order to determine where he would next place his troops on the field. Cross assumed a position behind the line where the Fifth monument stands today. As Cross did so, a sharpshooter's rifle echoed from behind a boulder about forty-five yards to the Fifth NHV's front. Suffering from a mortal wound, Cross died early the next morning. Colonel Hapgood seeing the muzzle flash and smoke ordered Sgt. Phelps to shoot the man who mortally wounded their commander. Phelps carefully studied the towering rock and when the Rebel emerged a second time, he shot and killed the sharpshooter.
By the evening of July 2nd the Fifth's ranks were badly used up. The Third Corps having been anchored in the Peach Orchard in advance of the Second Corps gave way and the Union line collapsed. As men of the Fifth and the 148th PA, both of the Second Corps, First Division, quickly retreated to the rear, a musket ball struck Sergeant Charles Phelps in the back mortally wounding him.
Following the completion of his three-month enlistment with the First New Hampshire Regiment, Charles opted to reenlist and signed on with Lt. Col. Charles Hapgood's Company I for service with the Fifth Regiment New Hampshire Volunteers. Ironically enough, Hapgood, himself a citizen of Amherst, had presided as Secretary over the very Town Meeting where Charles Phelps enlisted. Both men earned distinction and favor with the Fifth's commander Colonel Edward E. Cross. For his military bearing and knowledge of drill, Phelps was promoted to fourth sergeant.
After fighting in the battle of Antietam and being wounded at Fredericksburg, Phelps was hospitalized and four months later rejoined his unit. On July 2, 1863 Phelps, and the rest of the Fifth, marched to Gettysburg where they spent the majority of the afternoon on picket duty near the Taneytown Road.
Late in the day the Fifth was ordered to engage the enemy in the woods and assumed the left flank position of the brigade while 148th Pennsylvania advanced on the right. Together both units entered the woods on the east side of the Wheatfield. The Fifth engaged the Fifteenth Georgia and the First Texas at a stone wall running along the edge of Wheatfield. Colonel Cross, a second corps brigade commander and formally Colonel of the Fifth, dismounted from his horse at this point, and proceeded to quickly evaluate the situation in order to determine where he would next place his troops on the field. Cross assumed a position behind the line where the Fifth monument stands today. As Cross did so, a sharpshooter's rifle echoed from behind a boulder about forty-five yards to the Fifth NHV's front. Suffering from a mortal wound, Cross died early the next morning. Colonel Hapgood seeing the muzzle flash and smoke ordered Sgt. Phelps to shoot the man who mortally wounded their commander. Phelps carefully studied the towering rock and when the Rebel emerged a second time, he shot and killed the sharpshooter.
By the evening of July 2nd the Fifth's ranks were badly used up. The Third Corps having been anchored in the Peach Orchard in advance of the Second Corps gave way and the Union line collapsed. As men of the Fifth and the 148th PA, both of the Second Corps, First Division, quickly retreated to the rear, a musket ball struck Sergeant Charles Phelps in the back mortally wounding him.
Shortly after President Lincoln's call for "75,000 three-months service volunteers" that the citizens of Amherst, at the Town Hall meeting held Monday, April 23, 1861, decided their course of action. Charles H. Phelps, a young man of nineteen when the war began, attended the meeting. At day's end, he and sixteen other Amherst boys enlisted for service in the United States Army.
Following the completion of his three-month enlistment with the First New Hampshire Regiment, Charles opted to reenlist and signed on with Lt. Col. Charles Hapgood's Company I for service with the Fifth Regiment New Hampshire Volunteers. Ironically enough, Hapgood, himself a citizen of Amherst, had presided as Secretary over the very Town Meeting where Charles Phelps enlisted. Both men earned distinction and favor with the Fifth's commander Colonel Edward E. Cross. For his military bearing and knowledge of drill, Phelps was promoted to fourth sergeant.
After fighting in the battle of Antietam and being wounded at Fredericksburg, Phelps was hospitalized and four months later rejoined his unit. On July 2, 1863 Phelps, and the rest of the Fifth, marched to Gettysburg where they spent the majority of the afternoon on picket duty near the Taneytown Road.
Late in the day the Fifth was ordered to engage the enemy in the woods and assumed the left flank position of the brigade while 148th Pennsylvania advanced on the right. Together both units entered the woods on the east side of the Wheatfield. The Fifth engaged the Fifteenth Georgia and the First Texas at a stone wall running along the edge of Wheatfield. Colonel Cross, a second corps brigade commander and formally Colonel of the Fifth, dismounted from his horse at this point, and proceeded to quickly evaluate the situation in order to determine where he would next place his troops on the field. Cross assumed a position behind the line where the Fifth monument stands today. As Cross did so, a sharpshooter's rifle echoed from behind a boulder about forty-five yards to the Fifth NHV's front. Suffering from a mortal wound, Cross died early the next morning. Colonel Hapgood seeing the muzzle flash and smoke ordered Sgt. Phelps to shoot the man who mortally wounded their commander. Phelps carefully studied the towering rock and when the Rebel emerged a second time, he shot and killed the sharpshooter.
By the evening of July 2nd the Fifth's ranks were badly used up. The Third Corps having been anchored in the Peach Orchard in advance of the Second Corps gave way and the Union line collapsed. As men of the Fifth and the 148th PA, both of the Second Corps, First Division, quickly retreated to the rear, a musket ball struck Sergeant Charles Phelps in the back mortally wounding him.
Following the completion of his three-month enlistment with the First New Hampshire Regiment, Charles opted to reenlist and signed on with Lt. Col. Charles Hapgood's Company I for service with the Fifth Regiment New Hampshire Volunteers. Ironically enough, Hapgood, himself a citizen of Amherst, had presided as Secretary over the very Town Meeting where Charles Phelps enlisted. Both men earned distinction and favor with the Fifth's commander Colonel Edward E. Cross. For his military bearing and knowledge of drill, Phelps was promoted to fourth sergeant.
After fighting in the battle of Antietam and being wounded at Fredericksburg, Phelps was hospitalized and four months later rejoined his unit. On July 2, 1863 Phelps, and the rest of the Fifth, marched to Gettysburg where they spent the majority of the afternoon on picket duty near the Taneytown Road.
Late in the day the Fifth was ordered to engage the enemy in the woods and assumed the left flank position of the brigade while 148th Pennsylvania advanced on the right. Together both units entered the woods on the east side of the Wheatfield. The Fifth engaged the Fifteenth Georgia and the First Texas at a stone wall running along the edge of Wheatfield. Colonel Cross, a second corps brigade commander and formally Colonel of the Fifth, dismounted from his horse at this point, and proceeded to quickly evaluate the situation in order to determine where he would next place his troops on the field. Cross assumed a position behind the line where the Fifth monument stands today. As Cross did so, a sharpshooter's rifle echoed from behind a boulder about forty-five yards to the Fifth NHV's front. Suffering from a mortal wound, Cross died early the next morning. Colonel Hapgood seeing the muzzle flash and smoke ordered Sgt. Phelps to shoot the man who mortally wounded their commander. Phelps carefully studied the towering rock and when the Rebel emerged a second time, he shot and killed the sharpshooter.
By the evening of July 2nd the Fifth's ranks were badly used up. The Third Corps having been anchored in the Peach Orchard in advance of the Second Corps gave way and the Union line collapsed. As men of the Fifth and the 148th PA, both of the Second Corps, First Division, quickly retreated to the rear, a musket ball struck Sergeant Charles Phelps in the back mortally wounding him.
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