By Andrew Dalton, President & CEO of Gettysburg History
He walked home after suffering a devastating head wound.
James F. Culbertson enlisted in Company K, 1st Pennsylvania Reserves on June 8, 1861. While charging into the Wheatfield on July 2, 1863, a bullet entered his head just behind his right ear and passed through his neck, exiting just behind his left ear. He was carried to a temporary field hospital where he lay insensible for two days. Without medical attention and using his last energy he struggled to his feet and walked to his home at Middle Creek, near Emmitsburg, six miles away.
Miraculously, he survived his wounds, dying in 1917. One of his most prized relics of the war was the hat which he wore the day he was shot. The holes are plainly discernable, showing the entry and exit of the course of the bullet.
Photo Credit: Gettysburg Images
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To see Culbertson’s actual hat on display, be sure to visit Gettysburg Beyond the Battle Museum (625 Biglerville Road).
