The Battle of Sporting Hill was a relatively small, but strategically important skirmish during the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War, taking place on June 30, 1863, in present day Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. It is known as the northernmost engagement of the Army of Northern Virginia during the Gettysburg campaign of the American Civil War.
| Battle of Sporting Hill | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the American Civil War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| United States of America | Confederate States of America | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Albert Gallatin Jenkins | Darius Couch | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Elements of Pennsylvania and New York state militia | Elements of the 16th Virginia Cavalry Regiment | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 16 dead, 20-30 wounded | 11 wounded | ||||||
Background
The present day borough of Camp Hill, located in the Cumberland Valley approximately 2 miles from the state capital Harrisburg, had been occupied by Union troops under the command of Maj. Gen. Darius N. Couch. Couch had set up encampments along the western portion of Bridgeport, adjacent to Camp Hill. These fortifications were known as Fort Couch and Fort Washington. Rebel forces under the command of Gen. Jenkins, raided nearby Mechanicsburg on June 28th and skirmished with the 22nd and 37th New York Militia at Sporting Hill on the west side of Camp Hill on June 29th. The rebels then pressed on to the outer defenses of Fort Couch where they skirmished with the outer picket line for over an hour. They later withdrew in the direction of Carlisle. At least 16 Confederates from the 16th and 36th Virginia Cavalry were killed during the fighting and an additional 20 to 30 were wounded. Union losses were listed at 11 men wounded.
At the conlusion of the Confederate advancement towards Harrisburg at Sporting Hill, rebel forces were forced to consolidate towards Gettysburg, and the objective of taking Harrisburg would never materialize.