20th Connecticut Infantry Regiment The 20th Connecticut Infantry ( 20th Conn ) was an infantry regiment of the Union Army of the Potomac , which fought in several pivotal battles in the Eastern and Western theaters during the American Civil War . Formed in July 1862 , the regiment was assigned to the XII Corps , and later the XX Corps took part in a number of actions including those at Charcellorsville , Gettysburg , The Atlanta Campaign , Sherman ' s March to the Sea , [ Bentonville ] , and The Grand Review . History . Raised in July 1862 , upon formation the regiment was placed under the command of Colonel William Wooster , a businessman in civilian life . Wooster was chosen for command because of his quick learning of military tactics and strong personality . Within a few months , Wooster and the men of the 20th Conn found themselves on the front lines as a part of the Union XII Corps . The 20th took part in its baptism of fire at the Battle of Chancellorsville ( May 1 – 6 , 1863 ) . On May 2 , 1863 , at Chancellorsville , the unit suffered heavy casualties as they and other units of the XI Corps bore the brunt of CSA General Stonewall Jackson ' s surprise assault . However , it is the unit ' s role in the next major battle that they would be remembered for . On July 2 , 1863 , on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg , several units were moved from the Union right flank on Culp ' s Hill to the south to reinforce the left flank which was being attacked . Seeing an opportunity , Confederate General Richard Ewell launched an attack on Culp ' s Hill and his men occupied the earthworks deserted by the withdrawn units . Attempts were made to retake the fortifications , but due to miscommunications , such attempts were unsuccessful and resulted in heavy Union casualties . At dawn on July 3 , 1863 , the commander of the Confederate army , Robert E . Lee , devised a plan to launch a massive assault on the center of the Union line ( the attack now infamously known as Pickett ' s Charge ) . This plan also called for Richard Ewell ' s troops to renew their assault on Culp ' s Hill to keep any Union regiments from leaving that area to reinforce the assault ' s target area . Long before Pickett ' s men were ready to make the charge , Ewell ' s men , still occupying the earthworks , awoke to a ferocious artillery barrage from Union batteries nearby . Forced into action by the bombardment , Ewell sent a message back to Lee saying that he could not wait for the main assault to begin to attack , and was sending his troops into battle . The artillery that the Confederate soldiers woke up to was devastating , and its effectiveness can only be credited to Colonel Wooster and the 20th Connecticut . The 20th was tasked with scouting the movements of the enemy and relaying that information to nearby batteries . They stayed in the woods overlooking the Confederate position and sent back constant updates . It was an incredibly dangerous task because in order to give accurate reports , they had to be very close to the target . Being in the impact zone was incredibly dangerous . Several men of the 20th were wounded / killed due to misfires or faulty ammunition . The last one to be wounded was Private George W . Warner , who lost both of his arms when a misfired shell detonated above him . Infuriated , Col . Wooster sent a report back to the batteries which allegedly said that if one more of his men were injured from a misfire , he would pull the 20th out of position , turn them around , and charge the batteries himself . The courier who carried the message added the comment , " he ' d do it , too , so be careful . " Save for a few mishaps , the artillery was incredibly effective . It did enough damage that the following infantry assault drove Ewell ' s men from the hill . Other Confederate units in the area attempted to charge up the hill and while they outnumbered their adversaries , the Union units on Culp ' s Hill were very well entrenched , and the attacks were repulsed with heavy losses . It was one of the first times that an infantry unit was used as a scout force for artillery . Citing the effectiveness , the tactic was used by several other Union generals throughout the rest of the war , including Ulysses S . Grant and William T . Sherman . This became a common practice in the army and the tactic is still being employed today . While the 20th Connecticut Infantry Regiment was left out of the combat at Gettysburg , their role in securing Culp ' s Hill would forever change how infantry was used in warfare .