WILLIAM BROOKE-RAWLE (1843-1915) was Secretary of The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Formerly Captain Third Pennsylvania Cavalry, and Brevet Lieutenant Colonel U. S. Volunteers. He served in Company C of the 3rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry during the Civil War, being commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant on May 16, 1863. He fought at the July 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, and wrote about his experiences in the short book "With Gregg in the Gettysburg Campaign."
He served under Captain William E. Miller, who on the Day 3 of the battle during cavalry action against Confederate Major General J.E.B. Stuart, disobeyed orders to keep his troopers hidden in the Lott Woods and charged into a Confederate Cavalry column attempted to attack the Union's flank. This charge that Lieutenant Rawle participated in, forced the Confederates to retreat. William Rawle's testimony years later assisted Captain Miller receive the Medal of Honor for bravery, and the action is commemorated today by a memorial Shaft in the East Cavalry Field in Gettysburg National Military Park. Rawle dedicated the memorial, which stands on Gregg Avenue and is referred to as the "William Brooke Rawle Flagpole".
He served under Captain William E. Miller, who on the Day 3 of the battle during cavalry action against Confederate Major General J.E.B. Stuart, disobeyed orders to keep his troopers hidden in the Lott Woods and charged into a Confederate Cavalry column attempted to attack the Union's flank. This charge that Lieutenant Rawle participated in, forced the Confederates to retreat. William Rawle's testimony years later assisted Captain Miller receive the Medal of Honor for bravery, and the action is commemorated today by a memorial Shaft in the East Cavalry Field in Gettysburg National Military Park. Rawle dedicated the memorial, which stands on Gregg Avenue and is referred to as the "William Brooke Rawle Flagpole".
