Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

2021 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: • • • • • • • • • • •

Pitching for Battlefield Preservation Culp’s Hill Archaeology Through the Lens Forging a Preservation Legacy at Gettysburg Effectiveness of Muskets at Gettysburg Horsesoldiering in Gettysburg, 50th Anniversary Gettysburg Reporting – New York Herald The Very First 3-inch Ordnance Rifle Central Virginia Battlefields Trust Back From The Dead At Gettysburg Civil War Events

FREE

Courtesy of Civil War News

CivilWarNews.com

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

2 Gettysburg

July 2021

Civil War News Published by Historical Publications LLC 520 Folly Road, Suite 25 PMB 379, Charleston, SC 29412

800-777-1862 • Facebook.com/CivilWarNews mail@civilwarnews.com • civilwarnews.com Advertising: 800-777-1862 • ads@civilwarnews.com Jack W. Melton Jr. C. Peter & Kathryn Jorgensen Publisher Founding Publishers Editor: Lawrence E. Babits, Ph.D. Advertising, Marketing & Assistant Editor: Peggy Melton Columnists: Craig Barry, Joseph Bilby, Matthew Borowick, Salvatore Cilella, Stephanie Hagiwara, Gould Hagler, Tim Prince, John Sexton, and Michael K. Shaffer Editorial & Photography Staff: Greg Biggs, Sandy Goss, Michael Kent, Bob Ruegsegger, Gregory L. Wade, Joan Wenner, J.D.

Civil War News (ISSN: 1053-1181) Copyright © 2021 by Historical Publications LLC is published 12 times per year by Historical Publications LLC, 520 Folly Road, Suite 25 PMB 379, Charleston, SC 29412. Monthly. Business and Editorial Offices: 520 Folly Road, Suite 25 PMB 379, Charleston, SC 29412, Accounting and Circulation Offices: Historical Publications LLC, 520 Folly Road, Suite 25 PMB 379, Charleston, SC 29412. Call 800-777-1862 to subscribe.

Periodicals postage paid at U.S.P.S. 131 W. High St., Jefferson City, MO 65101.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Historical Publications LLC 520 Folly Road Suite 25 PMB 379 Charleston, SC 29412

Middle TN (Franklin) Civil War Show MK Shows presents the 34th Annual Middle Tennessee Civil War Show and Sale at the Williamson County Ag Expo Park, 4215 Long Lane in Franklin.

The nation’s largest Civil War show, featuring 800 tables of antique weapons, artifacts and memorabilia from top dealers and collectors around the country and encompassing all eras of military history from the Revolutionary War through World War II. Appraisers are always on hand to help you identify and value your military collectibles at no cost. Hours are 9-5 on Sat., 9-3 on Sun., parking is free and admission is only $10/adults and children under 12 are free.

This will be a sold out show so make your table reservations early.

Mike Kent and Associates, LLC • PO Box 685 • Monroe, GA 30655

(770) 630-7296 • Mike@MKShows.com • www.MKShows.com

Digital Issues of CWN are available by subscription alone or with print plus archives from 2012 to present at CivilWarNews.com

Subscription/Renewal Form Civil War News – 12 Issues Per Year NAME ADDRESS

CITY STATE EMAIL

Email cover image to bookreviews@civilwarnews.com.

Civil War News cannot assure that unsolicited books will be assigned for review. Email bookreviews@civilwarnews.com for eligibility before mailing.

ADVERTISING INFO:

Email us at ads@civilwarnews.com Call 800-777-1862

MOVING?

Contact us to change your address so you don’t miss a single issue. mail@civilwarnews.com • 800-777-1862

SUBSCRIPTION RATES

U.S. Subscription rates are $41/year, $71/2 years, digital only $29.95/year, add digital to paper subscription for only $10/year more.

Subscribe securely at CivilWarNews.com 2 Gettysburg

ZIP CODE

(required for digital subscription)

Please send your book(s) for review to:

Civil War News 520 Folly Road, Suite 25 PMB 379 Charleston, SC 29412

Required

c c New Renewal $41 - 1 year USA Print $51 - 1 year USA Print & Digital $71 - 2 year USA Print $91 - 2 year USA Print & Digital $29.95 - 1 year Digital only

Charge my:

c Discover c MasterCard c Visa

Make checks payable to Historical Publications LLC. Payment Enclosed

Check #

Card # Exp. Date Security Code Name on Card Mail to: Historical Publications LLC 520 Folly Road, Suite 25 PMB 379, Charleston, SC 29412

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

800-777-1862

PUBLISHERS:

ADDRESS

USA Subscriptions Only No Canada or International

Display advertising rates and media kit on request.

The Civil War News is for your reading enjoyment. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of its authors, readers and advertisers and they do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Historical Publications, LLC, its owners and/or employees.

July 2021

George Spangler FARM & FIELD HOSPITAL ‰ The best surviving example of a corps-level field hospital used during the Battle of Gettysburg. ‰ A strategic location on the battlefield and Union artillery reserve's staging area. ‰ Meticulously renovated and restored, the site features original buildings from the battle to inspire and explore.

Open June 11 through Aug. 15, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays and the Battle Anniversary (July 1–3).

Admission is included with your ticket to attractions at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center—just minutes away.

Friends of Gettysburg receive complimentary admission to the historic site.

Ticketed programs are offered on select dates throughout the summer and autumn seasons.

For tickets and living history schedule, call 877-874-2478 or visit GettysburgFoundation.org.

HISTORY. LIVE.

Walk the grounds, hear the stories and feel the emotions of life—and death—at this historic farm suddenly transformed into a Civil War eld hospital.

Interact with living historians on Civil War medicine, the role of surgeons, caregivers and civilians, and the soldiers experiencing the horrors of war.

G E T T Y S B U R G F O U N D A T I O N . O R G | 1 1 9 5 B A LT I M O R E P I K E , G E T T Y S B U R G , P A 1 7 3 2 5

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

4 Gettysburg

July 2021

Pitching for Battlefield Preservation at Gettysburg

by Carl Sell Jr. On Saturday, October 11, 1913, Eddie Plank outpitched the New York Giants legendary Christy Mathewson to clinch the World Series title for the Philadelphia Athletics in five games. Plank allowed two hits and walked one in the 3-1 victory to avenge an earlier loss to the Giants and Mathewson in the series.

Known as “Gettysburg Eddie” throughout his brilliant career, Plank began a series of banquets and appearances that included taking his famous manager, Connie Mack, on a November 6 tour of his hometown Civil War battlefield marking its fiftieth anniversary.

Plank’s grandparents’ 143-acre farm on Willoughby Run just

west of Seminary Ridge recently has been preserved as part of the battlefield through an easement obtained by the Adams County Land Conservancy. Troops from both sides marched across the farm, Union artillery shells landed there, and the Confederates used it as a field hospital both during and after the battle.

The Wolf family has been farming the property for almost 100 years. The current stewards are Phil and Barb Wolf, the third generation of the family to own the farm. Although it has been preserved, it is private property and not accessible to the general public. The march of housing developments in the increasingly popular Gettysburg market has been halted at the

Wolf’s den, so to speak. The information about the Wolfs was provided by WeConservePA, which also stated that two other nearby properties have been preserved, creating almost a mile of protected property on road frontage.

The Land Conservancy of Adams County now holds a permanent easement on the property, which limits subdivision, development, and certain activities on the property to protect its open space and agricultural resources. All future owners of the property are obligated to adhere to the terms of the easement in perpetuity. A fund has been established for the purpose of monitoring, enforcing, and defending the conservation easement.

There are several partners in the Plank Farm project. The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, through its Agricultural Conservation Easement Program,

Gettysburg Eddie’s restaurant named after Eddie Plank. was the biggest contributor in ensuring the permanent conservation easements on privately owned land. The Adams County Office of Planning and Development also contributed, as did the American Battlefield Trust.

Early on July 1, 1863, the Union I Corps led by Major General John Reynolds marched across the then

Willoughby Run flows southward between Herr Ridge and McPherson Ridge through the Gettysburg Battlefield.

Historical maker for Eddie Plank.

“Gettysburg Eddie” Plank.

4 Gettysburg

Plank farm on its way to intercept Confederate forces approaching on the Chambersburg Road.

Reynolds would be killed in sight of the Lutheran Seminary as the Rebels overwhelmed his troops and forced the Union forces back through Gettysburg onto Cemetery Ridge on the battle’s first day.

The Confederate First Corps, commanded by Lieutenant General James Longstreet advanced across the property before attacking Union troops in the Peach Orchard, Wheatfield, and the Round Tops on July 2.

Major General George Pickett’s Division, made up entirely of Virginians, crossed the property late on July 2 and rested along Willoughby Run and the side of Seminary Ridge out of the enemy’s view until the fateful charge on the afternoon of July 3.

Among Pickett’s Division was Brigadier General Lewis Armistead’s Brigade that included

H Eddie

. . . . . . . . . . . see page 12

Eddie Plank’s house in Gettysburg. Color photography by Bill Kamenjar.

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

July 2021

Promoters of Quality Shows for Shooters, Collectors, Civil War and Militaria Enthusiasts

Presents The Finest

Military Collectible & Gun & Knife Shows

Asheville Gun & Knife Show WNC Ag Center 1301 Fanning Bridge Road Fletcher, NC

July 10 & 11, 2021

Charleston Gun & Knife Show Exchange Park Fairgrounds 9850 Highway 78 Ladson, SC 29456

Sept. 11 & 12, 2021

Asheville Gun & Knife Show WNC Ag Center 1301 Fanning Bridge Road Fletcher, NC

Oct. 2 & 3, 2021

Myrtle Beach Gun & Knife Show Myrtle Beach Convention Center 2101 North Oak Street Myrtle Beach, SC 29579

Oct. 30 & 31, 2021

Charleston Gun & Knife Show Exchange Park Fairgrounds 9850 Highway 78 Ladson, SC 29456

Nov. 27 & 28, 2021

Middle TN (Franklin) Civil War Show

Scan for all events

Williamson County Ag Expo Park 4215 Long Lane Franklin, TN 37064

Dec. 4 & 5, 2021

Mike Kent & Associates, LLC • PO Box 685 • Monroe, GA 30655 770-630-7296 • Mike@MKShows.com • www.MKShows.com

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

6 Gettysburg

July 2021

Culp’s Hill Archaeology GETTYSBURG, Penn.— As reported in the May issue, the National Park Service has conducted tree thinning and trail construction on Culp’s Hill, the right flank of the Union line during the Battle of Gettysburg.

The National Park Service is shifting visitor attention from Little Round Top to enable maintenance while improvement of southern part of the Gettysburg Battlefield and calling attention to the northern area. Viewscape improvement and trail construction has been underway during the spring,

including opening up a trail to Forbes’ Rock, a stone formation that was a battle feature and later drawn by artist Edwin Forbes. This preliminary account responds to inquiries received by Civil War News about whether or not archaeology had been done.

The research mentioned here is in the earliest stages of analysis and only provides very general information.

Federal law requires that resource assessment and mitigation plans be drawn up before land alteration occurs.

To meet the obligation for

identifying the cultural resources on Culp’s Hill, an archaeological survey was conducted by NPSGettysburg archaeologist Erik Kreusch and volunteers. The metal detector work took place during April 2021 and revealed that Culp’s Hill has not yet given up all its secrets.

Once a focus of veterans visiting Gettysburg, interest shifted to other areas of the battlefield leaving Culp’s Hill to naturally regenerate the ground cover that today restricts views while it also protects battle evidence.

The metal detectorists recovered some 700 battle related artifacts including buttons, buckles, and bullets. The distribution of these relics was not random and, even at this preliminary stage; it is obvious that tactical patterns can be seen. In some places clusters of dropped/unfired Confederate bullets and percussion caps provided information about where Rebels stood and fired at entrenched Yankees farther up the slope.

Because a lot of ground disturbance occurred when the Union breastworks were

“restored” in the 1880s, only a few artifacts were found within the Federal line. One artifact cluster suggested a Southerner had come inside the lines and discarded his cartridge box indicating he’d been disarmed.

The slopes around Culp’s Hill saw some of the fiercest and prolonged fighting during July 2 and 3, 1863. The hill anchored the Union right flank and was subjected to artillery bombardment and infantry assaults. When Federal forces came under very serious threats on their left and left center many defenders were shifted to oppose the Confederate brigades that came close to breaking the Union line.

Culp’s Hill has two crests; the higher western peak is connected to the lower eastern by a saddle.

The Union XII Corps spent most of July 2 building substantial earthworks along their defensive line that ran west and protected soldiers positioned along the slope. Despite heavy skirmishing downslope, most of the XII Corps left Culp’s Hill late in the day to assist Union troops where General Longstreet’s troops were

attempting to turn the Union left flank line with some success.

Only General George Greene’s 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, XII Corps, fewer than 1,400 New Yorkers was left holding the line.

The Federal units that remained on Culp’s Hill were driven from their easternmost stone and log breastworks by Confederate infantrymen who seized the lower crest and slopes, but were stopped after crossing the saddle between the two peaks by a devastating crossfire from two New York regiments. At the same time, frontal assaults directed at the upper crest farther west were repulsed. The next day, the remainder of the 2nd Division returned, stopped other attacks, and then retook their old positions.

Among the attacking forces was the Stonewall Brigade that included at least one man, Wesley Culp, with ties to Gettysburg. Another irony is that the Confederate First Maryland Battalion found itself opposed by Union Marylanders. Reportedly, alone of the Confederate regiments that broke into Union positions, the Marylanders took

Monument to the 1st Regiment Eastern Shore Maryland Infantry is southeast of Gettysburg on Culp’s Hill. The State of Maryland dedicated the monument on October 25, 1888.

The entrenchments running into the trees were the line of Wadsworth’s Division I Corps. Tree clearing took place in center background. The lunettes in foreground protected the guns of Reynolds, L, 1st New York Battery. Library of Congress.

6 Gettysburg

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

July 2021

July 2021 their colors into the Federal lines and brought them back out.

Analysis of the artifacts may shed light on unknown details of this attack and the fighting farther west on the higher hill’s slopes.

Unfired Sharps and Spencer carbine bullets were found in front of the Union breastworks suggesting that picket posts or a light skirmish line was present to give warning and slow down a Confederate attack. English Enfield rifle parts were found in another place in front of the Union breastwork suggesting weapons lost or damaged by one side or the other during the assault.

Dropped Confederate bullets, including the unique Gardner type, show where Southern infantrymen stood and fired; impacted bullets found farther upslope show where they aimed their rifles. At least some Confederates were using smoothbore muskets as round balls, and buck and ball, cartridges were also recovered. Analysis and research are continuing; a report will be completed sometime in the future.

Federal law and regulations, some dating to the early 1900’s, make relic hunting, excavation, and metal detecting on National Park Service property a criminal activity punishable by jail, fines, and confiscation of gear, including vehicles. These laws have been tested in the courts and been used to protect vulnerable hallowed ground in several states.

Having cleared portions of the Culp’s Hill Battlefield, the NPS is well aware of the potential for vandalism and illegal activity.

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

Gettysburg 7

Front of 2nd Maryland Infantry monument reads: 1st Md. Changed to 2nd MD. Infantry. C.S.A.* Right side: On the morning of July 3rd the battalion moving by the left flank formed at right angles with and inside the works and charged under a fire in in front, flank and rear to a stone planted 100 yards west from this monument Left side: 400 Strength in Battle.

52 Killed.

140 Wounded Back: The First Maryland Battalion Infantry, Lieut. Col. Jas. R. Herbert, Steuart’s Brigade Johnson’s Division Ewell’s Corps, Army of Northern Virginia.

Advancing from Rock Creek about 7 p.m. July 2nd Occupied the line of works at this point and held its position until next morning

1ST MD. CHANGED TO 2 MD. INFANTRY. C.S.A.

*This was because the regulations said that only one monument could be placed by a regiment. The Marylanders forced an exception because there were Confederate and Union First Maryland Regiments.

ND

Fight for Culp’s Hill.

July 2021

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

Gettysburg 7

48th

Sponsored by

June 26-27, 2021

26th 26th

27th

$10.00

For more information visit gbpa.org/ event/annual-civil-war-relic-show

“Let Us Create Your Victorian Vision”

10 Gettysburg

Drive Them Out At Daylight “Without breastworks our line would have been swept away in an instant by the hailstorm of bullets and the flood of men.” – U.S. Capt. Jesse H. Jones, 60th N.Y. On the afternoon of July 1, 1863, the defensive line of U.S. Gen. George Meade’s Army of the Potomac north of Gettysburg had collapsed. The retreating men were driven through the streets into the hills south and east of town by Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.

Gen. Richard Ewell’s 2nd Corps, Army of Northern Virginia, was given orders to attack Cemetery Hill, “if practicable, but to avoid a general engagement until the arrival of other divisions of the army.” His predecessor, C.S. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson may have found it “practical,” but Ewell, juggling other concerns did not.

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

Ewell instead chose to occupy fields north of Benner’s Hill and Rock Creek north of Culp’s Hill with C.S. Gen. Edward “Allegheny” Johnson’s approaching troops. The men had spent the day marching some 25 miles to Gettysburg. By the time Johnson’s scouts reached the crest of the hill, the U.S. 7th Ind., I Corps. greeted them with sharp fire, and they quickly retreated.

Culp’s Hill has a higher western peak closer to Gettysburg. U.S. Gen. James Wadsworth, I Corps., ordered the Iron Brigade’s remnants to occupy Culp’s Hill, on the far right of the Union “fishhook” line. After a hard day fighting, the men took turns digging breastworks with a dozen spades and shovels. In the morning, two brigades of Gen. John Geary’s Division, and Gen. Alpheus Williams Division, XII Corps, were added to Culp’s Hill defenses, extending the Union line to the east and onto the upper slopes of the lower peak.

Gen. George “Pop” Greene,

General Richard Ewell, C.S.A., Colorization © 2021 civilwarincolor.com. Courtesy civilwarincolor.com/cwn. National Portrait Gallery.

10 Gettysburg

3rd Brigade, XII Corps command, at 62 years old was the oldest Union general serving in the field. The West Point graduate and distinguished civil engineer set his men to building breastworks. Geary, his superior officer, believed entrenchments, “unfitted men for fighting without them.” Gen. Thomas Kane’s 2nd Brigade followed the lead of the 3rd in felling “trees and blocked them up into a close log fence. … The sticks, set slanting on end against the outer face of the logs, made excellent battening. ...

Fortunate regiments, which had spades and picks, strengthened their work with earth.” Otherwise “bayonets, tin pans, tin cups, etc. were improvised as implements in the construction of earthworks.”

During July 2, Meade repositioned most of the Culp’s Hill defenders elsewhere, leaving only Greene’s brigade of 1,400 men. Like what U.S. Col. Joshua Chamberlain, 20th Maine, did to defend Little Round Top, Greene

shifted his men “an arm’s-length apart” to fill the newly empty breastworks, but leaving only a single-rank battle line.

Ewell was to attack Culp’s and Cemetery Hills as soon as he heard C.S. Gen. James Longstreet’s guns. Johnson’s 4,700 men would attack Culp’s Hill from the east. Gen. John M. Jones brigade would assault the steepest part of Culp’s Hill with Gen. George Nicholl’s and Gen. George “Maryland” Steuart’s brigades on his left. Gen. Jubal Early would strike Cemetery Hill from the northeast and Gen. Robert Rodes from the northwest.

Ewell ordered the assault to begin at dusk.

About 4 p.m., 19-year-old C.S. Maj. Joseph Latimore deployed his 16 guns atop of Benner’s Hill, 1,000 yards northeast of Culp’s Hill. Latimore’s 1,000 rounds fired were doubled by the Union batteries; within an hour, the “boy major” withdrew all but four of his guns. As he was directing their fire, Latimore was mortally wounded.

Jones’s brigade reaching the “steep, heavily timbered, rocky and difficult of ascent” of Culp’s Hill, fell into disorder. Jones was shot in the thigh, experiencing “extreme hemorrhaging”, while rushing over to sort out the mess.

Lt. Col. R. Dungan, 48th Va. took over.

The 60th N.Y. was firing as quickly as they could reload.

July 2021 According to Steuben Coon, “The rebels yelled like wild Indians and charged upon us double quick. … We gave them a welcome with leaden bullets that sent many a brave rebel, for they are brave, to his last account.”

Dungan regrouped his men to charge again and again until “every round of cartridge had been discharged.”

Between the dwindling light and smoke, the 149th, 78th, and 102nd NY, defending the left center, heard Nicholls’ 15th, 14th, 10th, and 1st Louisianians yell as they advanced. Incessant fire drove all but the 1st to drop to the ground. The 1st briefly pushed the New Yorkers out of their breastworks but were unable to hold their position and fell back.

All was quiet as Steuart’s brigade approached. Suddenly, “the heavens [were] lighted up by the flash of thousands of muskets and the deadly minnies [tore] and [rent] our ranks fearfully.

Our column reeled and staggered like a drunken man,” wrote the First Maryland’s. Maj. William Goldsborough. Crossfire from the 137th and 149th N.Y. came from the right instead of their front. In the confusion, the 1st N.C. briefly fired upon the 1st Md. Steuart’s men came on and took the breastworks. They did not realize the position was 400 yards from the Baltimore Pike, which served as Meade’s supply line.

Bullet and shell battered trees on Culp’s Hill, Colorization © 2020 civilwarincolor.com. Courtesy civilwarincolor.com/cwn. Library of Congress.

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

July 2021

July 2021 Heeding the call for reinforcements, Lt. Col. Rufus Dawes, of the Iron Brigade’s 6th Wisconsin, hurried to Greene, “the musketry showed where to go.” Dawes was ordered to the breastworks. His rushing men discovered the enemy already in “possession of them, … surprised at our sudden arrival, rose up and fired a volley at us, and

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section immediately retreated down the hill.”

“I returned toward my entrenchments after dark”, wrote Williams, “and was met with the astounding intelligence that they were taken possession of Rebels in my absence!” Williams informed Gen. Henry Slocum who responded, “Well! drive them out at daylight.”

July 2021

Sears, Stephen W. Gettysburg: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003 Symonds, Craig L. The Battle of Gettysburg: New Word City, Inc., 2016 Gottfried, Bradley M. Brigades of Gettysburg: Skyhorse Publishing, 2002 Robert Underwood Johnson, Clarence Clough Buell, Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. Vol. 3: Century, 1887

Curtis, Newton Martin, L.L.D. From Bull Run To Chancellorsville: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1906 Stephanie Hagiwara is the editor for Civil War in Color.com and Civil War in 3D.com. She also writes a column for History in Full Color. com that covers stories of photographs of historical interest from the 1850’s to the present. Her articles can be found on Facebook, Tumblr, and Pinterest.

The Atlanta Campaign

The American Civil War was the first war in which both sides widely used entrenchments, repeating rifles, ironclad warships, and telegraphed communications.

It was also the first American War to be extensively photographed.

Mathew Brady, Alexander Gardner and Timothy O’Sullivan are famous for having made iconic photographs in the Civil War’s eastern theater.

George N. Barnard deserves to be ranked in this top tier for his photographic work in the war’s western theater.

A civilian photographer hired by Gen. William T. Sherman’s chief engineer to take pictures of fortifications around Atlanta, Barnard took several hundred of them in and around the city in the fall of 1864. His most famous is the site of Union Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson’s death in the battle of Atlanta, July 22, 1864.

100 Significant Civil War Photographs: Atlanta Campaign presents a riveting collection of George Barnard’s camera work. Most of the photographs are from Barnard’s time in Atlanta, mid-September to mid-November 1864, during the Federal occupation of the city.

With this volume, Stephen Davis advances the scholarly literature of Barnardiana.

Thus far, no comprehensive, definitive listing has been made of the photographer’s work.

The Library of Congress has 130 images; the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, has at least 98 photographs, donated by Captain Poe’s widow.

Other repositories, such as the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in New York City, have smaller collections.

For this book we have chosen a hundred images we deem “significant,” though other students may wonder at some of our selections.

ISBN 978-1-61850-151-6

100 SIGNIFICANT CIVIL WAR PHOTOGRAPHS : ATLANTA CAMPAIGN

General George Greene, Colorization © 2021 civilwarincolor. com. Courtesy civilwarincolor.com/cwn. Library of Congress.

Sources:

STEPHEN DAVIS

General Rufus Dawes, Colorization © 2017 civilwarincolor.com.

Courtesy civilwarincolor.com/cwn. Library of Congress.

On July 3, Williams attacked about 3:30 a.m., with the returned Union troops and 26 guns from five batteries. Sheltering in the captured breastworks, Goldsborough recalled, “the fire was awful, the whole hillside seemed enveloped in a blaze.

Minnie balls pattered on the breastworks … like hail upon a housetop.” The Rebels charged up hill over their dead but was unable to withstand the intense Yankee fire. The Federals aimed at the approaching Confederates knees. The effect “was noticeable at once.”

After hours of fierce fighting, Culp’s Hill fell silent about 11 a.m. Many Confederates retreated or surrendered, leaving only their dead and wounded. Looking around, Corp. James Hyde, 137th NY, surveyed 50 or 60 dead bodies and the damage to the trees. “On some trees there was not a piece of bark left as large as your hand … the only wonder is that there was a live rebel left.”

The battle’s attention turned to Cemetery Ridge and Pickett’s Charge.

Gesturing towards his men, Greene instructed a commissary officer, “Give them the best you have, every man deserves a warm biscuit and a plate of ice-cream.”

Gettysburg 11

$19.95

51995

We hope that this work will stimulate further interest in Barnardiana, and that other scholarly volumes are yet to come.

9 781618 501516

>

$19.95 + $3.50 shipping 128 pages, photographs, maps, bibliography. $19.95 + $3.50 shipping. Softbound.

ISBN: 978-1-61850-151-6. www.HistoricalPubs.com.

Order online at www.HistoricalPubs.com or call 800-777-1862

Welcome back to Gettysburg!

We’re your HEADQUARTERS for civilian life, orientation, gifts & books, events, group visits, information and MORE!

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

297 Steinwehr Avenue • 717-334-6245

www.GettysburgMuseum.com Operated by the nonprofit Gettysburg Nature Alliance

Gettysburg 11

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

12 Gettysburg

H Eddie

. . . . . . . . . . . from page 3 the Thirty-Eighth Virginia Infantry. With the Thirty-Eighth was Private James Farthing, the author’s great grandfather.

Farthing was wounded in Pickett’s Charge and probably was treated on the Plank Farm before being sent to a Danville, Va., hospital. He recovered, returned to duty with the FiftyThird Virginia Infantry, and then was wounded again the following year at Chester Station. Farthing came back once more and was captured on April 1, 1865, at Five Forks, just days before the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered at Appomattox.

The Plank family had left the property to seek safety with friends nearby. Included was David Luther Plank, who would become Eddie Plank’s father.

David’s father, John G. Plank, Jr., died in 1852. His wife, Mary

Elizabeth Weaver Plank, lived until 1883. His grandfather, John G. Plank, lived until 1867 and his mother Elizabeth, died the same year as the battle.

There was some early confusion among those writing about location of the Plank farm where the future Hall of Famer grew up.

The Adams County folks had it correct, but others assumed it was a farm on the Harrisburg Road north of town owned by Eddie’s father. Confusing things further was the fact that Eddie Plank, although he lived in town, later owned a farm on Marsh Creek south of town.

Eddie Plank missed the huge anniversary gathering at Gettysburg on July 1-3 when veterans of both the Union and Confederate armies grasped hands at the High Water Mark of Pickett’s July 3, 1863 Charge.

The Athletics were in New York to play the Yankees for those three days but Plank did not pitch.

He shut out the home-standing

July 2021

Yankees 6-0 on June 30 and won the second game of a double header in Boston on July 4, beating the Red Sox 5-3.

Townsfolk in Gettysburg held a gala banquet for the hometown hero, with Connie Mack as the guest speaker. An earlier banquet celebrating the World Series title had been held in Philadelphia.

After the Gettysburg event, Plank took Mack and others on a tour of the famous battlefield in a brand new car manufactured by the Oakland Motor Car Company, which was later bought out by General Motors and renamed Pontiac.

Mack, whose real name was Cornelius McGillicuddy, was born during the Civil War. His father, Michael McGillicuddy, was a member of the Fifty-First Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment.

The Fifty-First Massachusetts was organized in September 1861 and sent to North Carolina. Connie Mack was born on December 22, 1862, lived to

Action shot of Eddie on the mound.

Looking towards Chambersburg.

Author Carl Sell Jr. having lunch inside Gettysburg Eddie’s restaurant. He is surrounded by Eddie Plank memorabilia.

12 Gettysburg

be 93 years old and managed five World Series champions.

Mack’s father did not participate in the battle at Gettysburg; his unit arrived in Hagerstown on July 12, 1863 and was assigned to the I Corps of the Army of the Potomac as Union forces followed the Confederate retreat back to Virginia. The Fifty-First crossed the Potomac at Berlin (now Brunswick), Md., on July 17 before returning to Worcester, Mass., where they were mustered out on July 27. The elder McGillicuddy, who was born in Ireland, suffered from an illness he contracted while serving in North Carolina. His wife, Mary McKillop McGillicuddy, was born in 1836 and died at Mack’s home in 1912.

Eddie Plank won 326 games for the Athletics during his 17year career, more than any other lefthander in the American League, a record that still stands.

Only National League lefthanders Warren Spahn (363 in 21 years) and Steve Carlton (329 in 24 years) have won more.

Plank began pitching for the Pennsylvania College team at age 22 although he was actually enrolled in the prep school associated with the college.

Pennsylvania College changed its name to Gettysburg College in 1921. A former major leaguer, who was a coach at the school, told Mack about Plank. Plank went to Baltimore for a tryout and the rest is history.

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

He married Anna Cora Myers Plank in 1915. They had one son, Edward Stewart Plank, who lived until 1981. After his baseball career ended, Plank returned fulltime to Gettysburg and operated a Buick dealership. Many of Plank’s former teammates and opponents visited him in Gettysburg and most were treated to a personal tour of the battlefield.

Plank’s former home on Carlisle Street is just across the street from Gettysburg College and is identified by a Pennsylvania State Historic Marker.

Plank died from a stroke at age 59 on February 24, 1926.

If you would like to contribute to the fund to support the Plank Farm easement project, send a check to the Land Conservancy of Adams County, PO Box 4584, Gettysburg, PA 17325, or the American Battlefield Trust, which is partnering with Adams County to raise the funds necessary to sustain the costs of the easement.

Information and pictures for this article were provided by the owner of Gettysburg Eddie’s, a delightful restaurant-museum located on Steinwehr Avenue, just across from the National Cemetery. Plank is buried in the adjacent historic Evergreen Cemetery.

Carl Sell is a frequent contributor to the Civil War News. He can be contacted at sellcarl@aol.com or 703-971-4716.

July 2021

Sites Realty, Inc. 40 Hospital Road, Gettysburg, PA 17325 Successful ten-unit bed and breakfast for the past 29 years, “Baladerry Inn” – on 3.7 acres – is a turn key business with all B & B equipment and furniture. Review associate documents for full set of floor plans. Private owner’s suite included. Excellent maintained facility. Roofing 8 years old. Fully permitted sewage treatment plant. Call for complete tour of this $250,000+ gross revenue property. Reservation system plus historical client records included. New windows in family room, dining room, kitchen. MLS# PAAD112996. Offered at $1,395,000

4 W. Confederate Ave, Gettysburg, PA 17325 Historical Civil War Era Home, built in 1837, bordering Gettysburg National Battlefield known as Shultz House. This phenomenal architectural dwelling offers (6) bedrooms, (4) full baths, (4) gas fireplaces, spacious rooms, library, gourmet eat-in kitchen plus primary bedroom w/marble bath area. Exterior of dwelling has been completely repainted w/newly rebuilt porches and balconies. Located within the Historic Gettysburg Boro Limits, walking distance to all local amenities, Battlefield, Downtown or Recreational Facilities ( Y, Rec Center). MLS# PAAD115388.

Offered at $829,900

301 N. 4th Street, Gettysburg, PA 17325 The finest construction detailed quality, custom 4,800 SF built home (2011) with hand milled wood trim, solid milled doors, (5) bedrooms, (4) full baths, 10' first floor ceilings, 9' second floor ceilings. Ideal for all families. Interior elevator system access to three floors. Call to obtain MLS links to rooms with complete detail package with floor plans, detailed room amenities, exterior outside living area with fireplace and owner’s descriptive narrative. To build this home today would definitely exceed $1,000,000 just for the dwelling – no details missed. Located in Historic Gettysburg – just 3 blocks from Gettysburg College. MLS# PAAD115832. Offered at $889,000

571 W. MIDDLE STREET GETTYSBURG, PA 17325 Office: (717) 334-4674 • Cell: (717) 487-4000 Email: dsites@sitesrealtyinc.com Website: https://sitesrealtyinc.com

David L. Sites Broker

Sites Realty, Inc.

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

14 Gettysburg

Impact on the First Day’s Battlefield

Forging a Preservation Legacy at Gettysburg Twenty-four years of effort yield transformation of key areas of battlefield Preserving America’s battlefields is ongoing work, with misguided development projects regularly appearing around important sites enshrined in our national memory. The American Battlefield Trust is driven to save hallowed ground associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War. Our work, manifested in more than 53,000 acres protected forever, stretches from Massachusetts to New Mexico, but few sites carry as much resonance as Gettysburg.

Over the past 20 years, the Trust has saved more than 1,231 acres on and around this sacred

battlefield through the generous support of donors and partners.

In doing so, we have significantly advanced restoration efforts that allow visitors to engage powerfully with our Civil War past and forge personal connections that only emerge after walking in the footsteps of yesteryear’s soldiers. The 40 transactions we have completed through early May 2021 are located across the battlefield, but the cumulative impact of the Trust’s work can most clearly be seen in three areas: ground associated with the first day’s battle, the land that made up the curve of the Union “fishhook” along the Baltimore Pike around Culp’s and Cemetery Hills, and acreage comprising the third day’s cavalry actions.

The First Day’s field would be far less recognizable to any theoretical time-traveling Civil War soldiers were it not for the Trust. As it is, modern visitors are able to enjoy an improved experience thanks to our work.

The most ambitious project the Trust has ever embraced at Gettysburg occupies four acres astride the Chambersburg Pike and features a remarkable historic building, the Mary Thompson House, better known as General

July 2021 Robert E. Lee’s Headquarters.

The land played a pivotal role in bloody fighting on July 1, 1863, and remained a key position in the Confederate line for the rest of the engagement.

After the battle, the site became a tourist attraction, eventually featuring a museum, motel, and restaurant complex. But the site remained a high priority target for the preservation community.

In 2014, when the Trust announced a massive, $6-million plan to purchase and restore the property to its 1863 appearance, the building was hailed as one of

Seminary Ridge. Photo by Jeff Griffith.

East Cavalry Field. Photo by Rob Shenk.

14 Gettysburg

When Gen. Robert E. Lee arrived at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, his staff selected the Thompson house (shown above), located atop a ridge and near the center of the new Confederate line, as the site of army headquarters. Soon, tents for Lee and his staff were spread across the property, although no eyewitness placed specific tents at exact locations. Decades later, newspaper articles challenged well-accepted facts of the headquarters' location, but these were based on an assertion that prominent early Gettysburg historian John Bachelder spoke to Lee himself, an interview for which there is no documentary evidence, and an inconceivable situation given the volume of Bachelder’s work and the value such a conversation would have presented. Wartime accounts and maps demonstrate that Lee used the Mary Thompson house and property for headquarters functions; no primary evidence exists for any alternate site. Photo by Lynn Light Heller.

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

July 2021

July 2021

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section The Union right and Other Pivotal Pieces along the Baltimore Pike

Then: 2009

Gettysburg 15

After the first day’s fighting, battle lines shifted, and the Union’s took the shape of a fishhook. The Trust has had a tremendous impact along this line at Cemetery and Culp’s Hills, as well as along the Baltimore Pike.

Earlier this year, the Trust added to its already preserved land on the north slope of East Cemetery Hill with two small, adjacent parcels along Baltimore Pike on the south slope — bordering McKnight’s Hill or Stevens Knoll, an area of the battlefield set aside for preservation in the 1860s. One lot included the historic James McKnight House, a landmark on this portion of the field. Tens of thousands of Union troops, up to a third of the Federal army, marched past this property on July 1 and 2. Notable fighting occurred here on the evening of July 2, as the 5th Maine Light Artillery helped to stymie a fierce Confederate assault against East Cemetery Hill long enough for reinforcements to arrive on the scene. Period documentation also demonstrates that Union casualties were temporarily interred all around this property prior to the opening of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery.

The Trust has saved a handful of smaller properties near the Gettysburg National

MilitaryNow: Park2021 visitor center, creating a powerful first impression for many park guests and preventing the commercial development that all but surely would have come.

The organization has also been a force for preservation on Power’s Hill, a position along the Baltimore Pike from which Union artillery batteries poured devastating fire into Confederate forces attacking Spangler’s Spring and Lower Culp’s Hill on July 3. Included in this work is the 2016 purchase of 8.8 acres where the 1st New York Artillery was positioned to cover the Union right at Spangler’s Spring. These efforts and the transfer of land to the National Park Service allowed the Park to open the view-shed between Power’s Hill and Spangler’s Spring for the first time in a century.

Envisioning Cavalry Actions of the Third Day’s Battle Often overshadowed by famous incidents like Pickett’s Charge or the defense of Little Round Top, the clash of Union and Confederate cavalry units on the third day shows just how dynamic the Battle of Gettysburg truly was. This aspect of the battle, along with charismatic leaders, such as Generals George Armstrong Custer, J.E.B. Stuart

Now: 2021

Then: 2009

Then: 2009 Gettysburg July 1-3, 1863 and July 2 – Culp’s Hill

2020 ABT Bristoe Gettysburg Appeal Maps.indd 2

the most important, unprotected historic buildings in the nation.

Restoration was extensive; the hotel, parking lot, and even the swimming pool were demolished. At the Thompson House, the Trust ripped out post-war walls to reveal an original fireplace and installed an historically accurate cedar shingle roof.

When we removed a 1920s brick and earth berm around the building, it uncovered two hidden basement windows. Guided by Alexander Gardner’s famous 1863 images of the house, we replicated the longmissing porch and, as a whimsical touch, a doghouse. On the grounds, we installed period fencing around a garden featuring medicinal herbs that would have been grown in the period and planted a 24-tree apple orchard.

In a festive event, the Trust unveiled the property in fall of 2016, and today’s visitors can enjoy a self-guided interpretive trail explaining the gripping events that took shape at the headquarters from July 1-3, 1863. Eventually, the Trust expects to transfer Lee’s Headquarters to the National Park Service for incorporation into the military park but will act as a steward in the interim.

Adjacent to the Lee’s Headquarters property sit 18 critical acres on Seminary Ridge, now permanently protected thanks to one of the most impressive preservation efforts in the Trust’s history. The $3.5

Bristoe Gettysburg Appeal Maps.indd 2

July 2021

million transaction closed in late February 2019 and encompasses property that has remained largely unchanged since the battle. In fact, it had been part of the Lutheran seminary on the site since 1832.

Of the total acreage saved, 11 acres west of Seminary Ridge Road were purchased outright, coupled with a conservation easement placed on seven acres to the east, along Chambersburg Pike.

This land witnessed the climactic scene of the first day’s fighting. The determined defense of Seminary Ridge by men from the Iron Brigade enabled the Union army to regroup and hold Cemetery Hill, key to the ultimate Federal victory at Gettysburg.

Further west along the Chambersburg Pike, in 2011 the Trust partnered with the Conservation Fund to protect 95 acres between McPherson’s Ridge and Herr’s Ridge once part of the Emmanuel Harman Farm. Once the Gettysburg Country Club, a 9-acre golf course frequented by former President Eisenhower, this land where some 15,000 Confederate soldiers, more than 20 percent of Lee’s army, faced battle is now part of Gettysburg National Military Park.

Just last summer, the Trust transferred a 37-acre property to the park, part of the 70 acres we have preserved around Barlow’s Knoll. Marking the far right of the Federal line, the land saw intense combat on July 1, 1863.

5/3/2

Now: 2021 Gettysburg July 1-3, 1863 and July 2 – Culp’s Hill.

Light blue shaded areas are preserved by American Battlefield Trust.

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

5/3/2021 3:02:16 PM

Gettysburg 15

16 Gettysburg

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

July 2021

and Elon J. Farnsworth, can be better remembered by way of the hundreds of acres that the Trust has saved at Gettysburg’s cavalry fields.

Our work to protect East Cavalry Field goes back decades, often involving partnerships with the Conservation Fund and Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg, a predecessor to the Gettysburg Foundation. It began in 1997 with protection of the 135-acre Hoffman Farm and continued into the early 2000s, safeguarding 45 acres at the Shea Farm and 103 acres at the Taney Farm. In 2005, the Trust rallied its membership to advocate against a proposal that would have located a casino just one mile from this important site. Less well known is the Trust’s critical work in preserving some 85 acres of the South Cavalry Battlefield where fighting continued during and for hours after Pickett’s Charge.

Farther afield, visitors can picture the July 3 cavalry actions at the Fairfield Cavalry Field, where the organization saved 115 acres in 2003. During the third day’s battle, this land hosted a costly encounter between the 6th U.S. Cavalry and a Confederate cavalry brigade under the command of Brig. Gen. “Grumble” Jones.

New Opportunities on the Horizon While the Trust’s work at Gettysburg amounts to an impressive record of achievement, our efforts at this legendary site are far from over.

The Trust is currently targeting a four-acre parcel on Baltimore Pike adjacent to the James McKnight House, an area that has been threatened by commercial development for many decades.

Preserving this acreage will add to the Trust’s success along the Baltimore Pike and prevent future intrusive development from encroaching on the battlefield.

Learn more and contribute at www.battlefields.org.

12 Issues/Year Subscribe online at CivilWarNews.com Lee’s Headquarters in Gettysburg with the current restoration completed back to its 1863 appearance.

16 Gettysburg

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

July 2021

Subscribe online at CivilWarNews.com

Want To Advertise In Civil War News? ads@civilwarnews.com

Call 800-777-1862

CW N Civil War News

Vol. 46, No. 1

$3.50

America’s Monthly Newspaper For Civil War Enthusiasts

48 Pages, January 2020

Remembrance Day, 2019, Gettysburg The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.

– Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1863.

by Joe Bordonaro President Lincoln was wrong about the first part, but very much correct about the second part of this famous phrase from his magnificent “Gettysburg Address.”

On Nov. 23, 2019, reenactors and members of the general public gathered in Gettysburg, Penn., to remember the actions of the soldiers and the President 156

Remembrance Day 2019.

Stafford County Science Teacher Don Mullen, portrays President Lincoln.

(Garry Adelman, American Battlefield Trust)

FOUR INCREDIBLE ISSUES A YEAR

The Artilleryman is a quarterly magazine founded in 1979 for enthusiasts who collect and shoot cannons and mortars primarily from the Revolutionary War, Civil War to World War II. Now expanded and fully illustrated in rich color throughout the entire magazine.

The Artilleryman Magazine

520 Folly Road, Suite 25 PMB 379, Charleston, SC 29412 • 800-777-1862 • mail@artillerymanmagazine.com www.ArtillerymanMagazine.com

Members of the 14th Brooklyn carry the uniform of Frank J. Santella in Remembrance Day parade.

(Todd Welsh) years ago. The Sons of Union Veterans held their 62nd annual parade, featuring numerous Civil War reenactors. Members of reenacting groups commemorated the actions of various individuals and units by conducting marches and visiting monuments. A “Remembrance Illumination” of Gettysburg National Cemetery graves occurs each year, as well.

Although the numbers of reenactors are down from its 2000 peak when Wikipedia estimated there were about 50,000 Civil War reenactors; a still impressive number showed up this year and kept The Delaware Valley Blues march towards the Codori Farm.

Day the traditions alive. The accom(Alexander Glisson) panying photos highlight some . . . . . . . . . . . . see page 2 activities that took place.

H

Joe Bordonaro is a USAF veteran (1973–1977), Glassboro State College graduate (1980), Catholic school teacher, and retired public school teacher. He can be contacted at joe1861@gmail.com.

Inside this issue:

47 – Advertiser Index 43 – Events Section 10 – Black Powder, White Smoke 22 – The Graphic War 38 – Book Reviews 24 – Inspection, ARMS! 40 – Critic’s Corner 20 – Preservation News 28 – Emerging Civil War 41 – Small Talk-Trivia

16 – The Source 12 – The Unfinished Fight 26 – This And That 14 – Through The Lens

www. uniondb .com

34 York St • Gettysburg, PA 17325 717-334-2350 • CIVILWAR@UNIONDB.com

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

18 Gettysburg

Effectiveness of Muskets at Gettysburg In keeping with the Gettysburg theme of this month’s issue, the publisher asked if I would write about the small arms that saw use during the battle. The topic is so broad and so much ink has been spilled discussing the subject that I was overwhelmed and completely unsure where to begin.

In fact, fellow Civil War News columnist Joe Bilby authored an entire book on the subject, Small Arms at Gettysburg, so I knew that this was too great an undertaking for a typical column.

I highly recommend the book for your library. As a result, I decided to approach the subject from the perspective of infantry long arms fire effectiveness during the battle, to give readers some insights to think about regarding the small arms used during the battle and other Civil War battles that they may not have previously considered.

The average student of Civil War period small arms knows the war represented a technological turning point for weaponry carried by individual soldiers.

Many commanders on both sides had gained their first battlefield experience during the Mexican American War of 1846-1848, where the typical American soldier carried a .69 caliber smoothbore flintlock musket into battle. Despite adopting the percussion U.S. Model 1842 musket prior to the Mexican War, not enough of the new guns were available for the U.S. forces that were being committed to the expedition and the Ordnance Department did not want to deal with the ammunition supply problems inherent with some men armed with percussion ignition muskets and some with flintlocks.

There was also the potential problem of percussion cap supply versus ready availability of flint in the Mexican countryside. So, it was decided that only flintlock muskets would be used.

Less than two decades later, the standard infantry weapon was a percussion ignition rifle musket of nominal .58 caliber. The two

18 Gettysburg

most used infantry long arms in both armies by the summer of 1863 were the U.S. Model 1861 “Springfield” rifle musket and the British Pattern 1853 “Enfield” rifle musket, with the Austrian Model 1854 Lorenz coming in third. By the end of the war these guns were obsolete as well; breechloading metallic cartridge arms were the new standard for the military.

For decades conventional wisdom has suggested that the horrific casualties inflicted during the Civil War were primarily a result of this improved weapons technology, as the smaller caliber rifle musket was accurate and effective at much greater ranges than its smoothbore predecessor.

“Effective” is certainly the key word in the preceding sentence, as most studies regarding the potential improved “accuracy” of such weapons do not really bear out when casualties are analyzed.

As Brent Nosworthy explains

in The Bloody Crucible of Courage, infantry long arm effectiveness on the battlefield was not tremendously different between the Mexican American War and the Civil War. According to Nosworthy, a British military observer at the Battle of Churubusco on August 20, 1847, calculated that the effectiveness of Mexican musket fire was roughly 0.125%, with an average of 800 rounds being fired for every hit the Mexicans managed to score. The American army, on the other hand was tremendously more efficient as only about 125 rounds were fired for every hit the US soldiers obtained, or an effectiveness of roughly 0.80%. Studies of casualties inflicted during the Civil War from infantry small arms suggest that the hit ratio ran from about 1 in 145 (0.68%) to as high as 1.5 in 100 (1.5%), depending upon the battle. At first blush this seems unbelievable; during

July 2021

the Napoleonic Wars the British military established that under perfect conditions on a firing range the India Pattern Brown Bess could hit a man-sized target at 100 yards between 40% and 60% of the time. However, a battlefield provides far from perfect conditions, and the research indicates that under the stress of combat the accuracy of small arms fire dropped off substantially; by about two orders of magnitude! In fact, British accuracy during the Peninsular Campaign was a calculated at an appalling 0.30% to 0.50%.

In the case of the large discrepancy between the effectiveness of Mexican and American musket fire, there are several factors involved. The poorly trained, mostly peasant conscript Mexican army certainly reduced the potential accuracy of their fire, but lower quality gunpowder played a role as well. Period reports note that the Mexicans often used substandard gunpowder that would reduce the range and velocity of their projectiles. A similar problem plagued the Russian soldiers in the Crimea, where varying powder strength and quality was as likely to blow up a musket as result in a squib load.

If one considers that the cartridges the Mexicans used with their mostly British-made flintlock muskets were likely influenced by the British military as well, that meant a preference

for a single projectile cartridge, while the Americans tended to use “Buck & Ball,” a .65 round ball with three .31 caliber buckshot. The increased number of projectiles in the air from each American musket would certainly improve the U.S. hit ratio, as the Americans were often firing four projectiles with every pull of the trigger. The very effectiveness of such loadings at relatively close range, 100-yards or less, explains why some regiments like the 12th New Jersey were loath to give up the U.S. Model 1842 smoothbore muskets for the new rifle muskets.

The night before Pickett’s Charge the men of the 12th spent much of the evening dissecting their buck and ball cartridges and preloading their smoothbores with 12 buckshot, all the better to create a hail of lead for Johnny Reb to march into on July 3rd.

So, the question remains, why was the relatively new technology of the rifle musket not tremendously more accurate in combat than the earlier smoothbore muskets?

The answer is that it was, and it was not. The rifled arms had the potential for greatly improved long-range accuracy in the hands of a trained marksman and were easily accurate and effective out to 500-yards and beyond, while the smoothbore musket became dramatically less accurate beyond 100-yards. However, on both sides the mostly volunteer soldiers generally received little

Table comparing the ballistic characteristics of a typical 412-grain .65 caliber round ball fired from a .69 caliber U.S. smoothbore percussion musket and a typical 458-grain .58 caliber Minié ball fired from a percussion rifle musket.

Bullet

Distance (Yards)

Muzzle Velocity (ft/sec) Muzzle Energy (ft-lbs) Drop (Inches)

.65 Caliber 0 1500

50 1165

100 1003

150 895

200 806

250 726

300 650

350 579

400 514 2 .58 Caliber 0 950

50 897

100 851

150 811

200 775

250 741

300 710

350 680

400 652

600 551

800 466 1

2058 1242 920 732 595 482 387 307 241 918 818 737 669 611 559 512 470 432 309 220

0 +4 0 -14 -42 -87 -156 -256 -397 0 +5 0 -17 -47 -91 -152 -230 -327 -938 -2020

1. .65 Caliber 412 Grain Round Ball. 2. .58 Caliber 458 Grain Minié Ball

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

July 2021

July 2021

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

Gettysburg 19

.69 caliber musket ball.

The U.S. Model 1842 .69 caliber musket was probably the most commonly encountered smoothbore on the battlefield at Gettysburg, but was close to being phased out by both sides in favor of .58 caliber rifle muskets. All photos by Tim Prince.

.58 caliber Minié ball.

The Springfield U.S. Model 1861 .58 caliber rifle musket, along with the numerous contractor produced versions and some Confederate made copies from the Richmond Armory was the most common rifle musket at the battle.

.577 Enfield bullet

The .577 caliber British Pattern 1853 Enfield (Type III) was the second most common rifled infantry arm in use at the battle. training in marksmanship and range estimation, with the notable exception of the training that took place during the winter of 1862– 1863 while Bragg’s Army of Tennessee was in winter quarters in Tullahoma, Tenn. Additionally, volunteer soldiers who have not been adequately trained rarely have the necessary psychological mindset to take deliberate aim at another human being and try to kill them. As such, accounts of soldiers firing with their eyes closed, deliberately high or low, or not even at the enemy abound.

So, the potential accuracy advantages of the new firearms technology were largely lost due to a general lack of training.

What the new guns were, however, was effective at longer ranges. The improved ballistic coefficient of elongated bullets that were stabilized in their flight paths due to the rifled bores meant that volley fire at masses of enemy troops was now potentially effective at several times the distance of the old smoothbore muskets. The nominally .65 caliber 412-grain soft lead round ball, fired from a U.S. Model 1842 Musket at roughly 1,500 feet per second created a muzzle energy of 2,058

ft-lbs. The typical soft lead .58 caliber rifle musket projectile of roughly 458 grains weight traveling at nominally 950-fps resulted in roughly 1,000 footpounds of muzzle energy. Thus, at the muzzle the .69 musket was twice as powerful as the .58 rifle musket. However, the ballistic coefficient of the round ball, the way in which it would pass through the air and shed energy due to resistance, was much lower. Thus, the round ball lost velocity and altitude much more quickly than the elongated profile of the Minié projectile. A quick look at the accompanying chart that I created using readily available on-line ballistics calculators shows a comparison of velocity, muzzle energy, and bullet drop for a .69 caliber smoothbore musket and a .58 caliber rifle musket.

The chart assumes the guns are “sighted in” at 100-yards, so that is the point-blank range reference to which the bullet drop measurements apply. The chart compares the bullets at 50-yard intervals between 50 and 400 yards and provides additional data for the .58 bullet at 600-yards and 800-yards. The basic take away is that in terms of velocity,

Subscribe to Civil War News online at

CivilWarNews.com

July 2021

muzzle energy, and bullet drop, the smoothbore is more effective out to about 150 yards, at which point the superior ballistic coefficient of the Minié projectile starts to become apparent and the improved velocity and energy for the elongated projectile beyond 250-yards becomes much more obvious. In fact, in terms of downrange energy, the Minié retains nearly the same energy at 800 yards as the round ball does at 400 yards! The ability of the rifled Minié projectile to retain sufficient energy to kill or wound out to distances of 1,000-yards was its primary advantage over the smoothbore ball.

However, research and calculations by historians like Nosworthy and Paddy Griffith indicate that during 1864– 1865 the average engagement range was only 141 yards and, while many earlier engagement distances varied from as little as 20 or 30 yards to as much as 250 or 300 yards, the nominal 150-yard “firefight” distance meant that the technological advantage of the rifle musket was largely lost. In these cases, the volume of fire that could be laid down against massed groups of troops from the quicker loading smoothbore was more likely to decide the outcome.

During the three-day Battle of Gettysburg some 157,000 men were engaged on both sides,

with roughly 82,000 fighting for the Union and 75,000 fighting for the Confederacy. The overall casualties were some 51,000 combined, representing a combined casualty rate of 32%, making it the mostly costly battle of the war. A deeper dive shows that the Union lost 3,155 dead, 14,529 wounded and 5,365 missing while the Confederacy had 3,903 dead, 18,735 wounded and 5,425 missing. The casualty rates were 28% for the Union and 37% for the Confederacy.

Lee’s loss of more than a third of his army during the battle was a crippling blow that the South could not readily recover from, while Union losses were much more easily made up from the newly instituted draft. While it is difficult to accurately assess the percentage of casualties that were the result of small arms fire versus artillery, it is generally conceded that the majority of the injuries at the battle were the result of small arms fire. It can thus be extrapolated based upon hit ratios between 0.68% to 1.5% that between 2.7 million and 5.8 million rounds were expended during the battle, an average of between 17 and 37 rounds per man.

This estimate is well within the realm of possibility. A small indicator of how many rounds were expended by the South at Gettysburg comes in the form of

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

an ammunition order found in the McRae Papers. The order dated July 18, 1863, is to Eley Brothers in England, for 600,000 Austrian Lorenz cartridges as well as 100,000 buck & ball cartridges.

Tim Prince is a full-time dealer in fine and collectible military arms from the Colonial Period through WWII. He operates College Hill Arsenal, a web-based antique arms retail site. A long time collector and researcher. Tim has been a contributing author to two major book projects about Civil War era arms including The English Connection and a book on southern retailer marked and Confederate used shotguns. Tim is also a featured Arms & Militaria appraiser on the PBS Series Antiques Roadshow.

Digital Issues of CWN are available by subscription alone or with print plus archives at CivilWarNews.com

Gettysburg 19

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

20 Gettysburg

July 2021

Horsesoldiering in Gettysburg, Pt. 2 50th Anniversary, 1971–2021

by John S. Peterson It goes without saying that Horse Soldier proprietors Sam and Wes Small grew up in a setting that would have had young battle buffs round the country sighing in envy. Out in Colorado and far off California, historians-to-be Gary W. Gallagher and Robert K. Krick may have dreamed about marching to Gettysburg with Robert E. Lee, but the Small brothers were already there, on the premises. From their house on the Emmitsburg Road, the old battlefield “Staub” house, relocated opposite the Sherfy Barn, it was no big deal for them to step out the door onto the field of Longstreet’s second day attack or “Pickett’s Charge.” They had a line of sight to the Peach Orchard, the Round Tops, and Cemetery Ridge. No big deal at all.

Nor was it a big deal having a famed WWII general and presidential family living a stone’s throw just down the Emmitsburg Road. During the 1960s and 1970s, Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower’s secret service limousines came and went while Wes was occupied jumping off rocks in Devils Den, and Sam was bike riding to the old Stuckey’s at the Millerstown Road intersection for a soda.

Like the battlefield itself, the Eisenhower’s Gettysburg presence was just something these ten year-olds grew up with. Visiting tourists may have

Pat and Chet Small.

20 Gettysburg

regarded the place as Civil War “Mecca,” but for them, in those years, Gettysburg was simply their home town, no more no less.

Even so, they had unconsciously begun absorbing battle lore and artifact expertise while helping tend the part-time relic business their parents, Chet and Pat, had set up in the family barn in 1971. By age twelve both knew one end of a Springfield musket from the other and the difference between a cavalry saber and foot officer’s sword. Not that either would have dreamed that their livelihood would someday depend on this sort of knowledge.

Then in 1979, as Wes was finishing up high school, Pat and Chet sold the Emmitsburg Road house and moved their small relic business to the Old Gettysburg Village complex fronting East Cemetery Hill. They chose “The Horse Soldier” as their shop’s trade name, a name highly appropriate inasmuch as Chet Small’s paternal grandfather, William Henry Small, had been a Civil War trooper in the 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry.

Then the boys headed off to college, both intending on careers in business and neither expecting ever to return to Gettysburg. In the fall of 1984, however, lightning of a sort struck. While browsing in a Pittsburgh flea market, Sam Small fatefully stumbled across a “Lincoln Conspirators” carte de visite that he knew was worth

hundreds more than the five dollars the flea market proprietor was asking. Not surprisingly, this windfall prompted him to re-think his graduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh vis a vis the antiquarian trade and a possible career at the family’s Gettysburg relic shop.

At roughly the same time, over in York, Penn., his brother Wes, recently graduated from York College, began a management level job with a company that began coming apart at the seams, with massive layoffs, including himself, a few months later.

By the summer of 1985, both were back in Gettysburg, working in and out of the shop, sizing up its potential as a full-fledged business proposition, with room for both. Each of them figured to try it for a year or so before committing themselves. By the summer of 1987, heading into the 1988 125th battle anniversary festivities, both had become convinced that the shop offered a full-time future and were committed to the hilt. 1987–88 were also years that saw both of them married.

So, with Pat Small tending the front counter, and father Chet easing into retirement, Sam and Wes took full command from the cramped back office, working seven-day weeks and twelvehour days during the season through the November Lincoln weekend, an arrangement that lasted well into the 1990s.

If the hours were daunting, the rewards were immediate, due mainly to the series of bi-annual catalogues The Horse Soldier began issuing in the fall of 1985.

Their 1986 fall catalogue featured a stunning battle flag of the 32nd

Alabama Regiment ($32,500), serving notice that the former mom & pop relic shop was now in serious pursuit of quality artifacts. Thanks to the boys in back, Pat Small’s cash register was beginning to ching.

There would be, in all, thirtyfour catalogues before the shop shifted to an on-line web-site in 2002. They were highly prized and became collector items as they expanded in size and began featuring glossy cover photography in 1992, the year the movie Gettysburg was filmed. Covers from that time handsomely illustrate the scope of the ever-burgeoning Horse Soldier inventory, an inventory that prompted one customer to refer to the shop as a “commercial branch office of the Smithsonian.”

On the Civil War firearm side, the Horse Soldier’s bread and butter side, the shop now displayed racks of Springfield and Enfield rifle muskets, Sharps and Spencer carbines, earlier flintlocks and even occasional Revolutionary War muskets and frontier Pennsylvania/Kentucky rifles. To these were added the later Springfield “trapdoor” rifle, Remington rolling blocks, and, after acquiring a federal firearms license, the 1903 WWI Springfield and WWII M-l Garand rifles, not forgetting Korean-era carbines; nor forgetting handgun cases stocked with pre-Civil War pinfires and derringers, Civil War Colt and Remington revolvers, ranging back to an occasional 1803 Harper’s Ferry martial single shot, and forward in time to Model 1911 Colt .45s and WWII German Lugers.

In this field the Smalls became

full-fledged historical detectives, their Sherlock-ian expertise working to the customer’s advantage as well as their own.

They could, for example, advise Gettysburg Battlefield Guide Tim Smith that his seemingly ordinary trapdoor rifle was actually one with a special rare modification that boosted its market value from $300 to $15,000. They learned to spot fakes and forgeries and could rely on an elite cadre of expert friends for a second or third opinion. Very quickly the shop’s reputation for reliability became such that a Horse Soldier sales receipt was regarded in antiquarian circles as a virtual certificate of authenticity.

Through the 1990s shop floor space was expanded to keep pace with an inventory slowly taking over the entire first floor of its Gettysburg Village habitat. Every conceivable nook was crammed with every accoutrement known to Civil War soldiery, Yank or Reb. From bayonets to boots to bugles on through the alphabet, you name it; The Horse Soldier had it, could get it, or would sooner or later see it. All original, almost, with the very few reproductions clearly marked as such.

So much was involved that a division of labor was necessary.

Although both brothers were generalists, especially in the area of firearms and swords, to ease the strain of keeping up with it all, they divvied the artifacts along lines of taste and interest.

From the beginning, all soldier letters, diaries, documents, and paper went through Sam, along with buttons, carte de visites, and anything pertaining to photography. Wes handled

Sam and Wes Small at the Baltimore Antique Arms Show.

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

July 2021

July 2021

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

Gettysburg 21

Spread of some of the early catalogue covers; number 1, 3, 10, 11, and 12. the relics, both excavated and non-excavated, and all artillery and ordnance items, along with antique bottles, cutlery, and wartime bills, bonds, and currency. A surprising local relic had been a Richmond Tredegar Iron Works ammunition chest discovered in the basement of the Jennie Wade House next door.

Both brothers looked after uniforms and, perhaps most interesting, was a line of wall cases featuring a constant parade of shell jackets, frocks, and army greatcoats, some identified to soldiers with remarkable tales up their sleeve. One of these was a “lucky” shell jacket that a New Jersey soldier had sent home to his mother; “lucky” because he

had worn it through three major battles unscathed, though the left sleeve had a bullet crease from Gettysburg’s Peach Orchard. His diary accompanied the jacket and before they were sold, the Horse Soldier staff would occasionally open the case to allow groups of schools kids to touch the “lucky” sleeve while telling how the soldier was later captured and sent to the notorious Andersonville Prison Camp, where his first diary entry read: “this is a hard, hard place. I wonder if I’ll ever get out of here.” Luckily, he did, albeit reduced to a near skeleton.

Both brothers also, over time, acquired a sense of vocation beyond the business of making a solid, family-supporting living.

The Horse Soldier shop at 219 Steinwehr Avenue in Gettysburg.

As Wes Small put it, “we’re custodians — passing these artifacts on to people who treasure the past and want to own a small piece of it.” The Small family’s own piece was a magnificent collection of 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry items patiently acquired in honor of Chet’s grandfather, trooper William Henry Small.

Among these was a stunning cache of letters from the Kreps family of West Newton, Penn. that featured a father writing and receiving letters from five sons serving in four regiments all over the country. Two boys rode with the 15th Penn. Cavalry to Antietam, Stone’s River, Chattanooga, and were in on Wilson’s final cavalry raid;

Top left to right: catalog numbers 17, 19 and bottom left to right: 20 and 22.

Catalogue numbers 24, 25, 27, 28, and 29.

July 2021

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

Gettysburg 21

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

22 Gettysburg three others were with the 77th Penn. Infantry at Chickamauga, Franklin, and Nashville. One was promoted to lieutenant, transferred to the 67th, and then to the 92nd U.S. Colored Regiments serving at Port Hudson, La. Another was badly wounded in Tennessee and discharged with disability; a third was captured but managed, with the help of slaves, a spectacular escape swimming out to a Union ship off the South Carolina coast. Back home a jittery father counseled them while an anxious mother prayed. This 15th Penn. Cavalry collection was but one of many excellent letter-sets seen and researched by The Horse Soldier through the years.

In 2010, after a lengthy search, the Smalls found a larger building in a less congested area at 219 Steinwehr Avenue, just down from Cemetery Ridge and the Pickett’s Charge “High Water Mark.” That same year father Chet passed away and received a funeral fitting a former WWII Marine Corps China veteran. In 2015, matriarch Pat Small, who had watched the 1938 Peace Light ceremonies as child, passed from her front desk post to a welldeserved retirement. Up on the second floor, which contained a bed and breakfast as well, Sam and Wes at last had an office space where they could stretch their legs.

Busy as ever, as the shop

moved through the 2013 sesquicentennial, it found itself handling a high-profile collection with immense Gettysburg significance. This was the John F. Reynolds family collection, which contained the kepi, sword, sword belt, and sash that General Reynolds was wearing when shot off his horse while leading his I Corps into action on Gettysburg’s McPherson Ridge, July 1, 1863. These relics came with his saddle, corps badge, other items including handkerchiefs embroidered by fiancée Kate Hewitt, his commissions from Presidents Tyler through Lincoln, and an intricately jeweled presentation sword from Reynolds’ old Pennsylvania

Reserve Division which he never lived to receive.

After working with the Reynolds family in documenting the collection, the Horse Soldier represented them in negotiations with the Gettysburg Foundation, which purchased the items Reynolds was wearing July 1, 1863, as well as some others now currently on display at the Gettysburg National Park Visitors Center.

With their 50th anniversary on the horizon, Sam Small recently sat back to muse about Horse Soldier staff who have come and

July 2021 gone. “Over the years it’s been highly gratifying to be able to provide entry-level positions for young people just starting out, as well as niche positions for older folks with valuable expertise to contribute. I also like the way we’ve been able to adapt to the covid pandemic while maintaining a sense of humor.”

John Peterson is a freelance writer whose essays and reviews have appeared in Harper’s Magazine, Blue & Gray, and various other national periodicals.

ANNOUNCING A NEW

CIVIL WAR BOOK The first pictorial book ever done on Jefferson Davis. From his birth in 1808 until his death in 1889, this book covers his time in the military, congress, as Secretary of War, as President of the Confederacy, his escape, his imprisonment, and the later years of his life. Also included is a legacy chapter about all of his monuments.

FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF

JEFFERSON DAVIS

Statesman • Soldier • Author • Planter • President BY

STAN COHEN

256 pagEs, 8.5 x 11, papERback HunDREDs OF b/w anD cOlOR pHOtOs, Maps, anD DRawings $25.00 plus $6.00 FOR sHipping/HanDling Visa anD MastER caRD accEptED MusEuMs, bOOkstOREs, anD libRaRiEs can bE billED

ORDER FROM:

PICTORIAL HISTORIES PUBLISHING CO. 713 S. Third Street W., Missoula, MT 59801 406-549-8488 phpc@montana.com

Written for both professional and amateur historians, Gettysburg Magazine has been publishing engaging and highly readable works of original scholarship concerning the battle and campaign of Gettysburg since 1989. Each issue presents research into the strategies, the controversies, the participants, the witnesses, and the events leading up to and following the battle. Features include personal essays, historical and contemporary photography from the site, and maps that allow readers to more fully visualize the events of those critical three days in American history.

Subscriptions and back issues are available at nebraskapressjournals.unl.edu or by calling 402-472-8536.

Recent issues are available at stores in and around Gettysburg.

A MUST FOR CIVIL WAR BUFFS! 22 Gettysburg

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

July 2021

July 2021

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

Gettysburg 23

Gettysburg Reporting – New York Herald

by Joan Wenner, J.D. Historians have written that when Lee invaded Pennsylvania in late June 1863, his target was the state capitol, Harrisburg.

He was said to believe once his troops feasted on the bounty of the rich Pennsylvania farmland they would be strong enough to give him another great victory, perhaps one that would finally convince England and France to recognize the Confederate States of America.

With Confederate currency becoming distrusted in Europe, cotton effectively replaced it as a means of payment. It became “white gold.” Bonds for loans in March 1863 were floated and could be exchanged for cotton only at the end of the war. The selling point was that the war seemed to be going well for the Confederacy at the time and “undoubtedly at the end of the war the price would be much higher.”

However, according to British Blockade Runners in the American Civil War, “When news of Lee’s defeat at Gettysburg ... reached Europe the share price tumbled (The Times, London, August 6, 1863).”If the battle of Gettysburg had been won by the Confederates, the loan ... would probably have experienced a rise nearly as great as the fall now witnessed.”

Dozens of newspapermen were by all accounts on the scene to report the battle. In June, the New York Herald, along with the Times reporting for the Northern, Southern, and England press, had published news of troop movements.

Then on July 3, the Herald included two front page Gettysburg Campaign maps with one depicting The Cavalry Fight.

An EXTRA edition on July 5 reported much more taking up nearly two-thirds of the front page with “VERY IMPORTANT.”

“Glorious News.” During the Civil War the Herald according to Bennett’s New York Herald and the Rise of the Popular Press

by James L. Crouthamel, (1989, Syracuse Univ. Press), printed more maps and often expanded from its normal eight pages to a twelve-page triple sheet, with news-gathering efforts heightened and the telegraph used more extensively. Its military coverage, enterprising but biased, is a case study, says Crouthamel, of a mature metropolitan newspaper operating in unusual times, a time of great stress.

Interestingly, there is a reference in a Pennsylvania Historical Association paper presented by Dr. J. Cutler Andrews entitled Gettysburg Reports, Pennsylvania History, to two Pennsylvania newspapers; one the Lancaster Express, and the other, a Gettysburg weekly, the Adams Sentinel whose editor, Robert Goodloe Harper, “reported the battle in person, as local news on page two, of his July 7th, 1863 issue of his paper!”

Lee, as students of the war know, commenced his advance on June 3, 1863, marching north, and then concentrating his spread out army at Gettysburg, 35 miles southwest of Harrisburg. It is likely that Lee did not know, some say, the significance this assembly would have as a test of strength in a full-fledged battle.

After retreating into Virginia, Lee never had another chance to invade the North. Gettysburg marked the northernmost point a Confederate army would reach.

Meade with 92,000 troops under his command would “accomplish results when it mattered the most” amid a horrific “frenzy of smoke, yells and exploding shells.” A month earlier Lee had written that Meade “will commit no blunder on my front, and if I make any he will make haste to take advantage of it.”

After the Army of Northern Virginia crossed back into Virginia, Lee was said to have made an offer to Jefferson Davis on August 8, 1863 to step aside. Davis responded that to substitute him was to “demand an impossibility.”

Meanwhile the New York Herald press wagon (pictured lower left) marked “N.Y.H. Headquarters” that accompanied the Army of the Potomac on its campaigns, followed Meade and was photographed by Timothy O’Sullivan with reporters in Bealton, Virginia.

New from Valley Arts Publishing & Casteel Sculptures, LLC

Monument Replicas

Valley Arts Publishing features superb signed and numbered, limited edition Civil War Fine Art landscapes prints and Battlefield Monument Replicas created by sculptor Gary Casteel. www.valleyartsgallery.com - to purchase, or purchase at our gallery at 789 Baltimore St., Gettysburg, PA 17325 717-387-0461 – garycasteel2018@gmail.com

“The one and only gallery for Civil War monument replicas by noted historical artist Gary Casteel”

Made in the United States

In August 1863, Timothy O’Sullivan photographed these reporters as they were taking a break in Bealton, Va. Expanded view above right. Library of Congress.

July 2021

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

Gettysburg 23

24 Gettysburg

by Matthew T. Henson The George Lomas Center is a new and exciting museum that just opened to the public in Gettysburg, Penn. Established as a nonprofit museum in cooperation with the Lomas & Saum Foundation, the museum will strive to be a place that ignites and feeds the passion for American History within visitors of all ages and backgrounds.

The driving force behind the Lomas Center is the legacy and collection of George Lomas (1942–2016), founder of The Regimental Quartermaster in Gettysburg, and avid collector of Civil War small arms and artillery.

The Lomas Center will serve as the final location for George’s collection. Through preservation and interpretation of George’s wonderful collection, The Lomas Center will be a place where visitors can explore American martial firearms history from the 1750s to the 1980s and come face to face with original Civil War artillery.

George H. Lomas.

Beyond George’s collection, The Lomas Center is proud to be the home of the largest collection of George Woodbridge’s original artwork including the layout drawings for the threevolume work American Military Equipage 1851–1872 published

by The Company of Military Historians in 1971. George Woodbridge (1930–2004) was the dean of American historical uniform artists as well as an illustrator for Mad Magazine and Marvel Comics. The Lomas Center is pleased to have the privilege of displaying George Woodbridge’s layout artwork for Volume 4 of Marvel Comic’s “Epic Battles of the Civil War” series.

Through its ever-growing collection, The Lomas Center seeks to provide a place for visitors to explore American history and draw personal meaning from their experience.

The future will see The Lomas

24 Gettysburg

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

July 2021

Gun #1 Center providing a variety of visitor opportunities to explore specific topics in American history. The Lomas Center will provide hands-on access to collection items, living history, and youth programs intended to broaden interest in Civil War history and the greater American narrative of our nation’s past in keeping with the lifelong passion of George Lomas.

One prized artifact in the Lomas Collection is a 3-inch ordnance rifle, serial no. 1. This gun, affectionately known as “gun number one” at The Lomas Center, is an artifact with a storied and impressive provenance.

George Lomas researched and authored a detailed account of this piece published posthumously in The Artilleryman magazine.1 The 3-inch ordnance rifle serial no. 1 was manufactured by the Phoenix Iron Company in Phoenixville, Penn., during the fall of 1861, under U.S. Ordnance Contract of July 24, 1861.

Upon delivery to the Federal Government, the gun was issued to Battery L, 1st New York Light Artillery, “Reynolds Battery,” at Camp Barry in which it served with distinction during the War’s first years.

During the first day’s action at Gettysburg, the 1st NY Light Artillery, under the watchful eye of I Corps Chief of Artillery Col. Charles S. Wainwright, was along the Chambersburg Pike “between the town and the Seminary,”2 an untenable position. In the midst of the Federal retreat, Reynolds Battery suffered under intense fire from Confederate infantry while attempting a valiant and organized withdrawal of their guns.

With Confederate infantry bearing down on them and the Chambersburg Pike choked with retreating Federals making their way toward town, the 1st NY Light Artillery found it necessary to let gun number 1 go or lose the entire battery. Number one was taken by the Confederates.

The bravery and fortitude of the men of the 1st New York Light Artillery ensured that the gun was “lost without dishonor” a term based on statements made about this engagement by the Army of the Potomac’s Chief of Artillery, Henry J. Hunt. Hunt observed “there were occasions when a gun could be lost with Honor, and Battery L’s loss after its gallant stand was such an instance.”3 Col. Charles S. Wainwright, I Corps Chief of Artillery observed the action of the 1st NY Light

Artillery and their loss of gun number one. In his diary, he wrote: The rascals south of the road, too, killed the off-wheeler of Lieutenant Wilbur’s last piece; and when he had just got him cut out, and was starting again they shot down three more horses, his own horse, and one of the drivers.

So the gun was abandoned. I was terribly grieved when I heard of it, for I had begun to look upon our getting off from that place as quite a feat, and wished that it could have been without the loss of a gun. The more I think of it, the more I wonder that we got off at all. Our front fire must have shaken the rebel lines badly or they would have been upon us.

The gun lost was No. 1, the first three-inch gun accepted by the ordnance department.4 Following its capture at Gettysburg, 3-inch ordnance rifle serial no. 1 served with the Confederate artillery until the following year when the gun was recaptured during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. It “was recognized by its muzzle number.”5 It is this service in Confederate hands that The Lomas Center seeks to explore and use to further expand the body of knowledge about number one.

Recent research may discover further information to document number one’s Confederate service.

At Gettysburg, the 1st New York Light Artillery was in the Artillery Brigade, I Corps, Army of the Potomac, under Major General Abner Doubleday. Col.

The muzzle of gun number 1 showing serial number, manufacturer data, and weight.

George H. Lomas in front of his sutlery tent.

Charles S. Wainwright, I Corps Chief of Artillery commanded the brigade. Based on Wainwright’s recollections of the first day, the 1st New York was positioned on Seminary Ridge near the Chambersburg Pike.6 This would mean the Confederates who captured the gun were probably in either Heth’s or Pender’s Divisions, A.P. Hill’s Third Corps.

The capture of a 3-inch Ordnance rifle, especially one bearing serial number 1 must have been a moment of interest

for the Confederates, if not at the time, then at a later moment when the fury of battle had subsided.

The Lomas Center is seeking documentation and resources that might pertain to the capture of number one at Gettysburg and feel that documents from A.P. Hill’s Corps may be the first place to begin the search.

The research conducted by George Lomas indicates that 3-inch ordnance rifle no. 1 was recaptured by Federal troops in the 1864 Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. With the high

Chambersburg Pike leading to Seminary Ridge in the background.

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

July 2021

July 2021 likelihood of number one being in service with the corps that captured it, The Lomas Center seeks documents and accounts pertaining to the actions of the Hill’s Third Corps at Spotsylvania. The events that occurred during May 1864 are filled with possibilities as to how number one might have been recaptured, possibly along with the many Confederate artillery pieces in and around the Mule Shoe. Major W.S. Dunlop, a Captain of South Carolina Sharpshooters at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, stated:

George H. Lomas with Matthew Broderick during the filming of Glory.

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section The morning dawned – the morning of the eventful 12th – and just as the rays of light began to penetrate the blinding mist which had settled down upon the field, an immense column, well saturated with Dutch courage, led by Gen. Hancock, emerged from the pines in front and rushed forward to the attack. The little division defended its position with commendable gallantry, but could not stay the onward rush of the Federal column, which stormed over the works, capturing Gen. Johnson himself and nearly the whole of his division, with about twenty pieces of artillery, which reached the field just in time to be gobbled up by the exultant Unionists… Hancock urged forward his men to the attack of the interior lines, driving further and further apart the severed wings of the Confederate army as he advanced. … Gen. Lee determined to drive the Federals out, if possible, and recover his lines; but directed the construction of a new line of works some distance in the rear, upon which to rally and reform his troops in the event of failure.

He therefore ordered up all the artillery that could be spared from other parts of the field to assist in the restoration of his broken center.7

This account sheds light on possible places where gun number one might have been recaptured. It is possible that Hancock’s troops recaptured the gun. It is unlikely that it was part of the twenty guns taken when Gen. Johnson’s command was overrun as these guns were most likely from the Second Corps. Gordon C. Rhea notes that “General Johnson meanwhile labored to rally his Confederates in the hope of detaining Hancock until his artillery could return…

Captain Carter’s battery pulled up, too late to help. A single piece managed to unlimber and fire before Barlow’s men overran the battery.”8 This illustrates that the twenty guns lost during the capture of Gen. Johnson, were in Major Richard C. M. Page’s Battalion, 2nd Corps’ artillery.

The mention of Lane’s Brigade is an interesting one. A.P. Hill’s Third Corps was the most likely captor of number one at Gettysburg. It stands to reason, at present, that number one would still be with Hill’s Corps less than a year later at Spotsylvania. The papers of the Third Corps dating around May 12, 1864, are a likely place to find references to number one. Lee’s call for artillery to close the breakthrough and the action that Lane’s Brigade took may prove to be prime sources for information about where number one was recaptured. Rhea states that: Pressing ahead, Griffin struck immediately south of Steuart to assault Lane’s brigade of Early’s corps. The 28th North Carolina had entrenched below Steuart’s lower flank, its right end anchored

George H. Lomas and Susan Saum-Wicklein at Cedar Creek Reenactment.

July 2021

Gettysburg 25

George H. Lomas and Timon Linn with gun number 1. on a bog… Steuart’s collapse had exposed the 28th North Carolina’s left flank, and Griffin, along with some of Hancock’s units, charged the vulnerable spot, overrunning the 28th North Carolina and the adjacent 18th North Carolina.

Bluecoats streamed through the breach, scooping up prisoners and two guns.9 Perhaps gun number one was one of these two unlucky guns lost to Griffin during his assault on Lane’s brigade.

As The Lomas Center continues the work of discovering number one’s history, first-hand accounts and other reference materials are paramount. Any documents pertaining to the actions of corps under Hancock and Burnside, as well as Hill’s Corps at Spotsylvania Court House may provide the information. The Lomas Center looks forward to further discoveries about gun number one’s service and the opportunity to share it with our visitors.

If you would like to share

any information or documents with The Lomas Center that might assist our research, please contact the curator of The Lomas Center Matthew Hewson at GeorgeLomasCenter@aol.com or call 717-360-8805. The Lomas Center looks forward to your assistance in our research and would enjoy having you visit us at 50 Mayor Alley, Gettysburg, PA 17325.

Bibliography Dunlop, W.S. Lee’s Sharpshooters or The Forefront of Battle: A Story of Southern Valor that never has been told.

Dayton, Ohio: Morningside House Inc., 1988.

Lomas, George H. “Lost without Dishonor.”

The Artilleryman magazine Vol. 40, No. 2 (Spring 2019), pp. 52-55.

Rhea, Gordon C. The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern May 7-12, 1864. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1997.

Wainwright, Charles S. A Diary

3-inch ordnance rifle serial number 1 on display in the Armory Collection at the Lomas Center.

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

Gettysburg 25

26 Gettysburg

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section of Battle: The Personal Journals of Colonel Charles S. Wainwright 1861–1865. Edited by Allan Nevins. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1962.

George H. Lomas, right, with F.P. and Joe Markell posing with gun number 1.

Endnotes: 1. George H. Lomas, “Lost without Dishonor,” The Artilleryman magazine Vol. 40, No. 2 (Spring 2019), pp.

52-55.

2. Lomas, p. 54.

3. Lomas, p. 54.

4. A Diary of Battle: The Personal Journals of Colonel Charles S. Wainwright 1861–1865,

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

July 2021

ed. Allan Nevins (New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1962), p. 237.

Lomas, p. 54 A Diary of Battle, pp. 232-237.

Major W.S. Dunlop, Lee’s Sharpshooters or The Forefront of Battle: A Story of Southern Valor that never has been told (Dayton, Ohio: Morningside House Inc., 1988), pp. 62-63.

Gordon C. Rhea, The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern May 7-12, 1864 (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1997), p. 238.

Rhea, The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House, p.

245.

Matthew T. Hewson is the curator and director of The Lomas Center

in Gettysburg, Penn. Matthew has a Bachelor’s Degree in History and a Masters in Secondary Education from SUNY Plattsburgh, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Museum Studies from The George Washington University. Matthew was a high school history teacher before pursuing a career in the museum field and worked on projects for the National Park Service, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum, and Rose Hill Manor Children’s Museum before joining The Lomas Center as curator. Matthew is a lifelong living historian. Matthew started reenacting at 7 when he attended the 135th Battle of Gettysburg reenactment, which George Lomas helped to organize. Matthew has a passion for the material culture of American History and the stories these objects can share with the world.

John J. Hayes Historical Collectibles John J. Hayes Phone: 717-337-3013 or 717-261-6839 Email: jjhayes4k@gmail.com Website: http://www.jjhayeshc.com

“Reproduction Antique Spectacles to suit all sights”

Complete your impression with our authentic Civil War Era reproduction spectacle frames Personalized engraving available for our 1800s Flip -Top metal cases - fits all our slide spectacle styles.

See details on our website.

Quality Antique Arms. The finest investor grade antique arms and collectibles with the emphasis on historic items. I strive to bring you the best in flintlock, percussion, and cartridge muskets, rifles and pistols. Also, I have a fine inventory on hand of swords, bowie knives, powder horns and Native American (Indian) items.

Marc Ramsey Owens & Ramsey Booksellers Military and Civil War Books & Paper, Bought, Sold, and Appraised

10411 Gotham Road 235 N. Chesterfield, VA 23

www.HistoricEyeWearCompany.com 862.812.4737 Prices start at $139.95

26 Gettysburg

804-272-8888 Email – mramsey104@comcast.net

OwensandRamsey.com

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

July 2021

To Engage the General or the President: E-telegraph is: curtfields@generalgrantbyhimself.com Signal Corps ID # :901-496-6065 Headquarters: generalgrantbyhimself.com

• Featured on C-Span2 live for an interview following the surrender ceremony at Appomattox for the 150th of the surrender in 2015 (with Thomas Jessee as General Lee) • Featured, with Mike Rowe, on the Discovery Channel's three-part series "How Booze Built America" • Appeared as General Grant on the National Geographic Television series "Diggers" • Featured as General Grant in the Visitors Center films shown at Appomattox National Historic Park and the Dover Hotel in Fort Donelson National Battlefield • Featured on four national magazine covers • The only Living Historian to be featured on two national magazine covers at the same time and for the same event: the Appomattox 150th in 2015 • Selected as the official Grant for the U. S. Grant Boyhood Home in Georgetown, Ohio.

• Portrayed President Grant for the opening and dedication of the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library at Mississippi State University on November 30th, 2017 • Portrayed General Grant at West Point (at the USMA request) in January of 2019, to kick off their 'semester of Grant' celebration prior to erecting a statue of him on the plain, April 25th, 2019 • Performed (with Thomas Jessee as General Lee) the two-man presentation "Appomattox: The Last 48 Hours" on the front porch of the McLean house, April 13th, 2019 • Featured by the American Battlefield Trust as General Grant describing his life in the 'Civil War in Four Minutes' 1IN4 series • Portrayed General Grant for the Ulysses S. Grant (virtual) Symposium 2020 • Portrayed President Grant for the state of Ohio (The Ohio Historical Connection) • Presents a weekly Zoom program "Friday's with Grant" on the Civil War Round Table Congress (cwrtcongress.org and Facebook: Civil War Round Table Congress) All programs are archived

HE WAS ALSO

Dr. Fields was the official General Grant for the Sesquicentennial celebrations of: Fort Donelson Shiloh Vicksburg Appomattox

Portrayed by E.C. Fields, Jr., Ph.D

Ulysses S. Grant

28 Gettysburg

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section broke the Union lines on the first day at Gettysburg, but the result was the same. Union troops retreated and established new defensive lines, consolidating with fresh reinforcements. After both battles’ first days, Lee had pushed his opponents into retreat and defensive, opening offensive possibilities for his own army.

Recycled Battle Plans?

Chancellorsville and Gettysburg

by Sarah Kay Bierle Engage the enemy. Attack the flanks. Smash the center. Drive the enemy into retreat. Secure a victory. The Confederate tactics during the Battle of Gettysburg can be reduced to these oversimplified plans for victory, a victory that didn’t happen in Pennsylvania. However, the same plan had been enacted just weeks before in Virginia, securing Robert E. Lee’s greatest victory of the war at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Did Lee “recycle” his plans? There are some remarkable similarities between the two.

First Days On May 1, 1863, Confederate divisions attacked elements of the Federal army in relatively open fields along the Plank Road, east of the Chancellorsville crossroads.

Surprisingly, Union troops were ordered to retreat and establish new defensive lines in the woods closer to Chancellorsville, turning the offensive advantage to the Confederates and giving ground to Lee. On July 1, 1863, Union troops held defensive positions on ridges north and west of Gettysburg, starting along the Chambersburg Pike and eventually extending north of the town. Unlike Chancellorsville, Confederate attacks eventually

Second Days On May 2, 1863, Confederate General “Stonewall” Jackson took his corps on an intentional, circuitous march, moving south and then west to position his troops on the Union’s right flank.

Meanwhile, the divisions of Anderson and McLaws pinned the Union army in place with diversionary demonstrations on the Federal left flank. Jackson’s movement took most of the day, and he launched his surprise flank attack with only hours of daylight left. The surprise flank attack sent the Union XI Corps into retreat and other Union corps scrambled to form new defensive lines.

Darkness slowed the Confederate advance, leaving the divisions of the Army of Northern Virginia divided in the field. On the second day of Gettysburg two months later, Lee ordered two flank attacks. Using his army’s new three corps configuration, he sent divisions of Longstreet’s First Corps against the Union left flank while Ewell’s Second Corps headed for Cemetery Hill and Culp’s Hill on the Union right flank. Similar to Chancellorsville, the flank attacks were delayed by marching; however, at Gettysburg, the advance of the Union’s III Corps and the Confederates’ confusion about roads and starting points toward the Federal’s left flank resulted in less coordinated efforts. At both Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, darkness on the second days gave cover for the Union troops and

slowed the Confederate attacks into confused night fighting.

Third Days During the third day of battle at Chancellorsville, May 3, 1863, Lee still had the offensive despite a divided army. “Stonewall” Jackson had been shot the previous night, leaving General J.E.B. Stuart to take command of the Second Corps. The Confederates fought to reunite their army in their attacks around Chancellorsville and take the high ground at Hazel Grove.

Once this was accomplished as a center punch at the Union lines, Confederates advanced, generally pushing the Hooker’s forces into retreat. At Gettysburg on July 3, 1863, Lee’s main battle plan for the day focused on a punch into the Union center supported by a cavalry diversion toward the rear. If the flanks had been strengthened by reinforcements during the previous day, he gambled that the center would be weak. But what had worked at Chancellorsville, crumbled apart at Gettysburg.

Perhaps it is an oversimplification of Lee’s tactics. Of course, other factors must be considered. Lee faced two different Union army commanders at the battles. The terrain was significantly different.

Again linking the two battles — Lee had suffered irreplaceable casualties at Chancellorsville.

His victory at the May battle had resulted in nearly 13,000 dead, wounded, and missing. Even though Confederate morale was still generally high during the Pennsylvania Campaign and the Army of Northern Virginia had been reorganized into a new command structure, the many fallen from Chancellorsville were not returning to the ranks.

The Battles of Second Fredericksburg and

The open fields where Jackson launched his flank attack on May 2, 1863 during the Battle of Chancellorsville

28 Gettysburg

Salem Church during the Chancellorsville Campaign add another difference when comparing the two engagements.

At Gettysburg, Lee did not have an enemy corps threatening his flank or rear forcing him to divide his army again; perhaps this additional threat makes Lee’s victory at Chancellorsville more remarkable. Perhaps two months later as Lee studied what he knew of the Union army’s position near Gettysburg and formed his plans for July 2 and 3, he thought it possible to replicate his greatest victory at Chancellorsville. There are definite similarities between the two Confederate battle plans. Whether Lee intentionally “recycled” his tactics is up for debate, but there are enough similarities in the 10,000-foot overview to make it look possible.

At Chancellorsville, Lee gambled, and fate turned in his favor. The Union army settled on the defensive and did not probe Jackson’s secretive march. The secondary threat from Fredericksburg and Salem Church was mitigated. Generally speaking, the Union forces stayed where Lee expected them to wait and fight during Chancellorsville.

Lee’s gambles in May 1863 paid off in a military victory and soaring morale in his army. However, the dark side of Chancellorsville was the heavy casualties, something that perhaps Lee did not fully consider as he launched attacks two months later. Many of his hard fighting, battle victorywinning regiments were heavily depleted.

At Gettysburg, Lee gambled again, but different terrain, slow

July 2021 marching, and different Federal responses to the Confederate attacks points created new sets of variable to consider when adjusting the familiar battle plan. Also, the Union army was not always where Lee expected it to be which altered attack projections in the middle of the fight. (The Union III Corps advance on July 2, for example).

Lee did not gain a victory at Gettysburg, but once again he paid a heavy price in casualties. If Chancellorsville had broken the numerical backbone of the Army of Northern Virginia, Gettysburg started an irreparable bleed.

Fans of General James Longstreet consistently point out that general’s desire to find different ground and not attack the Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg. Lee stubbornly decided to pursue his combat plans at Gettysburg. Once on the field, Lee devised a plan to assault the flanks, followed by a punch at the center of the enemy’s line. It had worked magnificently at Chancellorsville and Lee had been likened to a god of war. However, the plan could be defeated it met with variables that Lee had not planned for.

While the tactics looks somewhat similar on paper, Gettysburg was not Chancellorsville.

Central Virginia Battlefields Trust saves Civil War battleground to preserve the memory and meaning, sacrifices and stories of the men who fought at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, The Wilderness, and Spotsylvania. Learn more: www.cvbt.org.

A cannon stands near the site of the Chancellor House at the crossroads

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

July 2021

July 2021

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

Gettysburg 29

Back From The Dead At Gettysburg

by Joseph F. Wilson When the Confederate army marched north, Union soldiers from Pennsylvania felt especially anxious to fight and defend their home soil against the invaders.

Many regiments petitioned authorities demanding they be allowed to defend their firesides.

One regiment eager for a fight was the 91st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. Private Stephen Kelly of the 91st packed his knapsack, shouldered his musket, and started off on in his regiment’s long dusty march.

Spirits soared with patriotic songs filling the air when the “Sons of Pennsylvania” crossed over into their native state. The sound of guns echoing across the farmlands grew louder with every step. Nearing Gettysburg, the troops hurried on toward the small town. Arriving the morning of July 2, the regiment immediately formed a line of battle on a little rocky hill overlooking Plum Run Valley. Some of the day’s fiercest fighting took place on the boulder strewn mount aptly named Little Round Top. The 91st lost 4 men killed that afternoon including their brigade commander, General Stephen Weed. Private Kelly

was listed among the regiment’s 17 wounded. Three days later the regimental surgeon reported Kelly had succumbed to his wounds.

After the battle, Union burial details quickly buried the dead where they fell in shallow trenches to avert the offensive sight and stench of the decomposing bodies.

The countryside surrounding the town contained countless trenches gouged in the fields and orchards to hold the nearly 7,500 decaying bodies. The total number of dead came close to an even split between Union and Confederates soldiers who died in the battle. After counting the mortally wounded soldiers who died later, the death total rose to nearly 11,000.

Sometime after the battle it was decided to reinter the Union dead in a new National Cemetery. A local lawyer, David Wills, was charged with the monumental task of digging up the 3,500 Union soldiers to be moved to the cemetery.

Wills hired Samuel Weaver to supervise the operation. Thanks to the meticulous Weaver, who personally searched the bodies for any sign of identification, only 1,000 Federals rest under a

Author Joseph Wilson reenacting a scene in National Cemetery.

stone marked “Unknown.” This was a remarkable achievement considering the condition of the bodies. Soldiers’ remains from the same state had their own sections to make it easier for family and friends to locate the graves of loved ones.

When President Abraham Lincoln gave his historic Gettysburg Address while dedicating the Soldier’s National Cemetery on November 19, 1863, the job of reinterring the Union dead was only half completed.

In the fall of 1863, a body identified as Private Kelly was reburied along with other Pennsylvania boys in the Keystone State’s section of the new cemetery. All 3,500 Union soldiers who lost their lives in the struggle at Gettysburg now rest in peace beneath the hallowed grounds of the well-manicured cemetery.

Confederates remained buried scattered about on the battlefield until 1872 when Weaver’s son Rufus handled the business of sending bodies back for burial in southern soil. Many of the Southern dead now rest in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Va., where a large monument honors the gallant soldiers who fell at Gettysburg.

Others were buried in Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga. While visiting the battlefield, one veteran of the 91st Pennsylvania Regiment was wandering amongst the soldiers buried in the Pennsylvania portion of the cemetery. He suddenly stopped at the grave of one of the boys from his 91st Pennsylvania Regiment. What he saw shocked him beyond belief. For a moment he just froze while gazing down at the stone in confusion.

The startled veteran had known men of his unit who lost their lives that day. Surely this soldier wasn’t one of them. To be sure, he fell to his knees for a closer examination. His cleanup revealed a fresh chiseled stone with the clear engraving of Private Stephen Kelly, Company E, 91st Pennsylvania Regiment.

91st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry monument on Little Round Top. Devil’s Den is to the left of the plaque.

Pennsylvania marker in the Gettysburg National Cemetery.

License Battlefield Guide Sue Boardman points to Devil’s Den. This panoramic view is from Little Round Top. Photo by Jack Melton.

July 2021

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

Gettysburg 29

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

30 Gettysburg Standing over the stone and looking down at his own grave was none other than Stephen Kelly of Company E, 91st Pennsylvania Regiment. The surprised veteran of the 91st Regiment was very much alive and well. A quick glance around the cemetery grounds for a

practical joker offered nothing.

It was no joke. Old Sam Weaver did a splendid job reinterring the bodies, but a few mistakes had to be expected.

Not being a superstitious fellow, Kelly eventually joked about the mishap with friends and family. On another Memorial

Actual grave after they chiseled Kelly’s name off.

Day trip to Gettysburg, he even laid flowers at his own grave to honor the poor unidentified soul who occupies his place in the National Cemetery.

Over time Private Kelly understood the blunder. The error now made sense. Due to illness, he spent early July in a Baltimore hospital. Kelly missed the battle and never set foot in Gettysburg in 1863. It seems somebody in the regiment stole the knapsack stenciled with Kelly’s name when he took ill. The unscrupulous soldier who swiped the pack was shot on Little Round Top and it was that soldier who died a few days later. Mr. Weaver and hospital personnel naturally connected the soldier to the knapsack.

The gravestone numbered A-88 in the Pennsylvania sector of the cemetery is no longer

July 2021

marked with Stephen Kelly’s name. Seeking accuracy, Kelly saw to it to have his name ground off the stone and replaced with the familiar “Unknown.” The body that rests below the marker is anybody’s guess, but if the soldier was in the 91st, he can only be one of the four killed or the 17 wounded on July 2, 1863

But it’s surely the despicable thief who stole Kelly’s knapsack!

Joseph F. Wilson is a member of the General Meade Society and the writer and producer of the documentary film “Civil War Prisons – An American Tragedy.” The film is now available on Amazon. Contact – joef21@aol.com.

THE FINEST HISTORICAL ANTIQUE MILITARIA

Gettysburg National Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 3,500 Union soldiers killed in the Battle of Gettysburg.

www.csacquisitions.com

Sarah Patterson’s farm was the site of a hospital. Patterson’s barn, off Taneytown Road, can be seen to the right of the sign.

30 Gettysburg

Wallace Markert info@csacquisitions.com 16905 Nash Road • Dewitt, Virginia 23840 804-536-6413 • 804-469-7362

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

July 2021

July 2021

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

Gettysburg 31

July 17, Virginia. 157th Anniversary Tour Please join Prof. Jonathan A. Noyalas, director of Shenandoah University’s McCormick Civil War Institute, for a walking tour which will focus on the 157th anniversary of the Battle of Cool Spring and its impact on soldiers and their families. Free tour begins at 1400 Parker Lane, Bluemont, Va., at 10 a.m. and will take approximately 90 minutes. No registration required. For information; jnoyalas01@su.edu or www.su.edu/ mcwi.

July 16-17 and Aug. 28-29, Georgia. Antique Gun and International Military Show Before making plans to attend any event contact the event host.

Deadlines for Advertising, Editorial or Events Submissions is the 20th of each month.

We strive to add all events submitted to us but do not guarantee that your event will be published.

There is a 100 word maximum for each event.

Email events to: ads@civilwarnews.com

Explore antique guns, U.S. and foreign military arms, Civil War collectibles, books, and military collectibles of all periods. Exhibit, buy, sell, and trade. IAMAW Union Hall, 1032 S. Marietta Parkway, Marietta. Fri. 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Admission $7, Ages 7-12 $1. For more information; 704-282-1339, richard@thecarolinatrader. com, www.thecarolinatrader.com.

July 24-25, New York. Reenactment

Civil War Weekend at Fort Tribute, Madrid, NY. No reenactor registration fee. Free ice, daily rations, Saturday night dinner. Food vendor also onsite. Hay and Water. Fife and Drum. Period tin type available. Daily skirmishes.

Artillery, Cavalry, and Infantry welcome. Bounties paid for mounted Cavalry and Artillery. For more information; www.forttribute.org.

July 24-25, Tennessee. Civil War Show and Sale June 26-27, Pennsylvania.

Annual Gettysburg Civil War Artifact Show

The nation’s premier Civil War relic and collectors show at the Eisenhower All Star Complex. Brendan Synnamon, GBPA Vice President of Administration and the event’s coordinator, is working closely with the Eisenhower Complex to ensure the event follows PA Guidelines for COVID 19 control. America’s Premier Civil War relic and collector’s show. Held at the Eisenhower All Star Complex at 2634 Emmitsburg Rd, Gettysburg. Our 300+ tables are a great way to view and even purchase authentic Civil War artifacts. Browse the tables and speak with the vendors who are all well versed in history and artifact identification. Better than a museum! Every item has someone willing to give you its history lesson and answer all your questions. $100 VIP Charitable donation includes Friday and early admission for the serious collector. Admission $10, children under 12 free. For more information visit https://www.gbpa.org/event/annual-civil-war-relic-show.

July 3-4, Pennsylvania. Reenactment: 158th Battle of Gettysburg

This summer Reenactment and Living History event at the Daniel Lady Farm in Gettysburg will feature popular battles such as McPherson’s Ridge, The Wheatfield, and Pickett’s Charge, along with an extensive Living History area for an all-around, all-day educational Civil War experience for the whole family! For info: daniellladyfarm.com.

American Digger presents the Chattanooga Antique Militaria & Americana Show at the Camp Jordan Arena, 323 Camp Jordan Pkwy., East Ridge, TN. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sat and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sun. For more information; 770-362-8671 or americandigger.com/American-digger-events.

Aug. 14-15, Georgia. Civil War Show and Sale

42nd Annual show in Marietta at the Cobb County Civic Center hosted by the North Ga. Relic Hunters. Cobb County Civic Center, 548 South Marietta Pkwy SE, Marietta, GA 30060. Hours Sat. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Show chairman: Ray McMahan at terryraymac@hotmail.com. For more information visit www.ngrha.com.

Aug. 28-29, North Carolina.

Antique Gun and Military Antiques Show

82nd Old North State Show consisting of antique guns, U.S. and foreign military arms, Civil War collectibles, books, and military collectibles of all periods. Exhibit, buy, sell, and trade at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds, 1025 Blue Ridge Rd., Raleigh, N.C. Sat. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sun. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Daily admission adults $8, and ages 7-12 $1.

For more information; 704-282-1339, richard@thecarolinatrader.com, www.thecarolinatrader.com.

Sept. 18-19, Pennsylvania. Reenactment and Living History: 159th Battle of Sharpsburg

This fall Reenactment and Living History event at the Daniel Lady Farm in Gettysburg will feature The Cornfield Battle, The Sunken Road Battle, and Burnside’s Bridge Battle, the bloodiest day on American soil, along with an extensive Living History area for an all-around, all-day educational Civil War experience for the whole family! For information; danielladyfarm.com.

Sept. 25, Illinois. Civil War & Military Extravaganza.

Zurko Promotions presents The National Civil War Collectors Fall Show and Sale which will be held at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $9, Free parking. For more information visit www.chicagocivilwarshow.com.

Nov. 6, Virginia. Seminar

Shenandoah University’s McCormick Civil War Institute’s fall seminar and tour “We Shall Have Graveyards at Every Door”: The Lower Shenandoah Valley’s Border Region during the Civil War with Prof. Jonathan A. Noyalas. $25 registration fee covers morning lecture, lunch at SU, and afternoon caravan tour of sites between Stephens City south to the banks of Cedar Creek. Space is limited, so visit www.su.edu/mcwi to register. For information; jnoyalas01@ su.edu or phone 540-665-4501.

Nov. 12-13, Georgia. Antique Gun and International Military Show

Explore antique guns, U.S. and foreign military arms, Civil War collectibles, books, and military collectibles of all periods. Exhibit, buy, sell, and trade. IAMAW Union Hall, 1032 S. Marietta Parkway, Marietta. Fri. 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Admission $7.00 - Ages 7-12 $1.00 For more information; 704-282-1339, richard@ thecarolinatrader.com, www.thecarolinatrader.com

Nov. 20, Pennsylvania. Parade

The 64th Annual Remembrance Day parade, Gettysburg, Pa. is sponsored by the Sons of Veterans Reserve, the Military Dept. of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Parade briefing at the Wyndham Hotel at 9:30 a.m. Units form up at noon on Lefever St. between Baltimore St. and E. Confederate Ave. Parade will start at 1 p.m. For information; majorsvrprovost@gmail.com or 609-812-2012.

Nov. 20, Pennsylvania. Civil War Ball

The original Civil War Ball will be held at the Wyndham Gettysburg Hotel located at 95 Presidential Circle. Price per person is $20 advance, $25 at the door. Music by Philadelphia Brigade Band, dances led by Victorian Dance Ensemble. Period dress encouraged. Door prizes, plus prizes for ladies’ cake walk. Cash bar. 8 p.m. to midnight.

For information; email Col. Steve Michaels SVR at Lt.col.sm@gmail.com, 414-712-4655.

Dec. 4-5, Tennessee. Civil War Show and Sale

Tim Prince College Hill Arsenal PO Box 178204 Nashville, TN 37217 615-972-2418

www.CollegeHillArsenal.com July 2021

MK Shows presents the 34th Annual Middle Tennessee Civil War Show and Sale at the Williamson County Ag Expo Park, 4215 Long Lane in Franklin. The nation’s largest Civil War show, featuring 800 tables of antique weapons, artifacts and memorabilia from top dealers and collectors around the country and encompassing all eras of military history from the Revolutionary War through World War II. Appraisers are always on hand to help you identify and value your military collectibles at no cost. Hours are 9-5 on Sat., 9-3 on Sun., parking is free and admission is only $10/adults and children under 12 are free. For more information; www.MKShows.com or Mike@MKShows.com.

Please note the date change for the Lowcountry Antique Militaria & Americana Show. New dates are: January 15-16, 2022.

Digital Issues of CWN are available by subscription alone or with print plus archives from 2012 to present at CivilWarNews.com

Civil War News 27th Annual Gettysburg Section

Gettysburg 31

Premier Firearms

And Militaria Auction accepting consignments

Firearms & Militaria Auctioneers

Nov 5, 6, & 7, 2021 | Fairfield, ME

For more info, visit poulinauctions.com, or call (207) 453-2114 and become a consignor today!

Very Fine “As Found” Identified Martial Henry Rifle, S# 3462. EST. $32,500 - $42,500

Sold $92,000

Georgia Confederate Officer Sword Presented To One Of The “Immortal Six Hundred”. EST. $40,000 - $60,000

Newly Discovered Fine Confederate Griswold Revolver. EST. $25,000 - $30,000

Sold $36,800

Sold $47,150

Extremely Rare And Iconic Confederate Staff Officer’s Sword. EST. $40,000 - $60,000

Sold $46,000

Rare & Historic Pair Of Colt Fluted Army Revolvers Used By “Jeff Davis Legion” At Gettysburg And Other Battles. Cal. 44. EST. $25,000 - $35,000

Sold $39,100

Extremely Rare And Unique Louis Bissonnet, Mobile ALA Made Confederate Cavalry Officer’s Saber. EST. $40,000 - $60,000

Sold $44,850

0

%

Or Better!

Seller’s Commission On Expensive Items and Valuable Collections

To view the full May 2021 Auction Prices Realized, please visit poulinauctions.com civilwar@poulinauctions.com | poulinauctions.com | 199 Skowhegan Rd, Fairfield, ME 04937 | 207-453-2114 Stephen Poulin, ME Lic # 1115