Gettysburg

The Norwegian polar explorer, Roald Amundsen, was the first guy to the South Pole in 1911. He said something like, “Victory awaits the one who has everything in order. People call it good luck. While defeat always follows bad preparations and people call it bad luck.”

Questions for the May Little Round Table

1. Why was Lee surprised when Longstreet's spy Harrison informed him of the location of the union army? Up until that time what was Lee's main concern or frustration about his opponent? Did this new information cause Lee to alter his plans?

2. What was Longstreet's postwar evaluation of Ewell's operations in Pennsylvania prior to the Battle of Gettysburg?

3. Which Confederate general did Stuart blame for his tardy arrival at Gettysburg?

4. Although rarely mentioned in analysis of the battle, "Extra Billy" and "Baldy" Smith significantly influenced events, what did each of them do?

5. When Ewell was tempted into attacking Howard's Corps what was his greatest fear?

6. What was the Pipe Creek Circular?

7. Which two hills on the eastern edge of the battlefield did a portion of Slocum's XXII Corps climb on the first day of the battle?

8. What was the story (and its significance to tonight's topic) of the 7th Indiana (1st Corps) on the first day of the battle?

9. Slocum and Ewell were much alike as Corps commanders, if their positions were reversed do you believe that they would have acted any differently on July 1st?

The purpose of the May 2019 Little Round Table will be to more closely examine the actions of Generals Ewell and Slocum on July 1, 1863; the first day of the battle. The two generals are linked by each having failed to occupy Culp's Hill after the union's retreat from the west and the north of town. While its rugged woody terrain made Culp's Hill itself of little value as a staging area or an artillery platform, in Confederate hands it would have provided an additional source of enfilade small arms fire on Cemetery Hill; the presumptive key to the Union position.

Although there was little to no direct contact between Ewell and Slocum's soldiers that day, there are reasons to believe that their proximity on the eastern edge of town was a factor in some of their actions.

Since the battle there have been aggressive attempts to find scapegoats for the federal rout that day and for the southern army's inability to win a decisive victory over the next two days.

Stuart was the south's initial target and he responded by blaming Early for his late arrival on the battlefield. Lee willingly took the blame but after his death Lost Cause southerners (including Early, Gordon, & Trimble) attempted to rehabilitate Lee's image by blaming Stuart, Longstreet and Ewell for the defeat. Somehow A.P. Hill and Fighting Dick Anderson escaped blame although distanced examination reveals their performances were by far the poorest of the southern corps and division commanders; second only to Lee's in the "what if" department.

Lee's stated goal was to crush the scattered union army as it advanced to meet his invasion of Pennsylvania, which required that he draw it as far north as possible. For his plan to work he needed excellent intelligence regarding their advance and Corps commanders who could interpret and execute his vague and often contradictory orders. Although Lee was familiar with Stuart's grandstanding, his vague order to Stuart at the start of the campaign resulted in the best of his cavalry forces being unexpectedly unavailable and he then failed to adequately utilize the second rate cavalry units which were available. And his goal was a huge overreach, requiring perfect execution and considerable luck. He got all his luck on the first day. But with two new Corps commanders unused to being his direct reports execution was far from automatic, and he failed to take the steps necessary to compensate for this.

Slocum's performance during the first day has always been somewhat puzzling to students of the battle. Howard has long been the primary target of critics of the federal performance on the first day, and he immediately attempted to shift the blame to Doubleday and Slocum.

And given the maxim that the truth is at best a partially told story the blame game is not a simple exercise.

Cast of Characters

Slocum moves his Corps north and stops at noon on July 1st at Two Taverns, 4.5 miles south of Gettysburg. Troops are exhausted. On the way he has received a dispatch from Meade that the army's recent movements have caused the Rebel army to abandon its attempt of capture Harrisburg. That Meade will wait to determine the enemy's intention, if there is an attack and the Reynold's First Corps uncovers Two taverns, Slocum is to fall back along Pipe Creek (10 miles south) where the army will establish a defensive line. In this event Slocum will also be placed in command of the Fifth Corps. A later dispatch from Dan Butterfield says to expect that the Pipe Creek orders will soon be implemented.

When the Twelfth Corps reached Two Taverns at noon they were still unaware of a battle, suggesting that they had no liaison (formally or informally) with anyone in the left wing of the army. At about 2PM Howard's first dispatch arrives, it is brief and more informational in nature than a request for assistance.

"Ewell's Corps is advancing from York. The left wing of the Army of the Potomac is engaged with A.P. Hill's corps."

At about 3PM Howard sends a second dispatch to Slocum, informing him of Reynold's death, stating that he is being turned, and asking for assistance. Shortly after the Twelfth Corps begins marching to Gettysburg.

Major Howard rides to Two Taverns to ask Slocum to bring one of his divisions up on the right and one up on the left of the union position.

On the road from Two Taverns to Gettysburg Slocum receives a dispatch from Meade that Hancock is being set to Gettysburg to take charge. Accordingly Slocum sends a dispatch to "General Hancock or General Howard" stating that his corps is already on the march to Gettysburg and will come up about one mile to the right of Gettysburg.

Nearing Gettysburg, Slocum detaches one of his two divisions, sending Williams to the right. Williams takes a road off the Baltimore Pike a half mile southeast of Rock Creek and zigzags a mile and a half north to the Hanover Road about a mile east of Benner's Hill. Wolf Hill separates his route from Rock Creek and Culp's Hill to the west.

______________________________________________________________________

Edward "Allegheny" Johnson got Jackson's old division. It would have gone to Trimble if he had been physically recovered.

Issac Trimble - was wounded at Groveton and was not fully recovered by Gettysburg, but he went along anyway. Asked Lee to give him 1500 men and he would take Baltimore. Lee politely declined and quickly terminated Trimble's presence at his HQ's by sending him to assist Ewell in taking Harrisburg. Trimble reached Ewell on June 28th and told Ewell Harrisburg could be captured easily. Even though he knew nothing about the city defenses or the opposing forces, he says that he can do it with just a brigade if Ewell will give him one.

He joined Lee's headquarters unsolicited, and wore out his welcome hanging around without formal assignment. Riding north, he caught up with Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell on the way to Harrisburg, and joined his staff as a supernumerary, or senior officer without a command. He and Ewell quarreled frequently due to this clumsy arrangement and Trimble's lack of tact.

The battle was over and we had won it handsomely. General Ewell moved about uneasily, a good deal excited, and seemed to me to be undecided what to do next. I approached him and said: "Well, General, we have had a grand success; are you not going to follow it up and push our advantage?"

He replied that General Lee had instructed him not to bring on a general engagement without orders, and that he would wait for them.

I said, "That hardly applies to the present state of things, as we have fought a hard battle already, and should secure the advantage gained". He made no rejoinder, but was far from composure. I was deeply impressed with the conviction that it was a critical moment for us and made a remark to that effect.

As no movement seemed immediate, I rode off to our left, north of the town, to reconnoitre, and noticed conspicuously the wooded hill northeast of Gettysburg (Culp's), and a half mile distant, and of an elevation to command the country for miles each way, and overlooking Cemetery Hill above the town. Returning to see General Ewell, who was still under much embarrassment, I said, "General, There," pointing to Culp's Hill, "is an eminence of commanding position, and not now occupied, as it ought to be by us or the enemy soon. I advise you to send a brigade and hold it if we are to remain here." He said: "Are you sure it commands the town?" [I replied,] "Certainly it does, as you can see, and it ought to be held by us at once." General Ewell made some impatient reply, and the conversation dropped.

Observers have reported that the "impatient reply" was, "When I need advice from a junior officer I generally ask for it." They also stated that Trimble threw down his sword in disgust and stormed off. A more colorful version of this account has been immortalized in the novel "The Killer Angels".

Ewell accustomed to the tight rein of Jackson and not the hands-off manner of Lee. Complains about the vagueness of Lee's order to move to Gettysburg "as circumstances might dictate", says that Lee has no one on his staff who can write an intelligible letter. Disappointed at being denied capture of Harrisburg, also irritated by the nettling presence of Trimble who Lee had sent to accompany him as a volunteer aide. Sends his adjutant to Lee and update him on their decision to march to Gettysburg. Lee very strongly tells him that a general engagement was to be avoided until the arrival of the rest of the army.

William "Extra Billy" Smith

George Pierce Doles - advice about the condition of Johnson's men

The purpose of the April Little Round Table will be to illustrate the head-spinning organizational changes within the Army of the Potomac during the second ten-month period of the war. Casualties, retirements, transfers, promotions, and firings would create an astonishing degree of mobility (upward, downward, in and out) within the wartime army. For example: Meade was a Brigade commander at Second Manassas who ten months later was commander the army, having in the interim served as both a Division commander and a Corps commander.

Union Commands at Gettysburg

1st Corps - Reynolds (Wadsworth, Robinson, Doubleday)

2nd Corps - Hancock (Caldwell, Gibbon, Hays)

3rd Corps - Sickles (Birney, Humphreys)

5th Corps - Sykes (Barnes, Ayres, Crawford)

6th Corps - Sedgwick (Wright, Howe)

11th Corps - Howard (Barlow, von Steinwehr, Schurz)

12th Corps - Slocomb (Williams, Geary)

Research the command history of your assigned Gettysburg Corps from August 1862 until July 1863; then present a short (10-15 minutes compare and contrast to the April LRT.

1. What was your Corps' name in August 1862?

2. Who was in command in August 1862?

3. What Divisions and Division commanders were in place in August 1862?

4. What was the path of promotion of these new commanders during the August 1862 to July 1863 interval?

5. What had happened in your assigned Corps to create these vacancies?