GDG- RE: But For The Wounding Of Two Men

[Alan D. Brunelle]

James Cameron wrote:
> Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
>
>
> It's been ages since I read Tucker, so this is without refreshing my 
> memory about exactly what he had to say.
>
> Hood's wounding can hardly not have had a major impact on the course 
> of battle, although since we have no way of knowing exactly how he 
> would have handled things, in exactly what way is impossible to say.  
> Personally, I suspect that far from putting more strength into the 
> attack on LRT, there's a good chance he wouldn't have let that attack 
> take place at all.  Or at least, not in the way it did.  I think he 
> may well have used the regiments which ended up attacking LRT to add 
> to the strength of the attcak on Houck's Ridge, which was the real 
> Union left flank.  Roll up that line sooner, and maybe drive back 
> Birney's whole division before help can arrive, and who cares about 
> Vincent's brigade on LRT.
Hi Jim -

What's not clear to me here is that Hood presumably had already given 
instructions to his brigade commanders when he got hit - my 
understanding of the timing was that near the end of the "barrage" by 
the artillery, Hood was urging on the Texas Brigade, and got hit - and 
put out of action. Certainly, the brigade (and presumably) regimental 
commanders already had their orders and would have started out to 
execute them as best as possible. (Which means, at least for a short 
period of time, the brigades/regiments would have been marching based 
upon how they interpreted the orders.)

I think there were 5 regiments (4th and 5th Texas (Robertson's brigade) 
and 4th, 15th, and 47th Alabama (Law's brigade)) that went too far east 
- or in too much of an easterly direction. [I'm assuming these are the 
ones you'd have imagined Hood redirecting towards Houck's Ridge.]

Given the terrain the "truants" were going over, and assuming Hood 
remained unscathed, how long would it have taken him to recognize that a 
large portion of his forces were going (being pulled?) too far east - 
and weren't turning north as planned? And then, could he have had the 
means to redirect them before they had gone too far?

It seems doubtful to me - especially the latter - as the brigade 
commanders (Robertson and Law) were having a Dicken's of a time just 
trying to keep their brigade's together and focused on their objectives.

Alan
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> Jim Cameron
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