GDG- Wrights Brigade.

Sun Nov 5 17:51:17 CST 2006

First one is on me!!
  I expressed my surprise to Mr. Bearss concerning Wright considering all the hoopla
over Pickett's charge and the High Water mark and the "copse of trees".
He told me that Wright had indeed reached that position, but could not hold it long and had to pull back. The Confederates really gave the Union quite a battle on Day 2 and it was all over the place. Wright allegedly stated, but I'm not sure to who, on Day 3
that he had reached the position across the Emmittsburg Road and was not confident that it could be taken and held.
  On another note, Mr. Bearss is more impressed with the Union defense on Culp's Hill and downplayed the actions of the 20th Maine. He felt Chamberlain lived longer and was a better writer and speaker than Candy, Kane or Greene.
  Thomas Dejardins has a great book, "Those Honored Dead" that goes into the whole mythology of the "Highwater Mark" and how it seemed to be created by John Bachelder as a way to draw tourists. Yes, it was being commercialized as early as the 1880's.

Mike 

-----Original Message-----
From: bluzdad at yahoo.com
To: gettysburg at arthes.com
Sent: Sun, 5 Nov 2006 5:31 PM
Subject: Re: GDG- Wrights Brigade.

Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:

Hmm. Wish I could have been there. Didn't think much about this bit until the 
last week or so when we started considering it for the Stomp. I'm kind of 
getting the feeling that maybe they didn't get that far. Farther than anyone 
else, maybe. Real close, sure. Bearss saying they got there sort of changes the 
equation.
  If this battle was any less confusing, it wouldn't be any fun at all.
  Thanks Mike. Maybe we can have a beer sometime.
  K. 

mfitz54 at aol.com wrote:
  Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:

Yes he did.

-----Original Message-----
From: bluzdad at yahoo.com
To: gettysburg at arthes.com
Sent: Sun, 5 Nov 2006 4:26 PM
Subject: Re: GDG- Wrights Brigade.

Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:

Bearss said that, huh?

mfitz54 at aol.com wrote: Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:

I had been on a tour of Day 2 at Gettysburg conducted by noted Civil War 
historian Ed Bearss. He brought us up to and just below "the copse of trees" and 

stated that Wright's advance ended at that point and could not be held due to 
lack of support. I was amazed that they had proceeded that far. 

Mike Fitzpatrick

-----Original Message-----
From: bluzdad at yahoo.com
To: gettysburg at arthes.com
Sent: Sun, 5 Nov 2006 10:35 AM
Subject: GDG- Wrights Brigade.

Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:

While investigating this Wright's advance thing, I note that Coddington say's 
"Wright's story of the battle on July Second should be included in the better 
Civil War romances."

While Pfanz say's "Wright's Brigade had occupied a segment of the ridge crest 
and pierced the...line at the...center"

Woodward: "...;but in a small way, at least, they had cut the Army of the 
Potomac in two..."

Bowden and Ward: " ..the 22nd Georgia...moved...into the gap south of the 7 
Michigan. their steps had carried them to the crest of Cemetery Hill." 

Tucker: "While Wrights lodgement is often called a penetration...that was not 
precisely the case, because Webb's Brigade...was largely behind ...the crest and 

had to be reckoned with before Wright could claim an actual piercing of the 
Federal Army."

Sears: I don't have that book available, but I seem to recall that he 
describes Wright has haveing reached "what has become recognized as the High 
Water mark..."

So I guess what I'm wondering is, besides getting further than anyone else 
that day, Did Wright's Brigade get as far as he said they did? did he really see 

the Baltimore Pike? Coddington doesn't seem to think there's enough 
corraborating statements to
back up the claim, while all the other books I have seem to accept it as a 
given. And my memory of Sears, sketchy as it is, seems to suggest that Wrights 
Brigade made it to the copse of trees that would be the AoV's target on the next 

day.

Was Lee aware of Wrights claims by the end of day two? Did they have any 
impact on his planning for day three?

And, While I'm raving, it seems to me the only brigade to have a chance of 
breaking through north of the copse would have been Posey and/or Mahone. Could 
Wrights Brigade have stretched out far enough to cover that terrain?
K.

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