Re: GDG- GDG: Signal Corps and Buford / A.B. Jerome

[James Cameron]

<< While he doesn't mention the specific assignments, we all know that 
Jerome
was with Buford that day.   I don't know - perhaps Gloskoski and Dismore 
were
each assigned to the other two divisions of cavalry - but that is pure
speculation on my part.    I have not been able to substantiate this in the 
O.R. so
far.
We also know that Buford's report mentions only one name- Jerome - with
regards to the contribution made by the Signal Corps for his division.   In
addition, Jerome himself states that he was the only Signal Officer on the 
field at
the time.   I seem to recall another citation indicating that Jerome was by
himself, but I can't recall it right now...
I think that unless/until there is definite proof of another Signal Officer
being with Jerome while he was with Buford (which is what I was looking for
when I posted this query), then I will continue to believe that he was the 
only
one present from the S.C. with Buford.   Perhaps Steve Rauch or Col. Cameron
will have some information about this... >>


Jerome with Buford and the other two with one or another of the other two 
cavalry divisions makes sense, although Norton didn't bother to elaborate. 
His report indicates that he assigned signal officers to Corps headquarters. 
He quite probably left it to the respective Corps commanders to use them as 
they saw fit.  It's very possible that Pleasonton would have decided that 
his relatively wider-ranging cavalry divisions needed signal detachments of 
their own, and so detailed the signal officers he'd been assigned.

I haven't seen anything to indicate that any signal officers other than 
Jerome were with Burford's division.  But I think it almost certain he did 
have a detail of enlisted signal men along with him, even if they were not 
specifically mentioned in the reports.  He wouldn't have been able to set up 
effective signal operations without them.

Jim Cameron