GDG- RE: Lane & the myth of hollow squares

[Chris Army]

Esteemed Member Laurie Schiller wrote:

>>Hello - forgive me if this has been answered but I've gotten way
behind in the posts. To answer your question, Gamble had formed his
brigade on the left of the Union line, where he was protecting the
flank, and as Pender moved forward, he mounted his men and acted as
though he was going to charge Lane's flank. Lane, of course, was the
rightmost regiment in Pender's attack on the Seminary. It was a
mounted feint and worthy of a square since it was on the flank of
Lane and clearly a danger were the attack to have come off.

Take care,
Laurie Schiller<<

Laurie,
As you can see from the following two OR’s  - Gamble’s and Buford’s, I’m not 
sure I agree with your conclusion that Lane formed a square based on a 
mounted feint this late in the attack:

>From GAMBLE’s OR Report:
In the afternoon, the enemy, being strongly re-enforced, extended his 
flanks, and advanced on our left in three strong lines, to turn that flank. 
The general commanding division ordered my brigade forward at a trot, and 
deployed in line on the ridge of woods, with the seminary on our right. Half 
of the Eighth New York, Third Indiana, and Twelfth Illinois were dismounted 
and placed behind a portion of a stone wall and under cover of trees.
The enemy being close upon us, we opened a sharp and rapid carbine fire, 
which killed and wounded so many of the first line of the enemy that it fell 
back upon the second line. Our men kept up the fire until the enemy in 
overwhelming numbers approached so near that, in order to save my men and 
horses from capture, they were ordered to mount and fall back rapidly to the 
next ridge, on the left of the town, where our artillery was posted. The 
stand which we made against the enemy prevented our left flank from being 
turned, and saved a division of our infantry.
This brigade had the honor to commence the fight in the morning and close it 
in the evening.

>From Buford’s OR Report:
After the fall of General Reynolds, whose advance troops partially drove 
back the enemy and made heavy captures of prisoners, the enemy brought up 
fresh troops, and engaged General Doubleday's command, which fought bravely, 
but was greatly outnumbered and forced to fall back. Seeing our troops 
retiring, and their need of assistance, I immediately rushed Gamble's 
brigade to Doubleday's left, and dismounted it in time to render great 
assistance to our infantry, and to check and break the enemy's line. My 
troops at this place had partial shelter behind a low stone fence, and were 
in short carbine range. Their fire was perfectly terrific, causing the enemy 
to break and rally on their second line, which made no farther advance 
toward my position. Shortly after this, I placed my command on our extreme 
left, to watch and fight the enemy should he make another attack, and went 
to Cemetery Hill for observation.
END

Rather, I think the mounted feint or a series of them took place earlier in 
the action against the 7th TN (FRY) and Marshall’s 52nd NC by Beveridge’s 
8th Ill.

Lt. Col. Shepard of the 7th TN wrote in his OR:
Being completely overpowered by numbers, and our support not being near 
enough to give us any assistance, we fell back across the field, and 
reformed just in rear of the brigade that had started in as our support. 
[THIS WOULD BE MARSHALL’S 52ND NC] Colonel Fry took command of the brigade, 
and, after remaining in the woods for two or three hours, the whole line 
upon our left advanced. Archer's brigade advanced at the same time upon the 
extreme right of the line. While advancing, the enemy threw a body of 
cavalry around upon our right flank. Seeing this, Colonel Fry changed the 
direction of his front so as to protect our flank.  The cavalry did not 
advance upon us, but hung around during the entire engagement of the evening 
of July 1.
END

Finally, in reviewing Bacheldor’s maps it appears the action is consistent 
with his interpretation for the flank threats earlier in the attack. The 
maps show no movement around the flank of Lane, but rather the direct 
defense behind the stone wall and down to the McMillan Farm as depicted in 
Gamble’s & Buford’s OR’s.

Regards,
Chris