GDG- doubleday

[James Cameron]

<< I will very glad to hear specific info on Doubleday and opinions too for 
my book on the general.  >>

Doubleday's role in the battle tends, for whatever reason, to be oddly 
overlooked and, not subjected to much scholarly attention.  At least, IMO. 
There are a couple of often repeated anecdotes of his ordering his arriving 
troops into battle, but the early part of the action is dominated by 
Reynolds and his death.  After that, most of the attention given the Union 
command seems to shift to Howard.  This isn't, of course, surprising, given 
that Howard was in command of the field after Reynolds was killed, but it 
does tend to take the spotlight off Doubleday.  It could also be that 
there's a perception that, however severe, the afternoon's fighting along 
the 1st Corps line was somehow more straightforward than that on the 11th 
Corps front, possibly because it lacked such controversial elements as 
Barlow's move to the knoll and subsequent defeat.  Once Doubleday is 
replaced by Newton, he pretty much recedes into the background, possibly due 
to the manner in which the 1st Corps was broken up, rather than fighting the 
rest of the battle as an intact unit.  Aside fron Stannard's brigade, most 
people are barely aware that 1st Corps units took part in any fighting at 
all, after the first day, which is of course a  serious misperception.

I think it's fair to say that the consensus of historical opinion is that he 
did a workmanlike job as corps commander, and that his relief from command 
in favor of Newton was perhaps a bit unfair, based solely on his preformance 
on the 1st.  But I think the fact is that Meade was simply uncomfortable 
with the idea of Doubleday as a Corps commander, during a general 
engagement, and was predisposed to replace him at the first opportunity, 
come what may.  Early reports from the field, from both Buford and Hancock, 
tended to confirm his already low opinion of Doubleday, and he lost no time 
acting to replace him.  Hard on Doubleday, who hadn't done a bad job that 
day, but understandable, and certainly Meade's prerogative to do so.

Jim Cameron