GDG- doubleday

[Tom Barthel]

Thanks, Jim.

James Cameron <cameron2 at optonline.net> wrote:  Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:


<< 1. 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.

I am fairly sure that Howard gave no orders to Doubleday for six hours.
What do you know? >>

It took Howard a long time to actually ride over to the 1st Corps line and 
see Doubleday in person, but the two were in communication before that, and 
Doubleday does indicate receiving orders from Howard.

<< 2. 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.

Can you help me find these two reports "from both Buford and Hancock"?
Thanks very much for your interest. >>

Buford's message that I was referring to was actually to Pleasonton, not 
Meade, although I think it's reasonable to assume that Meade would have been 
informed of its contents. This was the 3:20 pm message in which he wrote 
"In my opinion, there seems to be no directing person." He appended a P.S., 
"We need help now."
This message is commonly taken as more a criticism of Howard's command of 
the field than of Doubleday, and perhaps that's how Buford intended it. But 
with Doubleday the other Corps commander on the scene, I could easily see 
Meade viewing this as critical of him as well. Just my opinion, though. 
(And the thought just occurred to me - which I hesitate to push too far, 
because there's really nothing concrete to base it on - that I suppose this 
could even be construed as critical of Slocum for not coming up in person to 
assume command.)

The Hancock report I'm referring to is his 5:25 pm message to Meade from the 
field, which included the comment that "Howard says that Doubleday's command 
gave way." And Howard himself sent Meade a 5:00 PM message which while not 
overtly critical of Doubleday, gave the impression that the 1st Corps was 
forced to retire, as opposed to the 11th Corps being ordered back.

None of these messages were the sort of thing that was going to boost 
Meade's confidence in Doubleday. Taken as a whole, they were all he needed 
to pull the trigger on replacing him.

Jim Cameron



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tombart0 at yahoo.com, Author, WalkieTalkie Fanning Bees; The Fierce Fun of Ducky Medwick,(Scarecrow, May 2003), and Pepper Martin, A Baseball Biography(McFarland, September, 2003). Forthcoming: on March 1, 2007: Barnstorming 1901-1962 from McFarland and Those Peerless Semipros: The Brooklyn Bushwicks of Dexter Park from St. Johann Press. 
  Now at work on a biography of civil war general Abner Doubleday. 
  Still in the works are a book on the 1941 Dodgers and a book on Babe Ruth's ten years of barnstorming.

 
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