GDG- Re: another account of Wright's Brigade

[Biggsk at aol.com]

Dave,


>>>>Naw ... to much of nothing. I'd suggest Key's word  should not be 
considered whatsoever, especially when considering it's dated  1901.>>>>



Two things - Key was there on July 2, 1863, and none of us on the list  were.
 
Secondly, this was a pivotal moment in his life and while sometimes  post-war 
accounts are tampered by the length of time, we can also cite right  after 
accounts that do similar, which is why you read lots of accounts of the  same 
thing to make sure they agree somewhat.  Perhaps Key's memory of this  pivotal 
event of his life is not that wrong?
 
I will give you a case in point from a personal perspective.  About 23  years 
ago, while living in California, I came back to Atlanta where I had lived  
before then for a reunion of a company that I worked for while in Atlanta.   We 
met at a restaurant on Pharr Road in Buckhead and I was standing on the front  
patio with another friend when the guy that used to run the department next 
to  mine (Joe Gegan) pulled into the parking lot across the street and parked 
his  car.  He got out and started to walk across the street waving to me and 
the  other guy I was with.  He had on a green polo shirt and tan slacks.
 
As he reached the center lane of the westbound side of the double yellow  
line (it was three lanes west and two lanes east at the time), a black car came  
up and bowled him over.  He rolled right up the hood, bounced off the  
windshield, flipped into the air, came down on the road and slid forward about  15 
yards before coming to a stop.  The car had swerved to the left after  hitting 
him and also stopped; its door opening and the lady driver coming out  sobbing 
hysterically.  My friend and I were the first to reach Joe lying in  the 
street, and we saw a compound fracture of one of his legs, his jaw hanging  on by a 
thread of skin and blood everywhere.
 
I don't state this to gore everyone out, but I do so to prove that  sometimes 
pivotal moments can still be pulled verbatim right from old memory  banks 
with ease and accuracy whereas less than pivotal moments are not at  times.  I 
watched my friend get killed by an idiot driver who I know will  bear this for 
the rest of her life especially as she was at least 20 miles over  the speed 
limit of the road.  This is the same testimony that I gave to an  attorney on 
the case a few weeks later; the same testimony that I gave to Joe's  mom a few 
months later when she begged me to do so as she wanted to know how he  died and 
if he suffered.
 
Dave - this pivotal moment in my life plays like a video tape in my head  
each time I recall it for someone.  I can still see Joe's smile, his wave  and 
his green shirt and tan slacks (I was wearing the same by the way and when  he 
was hit, I heard some people yell that it was me that got hit by the car as I  
ran to Joe).
 
This event is over 23 years old for me Dave, and it is still very fresh in  
my mind.  All I am saying is that perhaps Key, who saw his mates  slaughtered 
that day, might have the same ability to recall such pivotal events  as I have 
been able to do, with accuracy to some degree.  Thus his account,  and again 
he was there, should not be dismissed completely.
 
Greg Biggs