GDG- Winter Stomp

[James Cameron]

<< I fully agree. That is an important point. Surprisingly, most modern
histories of this part of the action seem not to consider the Conferate
accounts. >>

Why would you say that?  I find plenty of such citations in Pfanz's 
footnotes, just as one example.

<< Also a good point. In the sector on question, between the Copse and the
Brien homestead, there is an unfortunate lack of accounts from those
positioned there (Cushing and Arnold's Batteries) that clarify what
happened. But, as I have mentioned, references from Carroll's, Rowley's, and
Stannard's Brigades (all of which were moving in the direction of that
position, are revealing that something was indeed going on.  >>

How about Smyth's brigade.  It held the sector of the 2nd Corps line north 
of the Copse.  There's nothing at all in the reports from that brigade to 
suggest any break in the Union line north of the copse, or, that either 
Cushing or Arnold were overrun.

<< There I disagree. The accounts we do have from that sector do reference 
five
regiments moving under musketry fire and two other regiments rushing to save
batteries. Thomas Reichart of Arnold's Battery wrote in his diary *"one time
it seemed as if we were all surrounded."*  >>

The fact musketry fire was reaching the line north of the Copse does not 
mean it was coming from Wright's men.  Posey's troops were close enough to 
the Union line in the area to reach it with musketry.

As far as Reichart's diary entry, you keep repeating that, perhaps for lack 
of anything better to offer.  But as has been pointed out, the entry in 
question is a very general one, covering the entire period from afternoon 
until at least 9:00 at night.  I don't have a copy of the entire entry, but 
Elwood Christ quotes it as follows in his book on the Bliss farm fighting. 
"Out battery was in action all afternoon....[raging] until nine o'clock at 
night.  One time it seemed as if we were all surrounded.  Battery A, Fourth 
regulars [Cushing's] reversed their pieces ready to fire to the rear."

The reference to it seeming as if they were surrounded, as has also been 
noted, is generally held to be a reference to the sounds of combat from what 
would have seemed the battery's rear, from the ECH and Culp's Hill action. 
Put another way, a man who has just survived his battery being overrun in 
the course of an enemy breakthrough is probably going to find a better way 
to describe it than "it seemed as if we were all surrounded", at least IMHO. 
Likewise, the part about Cushing's pieces being reversed isn't a reference 
to the battery being overrun.  "Ready to fire to the rear" shows the pieces 
being reversed as a precaution, again, due to the firing being heard to the 
rear of the two batteries.

<< The third alternative (that Wright penetrated north of the Copse)  is the
one I espouse, partly because it accepts the essence of most of the
first-person accounts.  >>

With respect, it does no such thing.

Jim Cameron