GDG- The Winter Stomp

[keith mackenzie]

Welcome back Rick. Sorry I blew you guys off on Wedensday night. With your map, Dean and Bill F. all in the same room, I can easily imagine how  interesting it must have gotten. Wedensday's tramp was a good experience, and I still can't shake the feeling I had when I realized  (as we stood in the "ravine"), that Cemetery Ridge was close enough to touch! And the clearing at the Slaughter Pen? I don't get awed by much in life anymore, but it never fails at Gettysburg.
  Good Luck, Happy New Year and I'll see ya 'round.
   
  K.

elcarto at comcast.net wrote:
  Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:


Greetings folks, and especially to those I knew from past postings, as it's been at least a ayear since my personal life has let me be involved in such things (and some of you know the story, so I won't go into it here.)

I went on a "Winter Stomp' with a few diehards from the GDG on Wednesday, led as usual by a LBG that we all know and respect. Essentially we followed the path taken by Barksdale's Brigade, starting on Seminary Ridge and eventually ending up in the brambles of the Plum Run 'ravine', a few hundred yards north of the Trostle farm. While not quite my idea of a 'ravine' (though most of the Reb officers called it that), it is indeed a major impediment to movement and C&C, filled with thorny low growth and quite boggy after the rains of Christmas Day. As it had actually rained in the several days leading up to the battle I'm guessing that the general effect would have been similar, especially as it was then filled with bushes and undergrowth to the height of 6-8'. 

Currently it's a bit more open, as the cuttings that removed the forest that's stood there for the last 100+ years only ended a year or so ago, and they haven't yet reseeded it with the low bushes that are planned.Still, it is currently a terrain type that the boys in B&G didn't have to face, as we found out when we plunged in later in the day to try and find the mythical advanced flank markers for the 1st Minnesota (apparently these were placed long before the NPS rules that limited such things to where the regiments formed for battle, and was meant to forever celebrate the exploits of that plucky, but unlucky little unit.) 

It seems that the vast number of the trunks of the felled trees had never actually been removed from the hollow, and the 3-4' grass that had grown so well in the new sunlight over the last couple of years had by December lain over to completely cover them. So what appeared to be relatively flat grass turned out to be a perfect abatis - every step took you about 2' deep into a jungle of hidden rocks, bog and overgrown tree trunks scattered in all directions. While I'm sure that one or more of us were within feet of those flank markers at some point, their actual discovery will have to wait until another day! 

One thing that did strike me was that even this, the lowest actual point in what we consider Cemetery Ridge, a few hundred yards south of the PA monument, still is a long way up for any troops advancing east out of that hollow! The ridge along the Emmitsburg Road simply towers behind you, with even the Klingel Farm almost hidden from view. Form the ER ridge the opposite part of the Union position might look fairly low, but to get there you have to down into that hollow, fight your way through those brambles, and then upslope in to the sights of MiGilvery's redstriped reception committee. 

Always fun to go on a stomp, and always a reminder of why you have to go out on foot and 'walk the walk' to really understand what was faced and what happened. 

However, as a result of many such encounters online here in the GDG over the last few years, I deliberately didn't go along with Chuck's tour the next day, for all the reasons so eloquently detailed by Mr.s Cameron, Schiller and Petruzzi. As one of my comrades from the day before put it , "It's always good to spend the time walking around the field, even if you don't agree with his 'theory' because he'll usually produce some new research that you haven't heard of before." I differ for a number of reasons - First, I live only 10 miles away, so don't need the special event to get me out on the field. Second, as a lifelong student of the field and a cartographer who has mapped it repeatedly for a number of game companies I'm very familiar with the lay of the ground in all respects.

And before I go further, I will remind you that this is no way meant as a personal attack on anyone, as that is indeed contrary to the general tone that we and the Bros. Lawrence try to keep herein. Personally I believe that there will always be a lot more to be discovered and learned about what happened back there in 1863, and try to always let myself stay open to any theory, so long as it is presented in an objective manner, with all the evidence necessary to back it up. However, and with the memory of many such futile exchanges in the past, I will never again engage in a back and forth with someone who is more than obviously interested in promoting himself as a 'name' ACW historian, by means of espousing 'new and controversial' takes on long accepted facts, backed up solely by 'evidence' that has been cherry picked in the most obviously legalistic and debating team manner to 'prove' one's point while ignoring other readily available evidence to the contrary, and such
 questions
and inconveniently contrary evidence that other esteemed members herein may provide.

Been there and done that too many times in the past, and life's too short to get involved in such again. Ain't 'worth the powder', as Mr. Hornblower once said.

Happy New Year, y'all!

Rick Barber
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