GDG- 69th Pa and Wright's Line

[Chuck Teague]

> Quite frankly, in order for Chuck's version of Wright's attack to be
> correct  (i.e. Wright's Georgians piercing the
> union line north of the copse and then taking Cushing's and Arnold's guns)
> our friend Chuck is going to have to openly proclaim that the 69th was
> driven from their wall position on July 2 (somehow with the loss of only two
> men from the right companies) OR that the 69th turned around and ran away as
> Wright approached. Don


I simply don't think either was the case, and did not interpret it that way
in walking the ground during the Winter Stomp.

The likely scenerio is that the 69th was engaged in hot fire with Lang on
their left front oblique and mostly absorbed with that threat. To their
right, Wright's men were, perhaps 10-15 minutes later, surging toward the
crest, but not in true line of battle by that point (rather, in the words of
one participant, attacking as "a wedge"). Wright's men were consumed with
the dire need of taking those guns.

Once the Georgians reached the guns, the Copse would actually have obscurred
vision and obstructed fire between them and the 69th.

There are various soldier accounts throughout the war of how, coming under
hot fire of enemy fire, one becomes so focused as to that fire that
awareness of things happening to side of your position
diminishes. The natural instinct is to focus and fire upon those who are
firing upon you. Smoke and confusion would further limit what could be
appreciated.

I surely wish we had accounts from the 69th detailing the action that
occurred during the hour or so they were fought with desperation, but the
few we do have are sketchy. It is curious that regiments from the Gibbon's
Division positioned to their left did describe the enemy being repulsed with
more dispatch.

BTW, what guns along the crest do you think Wright overran?