GDG- Ok... I will start one. How do we figure out timing?

[Bob Huddleston]

Exact times were not of much interest! IIRC, Stewart, in his _Picket's
Charge_ devoted some space to comparing the various times recorded by
officers of both sides to the one event everyone would remember: what time
was the Signal Gun fired that started the pre-Pickett bombardment. And the
times were all over the place. Indeed, the need to fire a signal gun to
start the show is an indication that the Rebels had no synchronized watches.
Today it would be agreed that at 1500 hours the shooting would commence and
all guns would fire at once. Also an early Gettysburg Magazine had a sidebar
on Civil War time. Once of the few hard and firm times would be to count
backward from sunset.

Take care,

Bob

Judy and Bob Huddleston
10643 Sperry Street
Northglenn, CO  80234-3612
303.451.6376  Huddleston.r at comcast.net

And so to the end of history, murder shall breed murder, always in the name
of right and honour and peace, until the Gods are tired of blood and create
a race that can understand." - George Bernard Shaw, "Caesar and Cleopatra" 


-----Original Message-----
From: gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com [mailto:gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com]
On Behalf Of Jim Ferguson
Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2007 12:26 PM
To: 'GDG'
Subject: RE: GDG- Ok... I will start one. How do we figure out timing? 

Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:



Jim, you or someone else brought this up once before I believe. My
recollection is that the comments concentrated on how hard it would have
been to coordinate activities for many reasons.

I decided to do a little research then about the quality of timepieces of
that period and came away with the feeling that synchronizing at least
pocket watches would have been relatively easy and accurate over few day
periods. There were many French, British and Swiss watch companies that
produced watches that could take a beating, maintain good accuracy and keep
on ticking. (Timex was made in Connecticut starting in the mid 1850's)
Waltham watches were produced in America starting around 1850 (I think I
worked in one of the original factories when I was in high school) and they
were known then and still are for making a quality piece. Interestingly
also, somebody must have been buying them because they were producing in the
tens of thousands by the beginning of the civil war.

So, is it a case of none of the officers having pocket watches? Or none of
the officers thinking about synchronized watches and coordinated activities?
Or perhaps no documented, that we know of, time based coordinated movements.
Sure, in the heat of battle, it's hard to imagine someone stopping what he's
doing, taking out his pocket watch and then giving a new order. But why not
once or twice a day under other circumstances.

So my conjecture would be that yes, it was probably done under some
circumstances.  

Jim



-----Original Message-----
From: gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com [mailto:gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com]
On Behalf Of Jim Lamason
Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2007 12:33 PM
To: 'GDG'
Subject: GDG- Ok... I will start one. How do we figure out timing? 

Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:


Hi all, 

I have been more then a lurker, but here goes........... 

As I continue to research the New Jersey troops at Gettysburg, I keep
stumbling across timing. 

By that I mean, we all know that the keeping of time back then was at best
inaccurate. No body thought to coordinate watches, or used the suns position
in the sky to figure out the time of day.. 

Has any one in this great knowledge base figured out a way to coordinate the
timing of events? 

Jim Lamason
The Flag, the Flag, Oh the Flag! G.K. Warren on his death bed, 1882. 

 
----------------------------------------------------------------
You may unsubscribe by going to
http://mailman.arthes.com/mailman/listinfo/gettysburg

You can add yourself to the GDG map at:
http://www.frappr.com/gettysburgdiscussiongroup

View archived posts from May 2004 -  present at
http://mailman.arthes.com/pipermail/gettysburg/

 
----------------------------------------------------------------
You may unsubscribe by going to
http://mailman.arthes.com/mailman/listinfo/gettysburg

You can add yourself to the GDG map at:
http://www.frappr.com/gettysburgdiscussiongroup

View archived posts from May 2004 -  present at
http://mailman.arthes.com/pipermail/gettysburg/