GDG- Buford at Fairfield

[Tom Ryan]

Hi J.D.,

Thanks for that info.  I am in the process of trying to determine what Lee
knew about the Union army following the report from the spy Harrison to
Longstreet and Lee on June 28 at Chambersburg that the Union army had
crossed the Potomac and was now in the vicinity of Frederick and South
Mountain.

While Buford was moving north from Mechanicstown (Thurmont) on June 29 with
two of his brigades with orders to find the Rebel army, Lee had sent scouts
south toward Frederick to verify Harrison's information.  It seems to me
that Lee's scouts and Buford's brigades should have run into each other
while they were heading in opposite directions.  But there is no evidence
that actually happened.  If Lee's scouts had made contact with Buford and
immediately sent a courier to inform Lee of this, then Lee would have had an
opportunity to move forces quickly to occupy Gettysburg (knowing that Union
forces were heading in that direction).

At any rate, the first known contact Buford made with the enemy was with the
Mississippi regiments at Fairfield, and if these units had alerted Heth,
Hill and Lee, then there also may have been enough time to beat Buford to
the punch, so to speak, by quickly occupying Gettysburg.

It appears, however, that Lee learned nothing from his scouts or from the
Fairfield contact with Buford; therefore, took no direct action to gain the
upper hand.

If you have any thoughts on this situation or can provide other facts that
relate to this story, it would be appreciated.

By the way, were the two Mississippi regiments identified?

Thanks again,

Tom

-----Original Message-----
From: gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com
[mailto:gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com]On Behalf Of J. David Petruzzi
Sent: Monday, May 05, 2008 1:18 AM
To: GDG
Subject: RE: GDG- Buford at Fairfield


Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:


Tom,

Heth didn't write about it in his memoirs, either, or his B&L article.  So
how far up the foodchain the information went we may never know.

It was quite dark when the skirmish happened (near the Musselman Farm), and
perhaps the southerners couldn't identify who they were trading shots with.
Only some of Gamble's 8th Illinois Cavalry was involved.  Perhaps it was
thought to be militia, and so maybe no one thought it important enough to
tell Heth or Hill.  According to a missive sent by Buford that morning to
Reynolds about it, the Mississippians withdrew to Cashtown (the note was
found on Reynolds after his death, and is in the NA (not in the OR).

J.D.

J. David Petruzzi
My blog: http://petruzzi.wordpress.com
My book: http://www.stuartsride.com


>>Eric,

How do we know this?  I do not see any mention of it in Heth or Hill's
reports.

Tom

Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:


Tom,

Heth definitely knew about it, and I'm sure Hill did, too.  Beyond
that, it's hard to say.

Eric>>

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