The Gettysburg Reunion of 1913

Canda Free Press ^ | July 3, 2011 | Calvin E. Johnson, Jr.

[tarheelswamprat]

I was at little bighorn site 2 weeks ago

I was there many years ago as well. Here's a discussion on that topic from last week you might find interesting:

Custer and Little Bighorn: 135 years ago and questions remain

[tarheelswamprat]

At my rural church cemetery in Southeastern North Carolina we have many Confederate veterans, and also a slave burial section. In addition we have a Revolutionary War veteran buried there as well, who fought with the 5th NC Regiment. He was born in Scotland and died in 1812. (The church was founded in 1801) A veterans memorial group helps maintain the graves and stones of all veterans, and keeps them marked with the appropriate flags year round.

[ErnBatavia]

1913.....I hadn’t realized that Gettysburg was just 50 years before the birth of my Dad.

[doggieboy]

The Iron Brigade had given ground in past battles. In fact the original battle where they earned their “Iron Brigade” name, they had to fall back after chasing a Confederate unit up a hill. At Gettysburg they defeated a CSA unit twice their size and captured the opposing general in a unfinished railroad cut after taking frightful losses of 175 of their 400 men. They attacked across open ground towards the cut losing one man every yard. Once they reached the cut the protection it gave the CSA proved to be their undoing as they were trapped and the CAS general surrendered. Other Union units did not fair well that day and the 225 remaining Black Hats were exposed at both flanks. They fell back through the streets of Gettysburg never breaking, as the Union position had collapsed. Once they arrived at Culps Hill, their commander, Rufus Dawes had them dig in even though they had been fighting the entire day and were exhausted. They even counter attacked at night from their entrenched position to keep the rebels off balance. At one point, the Confederates in their confusion, were firing on their own men. Once the Union reinforcements arrived at Culps Hill it should have been impregnable. On the other side of the position, General Sickles, disobeyed orders and everything changed.

[ladyvet]

My husbands great,great was Andrew Kuder. He not only captured the flag that day but captured the Generals wagons, that's how he ended up with the Bible. Spoils of war and all that.

I contacted the Early foundation a couple of years ago about it after I read they were restoring the Generals home. They seemed somewhat interested and I sent a bunch of the information to them. It just kind of died there.

[cripplecreek]

I think Custer deserves far better treatment than history gives him. He was brash at a period in history when that was common among officers.

3 big mistakes were made in my opinion. Custer’s first big mistake was in leaving the Gatling guns behind. Its an easy enough mistake to make. Custer wanted to move fast and lugging the guns along would have slowed them down. Personally I think they would have been most effective as a psychological weapon.

His second big mistake was in expecting the indians to behave as they always had and run away. The indians seldom attacked massed forces preferring to pick of stragglers. This time there were far more indians than anyone expected.

The biggest mistake in my opinion was made up the chain of command from Custer. the army ordinance board selected the single shot Springfield Model 1873 in part because they didn’t want soldiers wasting ammo. It was a legitimate concern but one that should have been dealt with through discipline rather that an equipment restriction. Unfortunately the Indians were armed with repeating Spencer, Winchester and Henry rifles which left the 7th Cavalry completely outgunned.

Its also important to note that immediately following the battle, the indians packed up and fled. They knew they had lucked out and couldn’t count on it happening again.

Over all, Custer and the 7th were American soldiers who died in the line of duty and to me that is worthy of respect and honor.

[curmudgeonII]

In 1936,when I was 5 years old, I heard my [Canadian] great grandmother talk about going to Buffalo, N.Y. to listen to Lincoln speak on his way way to his first inauguration. Unfortunatly I cannot remember all that she said, but I do recall that she said he [Lincoln] had a very high-pitched voice and a strong Hoosier twang.

[wardaddy]

thanks for the link

I had to wonder...why split your forces against such a determined foe between such ravines, gullies and short valleys when the high ground would have been preferred

I realize he was looking for them

But if you check Custer’s Union record in the Big One it was rather spotty and though lionized in death candid scholars have been less than kind...and he was not loved by his men

I had driven by there 4 times back in the 70s but never stopped...how sad to see how they made it up to some high ground only to die hard surrounded

Fighting Indians was not fun...couldn’t just put up your hands and plead mercy now coulda ya?

[dixiechick2000]

Half of my family was less gentry, too.

I love reading your family history. On my last trip home, we went by the family cemetery. My great grandmother was one of the last to be buried there. It’s very close to the original church my family attended, which was restored due the kindness of the first female black doctor in the area (way before my time and long dead), and is listed in the National Historical Registry. Her family went to church there, too. It’s still out in the country, but now it’s on a paved road. Lots of CSA vets there.

BTW, not only are we paving our roads, but we are learning to wear shoes. ;o)

[wardaddy]

it’s funny isn’t it but remember how out in the country used to be all the old roads were gravel or red clay...when I was a boy even the old county and some rural state highways were

like 486 between Morton and Raleigh which runs through my ancestors old digs

my uncle in east Texas whom we saw last on the way back from the epic journey..(wifey’s trip into the twilight zone as she calls it....17 days in a car with 3 boys 11 and under...I loved it...she was ambivalent..at best)

anyhow my uncle had a cornerstone log from the old cabin at the homeplace dated from 1820 with Choctaw land deal where my great X2 grandpa had built...my mom and uncle were born there...still standing in 1980 but tornado got it...you go into an old cemetary in Mississippi and there are always loads of CSA vets...some still well kept up...some not so much

[dixiechick2000]

I trust that Annette’s trip through the Twilight Zone yielded some beautiful shoes. ;o)

1820....that was an awful long time ago. I’m sorry that it was destroyed. What great history, though.

My family cemetery is so well kept that there’s a padlock on the gate. We couldn’t get in without calling the caretaker. What is sad is that the padlock was rusty.

[RebelBanker]

I have had the honor of attending many Remembrance Day ceremonies at Gettysburg. One year, I was part of the honor guard that escorted Mrs. Alberta Martin, who was believed at the time to be the last surviving Confederate widow, to meet a very elderly black woman who was the last known Union widow. Somewhere I have a picture of these two ladies in their wheel chairs shaking hands.

Last time I checked, the Maryland Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has one member who is a Real Son - his father was a Confederate soldier.