RickAllen Official Chronicler of Gettysburg Tours!
Joined: Feb 13, 2004 Posts: 4286 Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 4:59 pm Post subject: The Line On The Spine
I've been reading many comments from experienced hands like Jim and Harry about what an impressive change the clearing on Munshowers has
revealed and I noticed the same thing myself when I was there the last few times.
Its completely amazing and not tactically insignificant either. I think Jim summed up alot of what I think about the clearing, and I agree that it makes Sickles look, if possible, even more hard headed than I had imagined. I've spent alot of time up on those rocks back in the woods
and when I paused to mentally take out the trees as I was advised to do,
I was really suprised to see what a strong position it actually was. This was more than a few years ago, but ever since then, I've been progressivly more sold on the reality.
I think some, maybe even most people, have a hard time when people tell them to "pretend the trees are not there" and its no wonder
they do, but it kind of always came naturally to me. Once I had walked around a wooded area a bit, I've pretty much always been able to picture it any way I wanted. I dont know if that is my "creative" nature, some weird Art related skill from college,a remnant of the topographic maps of the woods around my neighborhoodI drew when I was a kid, or I am some kind of genetic weirdo, but it's true.
So the more I learned about that area of the field and the more I walked around it, I kind of got progressively more confused as to why
so many people (including Sickles) were so enamored of the forward
position? Forget all the reasons Dan gave us, with every tree that gets cleared, that line is becoming consistantly more clear and it's no slouch
at all. Not perfect, but damn fine.
As I've heard others say, the more this goes on, there will be many new converts to the previously "hidden" ridge and anything that makes Sickles look more like an ass is perfectly fine by me.
For those of you who have not seen it yet, (as JD will very soon) you're going to be knocked out.
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 6:42 pm Post subject: Re: The Line On The Spine
RickAllen wrote:
So the more I learned about that area of the field and the more I walked around it, I kind of got progressively more confused as to why
so many people (including Sickles) were so enamored of the forward
position?
Rick
About the only reason I can think of, by way of playing devil's advocate, is that the 3rd Corps was never actually on this line. It spent the night before in bivouac on the lower ground out to the west of the ridge, ground which does fit better the complaints later made about the Corps' position being on low ground dominated by the Peach Orchard ridge along the Emmitsburg road. Possibly Sickles "overlooked" the fact that where the Corps was camped wasn't where it was supposed to take up its line. You'd think he would have known better - he wasn't stupid, after all, say whatever else you will about him - but maybe he just got into some kind of mental block and spent more time thinking about the high ground to his front than that to his rear.
I don't necessarily buy this, BTW, but simply suggest it as at least a possible rational for Sickles' thinking.
To debate Sickles move is neverending in here ( love him or hate him )
but honestly, can't this be done with every General who made a bad
decision ?
I can think of many more deserved Generals who made a choice ( for
whatever reason ) and the results were disasterous for the soldiers in
their commands.
Jeff
Maybe we should start another poll - Worst decisions made by a
General ( Federal & Confederate ) that resulted unwarranted loss
of life. That would keep us all busy till Christmas...lol
Well, we would HAVE to add Colegrove's botched order to the 2nd Mass and 27th Ind.
Then again there was Iversons move toward Baxters line.
And, of course, R.E. Lee's decision to attack across 3/4 mile of open ground against the high ground.
Archers decision to wheel to the left to outflank the Wis boys and getting outflanked himself by the 19th Ind on Day 1.
Joined: Feb 09, 2004 Posts: 1800 Location: New Jersey
Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 11:08 pm Post subject:
My addition to the list, and while not at Gettysburg, I do feel it was one of the dumbest moments in the war. Talking about the plans before the Battle of the Crater at Petersburg, and how when Meade changed Burnside's original plan, Ambrose decided to let who picked the short straw lead the attack. Kind of makes me wonder why Grant was not more involved in this, especially since he was in command when mines were set off during the Campaign at Vicksburg. You would think he would have chimed in more, as he had seen first hand what to expect.
Joined: Feb 08, 2004 Posts: 644 Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 8:27 am Post subject:
Steve,
Grant is not blameless in the Crater affair, though some would be happy to have us think so. He was full aware of Meade's rationale for changing the makeup of the attacking force, and he concurred.
Just goes to show again how prescient Meade was concerning who would get the credit and who the blame for successes and failures.
Harry _________________ "Dulce bellum inexpertis" - Erasmus (though some say Pindaros)
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