Gettysburg to Appomattox: the South’S Critical Failures
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GETTYSBURG TO APPOMATTOX: THE SOUTH’S CRITICAL FAILURES DAVID MOORE With Contributions By John E. Moore John R. Caldwell William C. Wyrick November 2010 Copyright(c) 2010 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing by the author. David Moore HCR Box 3000 Big Piney, WY 83113 Copies of this work may be ordered from: Office Outlet Publishing PO Box 662 Pinedale, WY 84941 307-367-6763 Manufactured in the United States of America ISBN Gettysburg_Appomattox_Draft01.doc Preface It was in the cold winter month of January 2007 that I turned to my favorite pastime, reading the Civil War books I had acquired over the years. At one point I stopped, and asked the simple question, "What were the battle errors that contributed to the Southern Army loosing the war?" As a U.S. Navy Seabee in World War II, I experienced first-hand the conditions of combat during the invasions of Saipan and Tinian. I also served later during the Vietnam War as an officer at Subic Bay in the Philippines. I finished my military service as a Commander in the US Navy Reserves. These experiences were helpful in analyzing and appreciating battle conditions in writing this book. There was a cluster of battle events that registered failure for the Southern Army, and I found them at the battle of Gettysburg. My studies led me to analyze the elements which clearly showed the failure mode of the Confederacy, and place them in my book. The battle of Gettysburg was only part of the series of failures for the Confederates. Other battles, near the conclusion of the war, such as Fort Steadman, Five Forks, Sailor's Creek, Cumberland Church, and finally Appomattox illustrated the weakness of the Confederate Army. There are also many interesting parallels between the key players at Gettysburg, and those who participated in the final major battles of the Civil War. In writing this book, I felt the occasional use of colloquial expressions would support a better understanding of the historical events and context from more than just an academic perspective. The words of Albert Szent-Gyorgyi (a Nobel prize-winning biochemist) best capture my motivation: “Research is to see what everybody has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.” I hope you will enjoy and learn as much from reading this book as I enjoyed and learned from writing it. i Gettysburg_Appomattox_Draft01.doc Acknowledgments I am very grateful to William C. Wyrick, author of articles and a book on the Civil War, for his scholarly advice and suggestions. His technical edits and comments vastly improved this document. I give many thanks to Robert C. Steensma, PhD, English Professor, and Captain, U.S. Navy, Retired, for his gifts of civil war materials and technical advice. I am also thankful for the encouragement and advice that Rear Admiral Jack E. Buffington, U.S. Navy, CEC, Retired, gave after reading a draft copy of the text. I express my appreciation to the late Frank P. King, PhD, History Professor, for not only providing historical advice, but also sharing many pertinent articles and books on the Civil War. Captain Frank C. Gilmore, U.S. Navy, Retired, also reviewed the book and provided insight on the command structure of the military forces. I appreciate the research by John R. Caldwell in his contribution of biographies of leading Gettysburg generals both during and after the war. John’s interest in the Battle began at an early age when he visited Gettysburg as a young boy. I appreciate the assistance of Erica Forsman, who helped resolve technical problems in developing and printing drafts of the document. I am most grateful to John E. Moore (my son), for his numerous contributions in researching many details of the book and editing the final manuscript, which added greatly to its accuracy and readability. I am also grateful for his computer skills which helped place the book on the world-wide-web, where it could be shared with others. This work is dedicated to the memory of my dear departed wife, Frances O'Brien Moore, who supported my efforts, and those of many others', to bring "light into the world." ii Gettysburg_Appomattox_Draft01.doc Table of Contents Preface i Acknowledgments ii Key Players vii INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................1 A Divided Nation ........................................................................................................1 Prologue to the Battle ..................................................................................................7 The Army Generals .....................................................................................................8 The Battle Plans ........................................................................................................13 Planning the Details...................................................................................................16 The Long March North..............................................................................................18 The Spy.....................................................................................................................24 Stuart's Famous Cavalry Ride....................................................................................25 Rebel Cavalry Attacks...............................................................................................29 Before The Battle of Gettysburg ................................................................................31 THE FIRST DAY ......................................................................................................... 38 Day One - The Attack................................................................................................39 THE SECOND DAY..................................................................................................... 51 Gen. Lee Prepares for Battle......................................................................................51 Gen. Meade Prepares For Battle ................................................................................52 Gen. Longstreet Attacks ............................................................................................56 Gen. Hill Attacks.......................................................................................................66 Gen. Ewell Attacks....................................................................................................70 THE THIRD DAY ........................................................................................................ 81 The Fight for Culp’s Hill ...........................................................................................81 iii Gettysburg_Appomattox_Draft01.doc Attack on the Center of the Union Line......................................................................91 Overview of the Rebel Battle Line.........................................................................92 The Artillery..........................................................................................................93 The Rebel Infantry.................................................................................................98 The Artillery Duel ...............................................................................................105 Pickett's Famous Charge..........................................................................................109 Clash at the Rock Wall ............................................................................................114 Left Sector of the Rebel Attack............................................................................115 Hay’s Union Defense...............................................................................................126 The Union Artillery .............................................................................................127 Right Sector of the Rebel Attack..............................................................................132 Gibbon's Union Defense ......................................................................................138 THE CONFEDERATE RETREAT ............................................................................. 153 THE EVERLASTING GETTYSBURG ADDRESS.................................................... 162 THE GRAND FINALE............................................................................................... 164 The South's Slavery Problem...................................................................................164 Slavery: A Final Issue..............................................................................................166 GENERAL MEADE AND THE LAST BATTLE ....................................................... 169 The Battlefield at Richmond....................................................................................169 Critical Battle at Fort Stedman.................................................................................172 Lincoln's Triumph ...................................................................................................175 Staging At Amelia Court House ..............................................................................178 General Chamberlain, the Battle Historian...............................................................179