Day 1 /Gettysburg

[Hancock the Superb]

I don't think Lane understood what his attack was supposed to do: which was to flank the Union infantry on Seminary Ridge, and move into town, which would have made Day 1 almost a total victory for the Confederate cause. Maybe, it would have won the war... but he didn't give the Confederacy that opportunity.

[Kerflumoxed]

There is an article in Wikopedia (yes, I know...they are notorious for errors) that contains the following statement: "There is only one confirmed use of an infantry square against cavalry in the American Civil War, formed by the Thirty-Second Indiana Volunteer Infantry at the Battle of Rowlett's Station, December 17, 1861 and used against Terry's Texas Rangers." Since there is no confirmed footnote documenting this statement, I am hesitant to include it in this discussion...other than to provoke further research and discussion.

From Sam Watkins great book, Company Atch, is this reference: "From Co. Aytch pp 147-148: "Halloo! here comes a cavalry charge from the Yankee line. Now for it; we will see how Yankee cavalry fight… They thunder down upon us. Their flat-footed dragoons shake and jar the earth. They are all around us – we are surrounded. "Form square! Platoons, right and left wheel! Kneel and fire!" There we were in a hollow square.

"….They charged right upon us. Colonel Field, sitting on his gray mare, right in the center of the hollow square, gives the command, "Front rank, kneel and present bayonet against cavalry." The front rank knelt down, placing the butts of their guns against their knees. "Rear rank, fire at will; commence firing." Now all this happened in less time than it has taken me to write it. They charge upon us, no doubt expecting to ride right over us, and trample us to death with the hoofs of their horses. They tried to spur and whip the horses over us, but the horses had more sense than that. We were pouring deadly fire right into their faces, and soon men and horses were writhing in their death agonies; officers were yelling at the top of their voices, "Surrender! Surrender!" but we were having too good a thing of it. We were killing them by scores, and they could not fire at us; if they did they either overshot or missed their aim. Their ranks began to break and get confused, and finally they were routed…"

Further research reveals the following:

"The Confederate 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Corps (Gladden's Brigade) formed a brigade square during the Battle of Shiloh."


"The Union 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 1st Corps formed a brigade square during the Battle of Chancellorsville."

"The Union 13th U.S. Infantry regiment formed a square at 1st Manassas and they manouvered in square formation."

"In his unit history of the 1st Rhode Island Infantry, Elisha Hunt Rhodes writes that early in the war, the regiment had reached the crest of a hill with the intention of entering a town down below. Before making the movement, they formed square."

Other documented instances of forming the hollow square:
"1) 69th NY at 1st Bull Run
2) 55th Illinois at Shiloh (to protect against infantry!)
3) Lane's Brigade Confederates at Gettysburg 1st day
4) Orphan Brigade at Murfreesboro
5) Confederates at Winchester
6) Confederates at Five Forks
7) Confederates at Sailors Creek
8) 27th Tennessee Infantry, Resaca, Georgia, May 15, 1864:
9) The Thirty-second Indiana at Rowlett's Station, Ky
10)67th Indiana at Grand Coteau, La
11)123rd Il returning from an unspecified scout
12) Confederates at Nashville
13) 8th Ga at Olustee
14) 8th NH at Bayou LaForche
15) The 5th Wisconsin Infantry Battle of Willamsburg during the Peninsula campaign
16) The 41st Illinois at Jackson, Mississippi during the Vicksburg campaign
17) 36th Illinois Infantry companies formed squares during the Battle of Pea Ridge."

Some of these can be easily documented while others, such as number 12, will require a little more "digging" to ascertain the veracity of the claim.

Enjoy...and a very Merry Christmas to all of you fine CW historians!

J :woohoo: singing Jingle Bells with a warm Tom & Jerry in his mitt!

[Kerflumoxed]

Oh, yes. The easiest way to break a hollow square if the proper forces are available: bombard at close range with the artillery supported by the cavalry!

J

[Colonel Dreux]

Hancock the Superb wrote:

I don't think Lane understood what his attack was supposed to do: which was to flank the Union infantry on Seminary Ridge, and move into town, which would have made Day 1 almost a total victory for the Confederate cause. Maybe, it would have won the war... but he didn't give the Confederacy that opportunity.

Yeah, I don't think he was given good instructions, but not maintaining contact with Perrin was a mistake, I think. I'm not sure if he had joined in that would have meant Gettysburg would have been won by the Confederates, but they surely would have cleaned up Seminary Ridge more easily than they did.

It's just my opinion as well, but I don't think Gettysburg would have ended the war if the Union lost the battle. Vicksburg was about to be taken and Abraham Lincoln, and the Republicans wouldn't have given up.

[Armchair General]

Colonel Dreux wrote:

Hancock the Superb wrote:

I don't think Lane understood what his attack was supposed to do: which was to flank the Union infantry on Seminary Ridge, and move into town, which would have made Day 1 almost a total victory for the Confederate cause. Maybe, it would have won the war... but he didn't give the Confederacy that opportunity.

Yeah, I don't think he was given good instructions, but not maintaining contact with Perrin was a mistake, I think. I'm not sure if he had joined in that would have meant Gettysburg would have been won by the Confederates, but they surely would have cleaned up Seminary Ridge more easily than they did.

It's just my opinion as well, but I don't think Gettysburg would have ended the war if the Union lost the battle. Vicksburg was about to be taken and Abraham Lincoln, and the Republicans wouldn't have given up.

Vicksburg was way out in Mississippi, while Gettysburg was strategically-wise a stone's throw from D.C. I think Lincoln would have been more alarmed about a defeated AOTP, thus leaving D.C. open, then he would have had the AOTP lost and Vicksburg taken.

[Hancock the Superb]

You should read the series I've been talking about - Gettysburg, Grant Comes East, and Never Call Retreat.

I do believe that winning at Gettysburg wouldn't have won the war, but there is the possibility of it - somewhere else.

[Colonel Dreux]

I don't think the AOTP was going to ever be fully defeated. At best the Confederates would have knocked out two corps on the first day. They then would have had to defeat the remainder, plus reserves somewhere else. Washington was also a fortress and wasn't going to ever be taken directly.

At worst, the capital could have been moved and the North could fight on, continuing to grind down the South to nothing.

[Hancock the Superb]

But would the population of the north ever forgive Abe for moving the capital north?

[Colonel Dreux]

Who knows? My guess, would be yes, yes they would. It is really interesting to think what would have happened though. It would have caused some political problems if they had been severely defeated at Gettysburg or somewhere in PA or ML during that campaign.

[Hancock the Superb]

Again, read that series I've been talking about. It holds the hypothetical answers to your hypothetical questions, and I cannot give you hypothetical solutions.

However, you could read that series... hypothetically.