The Gettysburg Bandwagon

Like almost every Civil War blogger, I have succumbed to the Gettysburg hoopla. I agree that Gettysburg was a significant battle, but some of the media stories give the impression that it was THE MOST IMPORTANT BATTLE OF THE ENTIRE WAR. Was it? I have some doubts…

How does Gettysburg relate to the trans-Mississippi? Soldiers from the trans-Mississippi fought and died on Cemetery Hill, Cemetery Ridge, Culp’s Hill, Little Round Top, Plum Run, and Seminary Ridge. Most of the trans-Mississippians were soldiers from the Confederate states of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, but men from Minnesota also fought on the storied fields of Gettysburg. Here is a list of the units from west of the Mississippi and the losses that they suffered:

Union:

1^st Minnesota Infantry (2^nd Army Corps, Harrow’s Brigade): 50 killed, 173 wounded, 1 missing or captured

2^nd U. S. Sharpshooters (3^rd Army Corps, Ward’s Brigade—one company of the 2^nd was from Minnesota): 5 killed, 23 wounded, 15 missing or captured

Total trans-Mississippi Union casualties: 55 killed, 196 wounded, 16 missing or captured=267

Confederate:

Field and Staff (First Corps, Robertson’s Brigade): 1 wounded

3^rd Arkansas Infantry (First Corps, Robertson’s Brigade): 41 killed, 101 wounded, 40 missing or captured

1^st Texas Infantry (First Corps, Robertson’s Brigade): 29 killed, 46 wounded, 22 missing or captured

4^th Texas Infantry (First Corps, Robertson’s Brigade): 28 killed, 53 wounded, 31 missing or captured

5^th Texas Infantry (First Corps, Robertson’s Brigade): 54 killed, 112 wounded, 45 missing or captured

Robertson’s brigade=152 killed, 313 wounded, 138 missing or captured

Washington Artillery, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th Companies [Louisiana] (First Corps, Artillery Reserve) 8 killed, 11 wounded, 11 missing or captured

Madison [Louisiana] Artillery (First Corps, Artillery Reserve): 4 killed, 29 wounded

1^st Louisiana Infantry (Second Corps, Nicholls’ Brigade): 11 killed, 28 wounded

2^nd Louisiana Infantry (Second Corps, Nicholls’ Brigade): 15 killed, 47 wounded

10^th Louisiana Infantry (Second Corps, Nicholls’ Brigade): 22 killed, 69 wounded, 19 missing or captured

14^th Louisiana Infantry (Second Corps, Nicholls’ Brigade): 15 killed, 50 wounded

15^th Louisiana Infantry (Second Corps, Nicholls’ Brigade): 3 killed, 35 wounded

Nicholls’ Brigade=66 killed, 287 wounded, 36 missing or captured

5^th Louisiana Infantry (Second Corps, Hay’s Brigade): 7 killed, 30 wounded, 30 missing or captured

6^th Louisiana Infantry (Second Corps, Hay’s Brigade): 8 killed, 32 wounded, 21 missing or captured

7^th Louisiana Infantry (Second Corps, Hay’s Brigade): 13 killed, 40 wounded, 5 missing or captured

8^th Louisiana Infantry (Second Corps, Hay’s Brigade): 14 killed, 50 wounded, 11 missing or captured

9^th Louisiana Infantry (Second Corps, Hay’s Brigade): 19 killed, 35 wounded, 19 missing or captured

Hay’s brigade=61 killed, 187 wounded, 86 missing or captured

Louisiana Guard Artillery (Second Corps, Early’s Division): 2 killed, 5 wounded

Donaldson Artillery [Louisiana] (Third Corps, Heth’s Division): 2 wounded, 4 missing or captured

Total trans-Mississippi Confederate casualties: 293 killed, 832 wounded, 275 missing or captured=1,400

Note: Casualty figures are from Busey, John W. and David G. Martin. Regimental Strengths and Losses at Gettysburg. 4^th ed. Hightstown, NJ: Longstreet House, 2005.

"Wounded For Life"

Blog reader Dan McCown sent me the following photograph from the Find a Grave website.

The marker is in the Bear Creek Tabernacle Cemetery about ten miles north of Avinger, Texas (Cass County). Dan was intrigued not only by the unusual inscription, “Wounded For Life” but also by the fact that the man was a Gettysburg veteran. I was intrigued too and did a bit of online research to find out more.

Black’s compiled service record was readily available on the Fold3 website, and it revealed a sad story. A 20-year-old farmer, John Adam Black enlisted in the 42^nd Mississippi Infantry on May 14, 1862 in Grenada. His regiment saw no combat until some light skirmishing on June 30, 1863 near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. As a part of Brigadier General Joseph Davis’ brigade the regiment was heavily engaged on July 1^st where they tangled with several enemy units (including the famed 6^th Wisconsin Infantry) near the Railroad Cut. During the regiment's advance, Black's Company C as well as Company D served on the skirmish line. The regiment went on to participate in “Pickett’s Charge” and altogether suffered casualties of 75 killed and 190 wounded, a loss of 46.1%, at the battle of Gettysburg. Private Black received a gunshot wound to his right leg sometime during the fighting on July 1^st. Records do not reveal when he was evacuated from the battlefield, but he was admitted to Chimborazo Hospital #5 on July 17^th and sent to Howard’s Grove Hospital later in the year. His records then become a little unclear, at one point stating he was “furloughed” but also listing him as absent without leave. In either case, his records noted: “J A Black is disabled for life by gunshot wound received in battle of Gettysburg July 1, 1863.”

Black returned to Mississippi and married Mary Isabell sometime after the war. By 1880, they had moved to Cass County where John worked as a laborer. The couple had at least five children—three sons and two daughters. Interestingly, the 1880 census does not list John as crippled or maimed, and he never applied for a veteran’s pension from the state of Texas. A few months before his death, the 1900 census enumerator listed Black as a teamster.

His widow survived him by many years, finally passing away on January 7, 1944; interestingly her son, Walter Oscar Black, died on the same day. They were listed as living in the same household in 1930 with Walter Oscar listed as a farmer.

What exactly did “Wounded For Life” mean? Did he indeed have a long term physical disability as a result of his wound? Did he suffer from mental health issues? Or, did he make a remarkable recovery, and thus the phrase “Wounded For Life” became a type of inside joke? Whatever the meaning of the inscription, John Adam Black’s life was a remarkable odyssey from Mississippi to the Gettysburg battlefield and then to a farm in east Texas.

Latest Threat at Gettysburg

Rarely do I get on the proverbial soapbox or drift from the main theme of this blog, but I am concerned about a developer’s plans to construct a casino only one-half mile from the Gettysburg National Military Park. The battlefield is truly one of the most hallowed places in American history for a number of reasons; earlier this year I was one of 278 American historians who signed onto a letter sent by the Civil War Preservation Trust to Gregory Fajt, the chairman of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, urging the rejection of the casino proposal. The Civil War Preservation Trust has an excellent nine minute video about the casino threat on their website. This film, with its all-star "cast," does not just focus on Gettysburg but also explains the rationale for preserving our nation’s historic places.

My Wish List

This may come as a shock to some of you, but I have been a long time subscriber of The Gettysburg Magazine. I rarely get behind reading this magazine since it only is published twice a year. In a recent issue, editor Andy Turner advertised a forthcoming publication titled the Gettysburg Campaign Atlas and done by the magazine’s cartographer, Philip Laino. Now, I am a sucker for atlases and decided that I could afford the $34.00 pre-publication price. The atlas arrived in the mail this week. It is a large spiral-bound tome that contains 421 maps depicting the entire campaign. My initial reaction is that it is an impressive accomplishment, but I admit to some irritation after looking at the book. Why don’t scholars devote more attention to the trans-Mississippi? And that leads neatly to the comment that Vicki Betts posted earlier this evening. She asked what works I would like to see published on the trans-Mississippi, and what follows is my wish list as of right now.

The following is in no particular order:

How about an atlas on the Red River Campaign? I think that seeing 421 well-done maps on that campaign, or even 221 maps would be quite a treat.

And speaking of atlases, how about an atlas devoted just to actions in the trans-Mississippi? Don’t you get tired of Civil War atlases whose western boundary is the eastern part of the Indian Territory or worse yet, Arkansas?

Logistics were of supreme importance in the trans-Mississippi. I want to know all about the movement of supplies to and from Fort Scott, Kansas. And how were Confederate forces sustained? In Dr. Shea’s recent book about the Prairie Grove campaign he states, “Contrary to myth, the trans-Mississippi Confederacy received few manufactured goods by way of blockade-running in the western Gulf of Mexico. Nearly all factory-made items, whether firearms from Britain or footwear from Georgia, reached Arkansas via the railhead and waterfront at Vicksburg. As the war progressed, however, the presence of Union gunboats on the Mississippi severed the direct connection between Vicksburg and Little Rock. The Confederates established an indirect connection through Louisiana via the Ouachita River, but the route was longer, slower, and less reliable. By the fall of 1862 the arrival of any shipment from the eastern Confederacy was cause for celebration in Arkansas and the Indian Territory” (p. 82). I’d like to see a scholarly study on logistics and the trans-Mississippi Confederacy; what supply routes were developed? How were they sustained? What supplies actually reached Confederate troops?

Have you noticed that almost every book on the trans-Mississippi highlights civilians in some way? Civilians provided supplies (whether willingly or unwillingly), and they often were caught up in guerrilla warfare as well as the struggle between the armies. Many became refugees. More scholarly studies on their plight as well as their importance would be useful.

I’m beginning to sense that I could go on and on… For now, I will just mention one more wish list item. I am waiting for a scholarly study of the war on the Pacific Coast. My impression is that some fascinating events occurred along the Pacific Coast during the war, particularly in California.

What would you like to see added to the list?

And thank you, Vicki, for suggesting the topic of this posting!