Breast Pocket on a CS Frock?

[YoungCampaigner]

Hello All. I was browsing the Library of Congress this afternoon and I looked at this photograph (attatched below) of a dead Confederate sharpshooter near the Devil's Den at Gettysburg. To my surprise, I observed that he appears to be wearing a commutation frock with a rather large applied pocket on the right breast. Does anyone know anthing about this? Am I just naive or is this a little unusual? Thanks.

[Andrew Kasmar]

Re: Breast Pocket on a CS Frock?

Hi,

From what I can find the 20th Georgia Infantry wore frock coats with large patch pockets at Gettysburg. The 20th Georgia attacked the Federal forces at Devil's Den, so maybe this dead soldiers was a member of this regiment.

[Duff]

Re: Breast Pocket on a CS Frock?

Andrew,
Thats probably right for this situation and this unit.

However, I have seen documentation of men sewing pockets onto their coats, much to the disdain of their officers. That could be another possibility.

But I personaly would bet he was a member of the 20th GA

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Breast Pocket on a CS Frock?

Hallo!

Possibly 20th Georgia...

However, the Texas Brigade's 1st Texas swept across the Triangular field towards the 124th NY and Smith's guns first.
Initially, the 124th sent the 1st Texas reeling back 200 yards before they regrouped and surged into the whithering fire again.

On a direct line behind the 1st was Benning's Brigade arrayed 15th GA, 20th GA, 17th GA, and 2 GA.

It is possible, depending upon the timing, that the lad could have been 1st Texas, 20th GA or even 17th GA.

Joined by Benning's 15th GA on their right, and the 20th GA and 44 AL to the right, the 1st Texas comingled with the 15th and again slammed into the 124ty NY.

They were then hit by the advancing 4th Maine, and 99th PA at Smith's guns.

The Confederates prevailed and swept that portion of Houck's Ridge, with the 44th AL, 17th GA, 2nd GA, and 48th AL sweeping after the 4th TX, 5th TX, and 4th AL through the Plum Run valley into the 99th PA and 40th NY.

IMHO, at that point, with the 20th GA pushing against Smith, and the 4th ME and 99th PA, the lad who long be remembered as the "Confederate sharpshooter in Devil's Den" may have fallen.
But, he could have possibly been 1st TX, 17th GA, or 20th GA...

Curt
Just walking that advance on Monday last, and remarking on the wonderfulness of the "deforestation" efforts.
And no rattlesnakes this time...

[Andrew Kasmar]

Re: Breast Pocket on a CS Frock?

Hi,

Mr. Schmidt does make a good point that this porr soldier could have been from several different units. Thanks for the information on Devil's Den, I found it very interesting.

[McKim]

Re: Breast Pocket on a CS Frock?

That site has a few other pics of the same man taken at different angles. You will also find a couple more KIA wearing the same coat, and from others sources even more of them appear and at different locations on the battlefield.

[YoungCampaigner]

Re: Breast Pocket on a CS Frock?

Yes, I believe this is the same gentleman who some believe Alexander Gardner moved a few hundred yards for the famous "Home of a Rebel Sharpshooter" photograph. Wether they are really the same man or not I don't know, but they do both have similar coats. I don't intend to get into all of the "body-moving" theories, but I just thought it was interesting that this could be the same man in his originial location. One other thing that struck me about this photo is that his shoes appear to be in very good condition for a Confederate at Gettysburg. This would point to a unit that was issued a fresh batch of shoes right before the battle.

[hiplainsyank]

Re: Breast Pocket on a CS Frock?

Interestingly, I was just talking about this picture with some friends this past weekend, where I speculated that he must have been wounded at first and died later, since the pics were taken--what? July 5th or 6th? And the poor fellow isn't nearly as bloated and disfigured as in other photos, so he must have lingered for some time before finally dying.

Poor guy.

[Andrew Kasmar]

Re: Breast Pocket on a CS Frock?

Hi,

I never thought about that before.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Breast Pocket on a CS Frock?

Hallo!

The nice thing about the NPS' "de-foresting" effort at G-burg is that open ground then, is now open ground once again.
The "Triangular Field" that used to be choked in trees and scrub is now open, and it makes it easier to both walk the advance of Robertson's and Benning's men, as well as find the place the Confederate was first photographed.
Although, Nature does like to compound things. For example Plum Run has altered its course a few times, and now flows around one of the rocks where a fallen Confederate was photographed. Last Tuesday, due to the heavy rains, Plum Run had cut and washed out about half of the ground where he was lying- and the swelling of the run had it 2/3rds underwater.

Curt

[Dan Wambaugh]

Re: Breast Pocket on a CS Frock?

Curt,

Just wondering if you have read this article on this famous soldier:

http://www.jamescgroves.com/henry/hcp1a.htm

I'm interested to hear your take on it. As for me, I believe that the NPS and Frassanito have it wrong and the gentleman in question was indeed the sharpshooter reported in the ORs to have been killed on July 3rd by artillery fire. Heaven knows that they've mislabeled and misidentified enough things over the years at the Visitor's Center.


Best,

Dan

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Breast Pocket on a CS Frock?

Hallo!

Yes, I am familiar with the piece and the POV.
Thanks for putting it up for everyone!

July 6's series of five Gardner images, "A sharpshooter's last sleep." being a plate as well as stereo image #251.

IMHO, he IS the man seen in the four stereo images #244, #263, #277, and I forget the fourth shot about 40 yards "downhill" in the Triangular Field."
And in the "sharpshooter's home" image plate and stereo #251.

But yes, in the absence of documentation he could have been moved from the "home" backwards down the slope to the Triangular Field location.
But I doubt it, as he rests on a blanket (with a knapsack for a "pillow" in the Den, but not behind the rocks in the Field.

At any rate, we speculate on the unknown eitehr way.

I believe the "home" image was staged as Frassanito asserts/claims/believes. (Some few of Gibson's and Gardner's images seem laid out and posed rather than the "trauma" effect of instant kill shots or lingering death form mortal wounds- such as Gibson stereo view #258 of the Confederate next to the boulder in Plum Run I mentioned before...)
There "appears" to be no bloating or discoloration from July 2-6th mid 90's heat and rain. There appears to be no visible trauma of any kind visible on the body, and while the rock "breastworks" have been later rebuilt , the Gardner image shows remarkable lack of any "blast effect" from the shell alledged to have killed him by concussion.

It is also possible that the dead body refered to as killed by the federal shell, was another man and was already removed by the federal burial details working the area. (What or how many bodies still remained on July 6 for Gardner to pick and choose from?)

It is also possible that the lad in the Triangular Field images was killed by an aerial artillery burst, as it would have been a chance or lucky Minie round to have struck his body as he was "advancing" from behind shoulder high rocks with no direct line of fire between him and the Ridge.
On the other hand, it was 95 degrees and sunny on the afternoon of July
2nd, so he may have possibly died of heat stroke wearing that long coat and running up the side of Houck's Ridge.

For that matter, and for funne... It is also "possible" that the body was not "real," being rather a posed Gardner assistant or employee who laid down on a spread blanket and put of knapsack under his head for the "artistic composition" of the peaceful and tranquil "passing into the long sleep of death" motif there in the "home" image.

I offer these snippets of nothing because we have no documentation, just
speculation. I would disagree with that author thought a wee bit; it is intrepretation of undocumented images far much more than it is RATIONALE. ;) :)

Curt
Who did not step into three rattlesnakes last Tuesday as he had done the first time he went looking for the lower rock site..