Mississippi at Gettysburg- Gettysburg NMP September 10-11, 2016

[Tyler Gibson]

Who- The Independent Rifles host
What- A Gettysburg Living history of the 21st Mississippi Infantry during the Gettysburg Campaign.
When- September 9th 10th and 11th 2016
Where- Gettysburg NMP
Why- To create a better understanding of the actions of the evening of July 2nd, 1863, and provide interpretive assets to the NPS at Gettysburg.

Impression guidelines, Order of Battle, and a reading list will be posted both on the event Facebook Page, and on this forum. Participants in this event are strongly encouraged to register sooner, rather than later- there will be NO walk-ons. The event will be taking place on an NPS site, and all applicable rules and regulations will apply (No Drugs, No Alcohol, etc).

The purpose of this event is to act as an interpretive asset to Gettysburg NMP, they have asked that we provide them a backdrop for “Life of the Soldier” talks while we are there. Be prepared to conduct firing demonstrations and march some of the same roads and fields the men of the Mississippi Brigade Trod.

Those wishing to raise a company should contact the undersigned at tygib2005@hotmail.com, via Private Message on this forum, or via facebook to be added to the command tent page.

Facebook Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/815217428525818/

Guidelines, Registration forms and the like are forthcoming.

Thank you all very much,
Tyler Gibson
The Independent Rifles

[Tyler Underwood]

Re: Mississippi at Gettysburg- Gettysburg NMP September 10-11, 2016

Awesome job Tyler! Thank you for putting this all together for us. You can count me in my friend!

[Tyler Gibson]

Re: Mississippi at Gettysburg- Gettysburg NMP September 10-11, 2016

Here are some ideas to start reading up on to get a good understanding of Barksdale's Mississippians.

For free on the web-

Publications of the Mississippi Historical Society, Volume 14
On Google Books at the following link-

https://books.google.com/books?id=fk0UAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA316&lpg=PA316&dq=mississippi+historical+society+Gettysburg&source=bl&ots=erKeOVcQaN&sig=YaUwJysgUP29F1qprgl3vaYPbIo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAGoVChMIqOje9OTvxwIVxFc-Ch1qzQ87#v=onepage&q=mississippi%20historical%20society%20Gettysburg&f=false

Starting at about Pg. 238

“The Key to the Entire Situation
The Peach Orchard, July 2, 1863”
Eric A. Campbell

http://npshistory.com/series/symposia/gettysburg_seminars/11/essay6.pdf

Hard copy books-

-“A Mississippi Rebel in the Army of Northern Virginia: The Civil War Memoirs of Private David Holt”
A memoir of the Davis Brigade, but provides a good backdrop of a Mississippian in Lee’s Army.

-“Barksdale's Charge: The True High Tide of the Confederacy at Gettysburg, July 2, 1863”
Phillip Thomas Tucker

-“One Final Charge”
BJ Jordan

[Tyler Gibson]

Re: Mississippi at Gettysburg- Gettysburg NMP September 10-11, 2016

Here's the website with guidelines. More pages should be added tomorrow along with a registration page.

Thanks!

http://barksdalesbrigade.weebly.com

[Tyler Gibson]

Re: Mississippi at Gettysburg- Gettysburg NMP September 10-11, 2016

Registration form is live on the website.

link: http://barksdalesbrigade.weebly.com/registration.html

[Tyler Underwood]

Re: Mississippi at Gettysburg- Gettysburg NMP September 10-11, 2016

For all those interested, the Governor Guards will be raising Company F the "Tallahatchie Rifles"
We are really looking forward to this Tyler!

[Tyler Gibson]

Re: Mississippi at Gettysburg- Gettysburg NMP September 10-11, 2016

Friendly bump for interest, quote from the "other side"


"Just as I was limbering up to go through the gateway and back to the ridge in my rear (Cemetery Ridge proper), Col. McGilvery dashed up and said, "Captain Bigelow, there is not an infantryman back of you along the whole line from which Sickles moved out; you must remain where you are and hold your position at all hazards, and sacrifice your battery, if need be, until at least I can find some batteries to put in position and cover you. The enemy are coming down on you now.' I immediately ordered the guns unlimbered, the ammunition taken from the limbers and laid beside the guns. Hardly were the four guns double-shotted before the enemy appeared above a swell of the ground about fifty yards on my right and front. I became heavily engaged"

"Waiting till they were breast high, my battery was discharged at them every gun loaded…with double shotted canister and solid shot, after which through the smoke [we] caught a glimpse of the enemy, they were torn and broken, but still advancing...."

"The enemy crowded to the very muzzles of [the guns]…but were blown away by the canister. Sergeant after Sergt., was struck down, horses were plunging and laying about all around, bullets now came in on all sides, for the enemy had turned my flanks. The air was dark with smoke…yet my men kept up a rapid fire…. Not withstanding their insane, reckless efforts, not an enemy came into [the] battery from its front"

CPT John Bigelow, 9th MASS Battery.

[Tyler Gibson]

Re: Mississippi at Gettysburg- Gettysburg NMP September 10-11, 2016

A bit lengthy, but worth a read. Account from the Federal perspective- from John Bigelow's "The Peach Orchard: Gettysburg, July 2nd 1863" ca. 1910
Emphasis is original.


Col. McGilvery came up at 5:45 p. m. to again visit his batteries, whose fire he had previously been directing. He learned that Capt. Randolph, who commanded the 3rd Corps artillery had been wounded and taken from the field ; besides there was no one in charge of the infantry, which was falling back as each could, without any rallying point. He ordered Capt. Phillips, 5th Mass., to withdraw his battery. This was done under heavy infantry fire, one piece being drawn off by hand. Lastly, he ordered Capt. Bigelow, 9th Mass. Battery, to “limber up and get out.” At this time, 6 p. m. there were NONE of our troops in or about the Peach Orchard, except the 9th Mass. Battery. Instead, where our infantry had been a short time before, some 200 yards on the battery’s right, was Barksdale’s Confederate brigade, which had driven Graham’s command from its position and was reorganizing for a further advance, with its line extending back as far as it could be seen ; while on its left front was a swarm of sharpshooters from Kershaw’s Confederate brigade, two regiments of which had crossed its front but a few moments before (from the Peach Orchard contest), in order to join the balance of the brigade, then, hotly engaged before the Round Tops, and had received from the battery a damaging enfilading canister fire.

The danger from the sharp shooters was explained to Col. McGilvery and the request made for permission “By prolonge to retire firing.” McGilvery consented. Prolonges or ropes were attached, one end to the pintles of the limbers, the other end to the gun trails, and the battery, alone on the field, was retired for some 400 yards, firing solid shot at Barksdale’s line and keeping Kershaw’s sharpshooters on its left front back with canister, until the angle of the stone wall was reached at the Trostle House.

While under cover of a slight swell of the ground, the battery was preparing to make a rush for high ground in the rear ; but Col. McGilvery again came to Capt. Bigelow and said: “Our lines are open between the Round tops and the left of the 2nd Corps. You must remain here at all hazards, and check the enemy until I can form a SECOND LINE in your rear.”

The two left pieces, being so crowded among boulders that they could not be used, were sent to the rear, one being driven over the stone wall, the other through the gateway into Trostle’s Land, and, though overturned, was righted amid a shower of bullets and gotten safely to the rear. Thus the left of the battery was opened to Kershaw’s sharpshooters.

The four remaining pieces were ordered to take their ammunition from the chests and place it near the guns, for rapid use ; also to double shot with canister. Soon the enemy appeared breast high in front and heavy firing began and continued to the end.

At this time, about 6:30 p. m., Gen. Barksdale was hotly engaged with Humphries’ division, which had swung back its left to meet the attack ; Wilcox and Wright’s brigades of Anderson’s division, Hill’s 3rd Confederate Corps, also joined in the attack ; while Alexander brought up to the Peach Orchard, six batteries, which poured in, at short range, a murderous fire on Humphries’ devoted command. Before Humphries reached his final position in front of the 2nd Corps, notwithstanding the heavy losses his command was receiving from shot, shell and bullets, he rallied his men in the open field five or six times and repulsed the Confederate infantry, when they pressed him too closely.

Barksdale, however, detached the 21st Miss. Reg. to dispose of the 9th Mass. Battery, which had been causing him great trouble from its steady fire, and was, then, penned in the angle of the Stone Wall at Trostle’s Lane. Its front attacks were steadily repulsed ; but it was able to enter the battery on its undefended right flank, while Kerahw’s skirmishers came in on the left flank, and men and horses were shot down. The enemy had, however, been delayed long enough to enable Col. McGilvery to gather and place in position, about 400 yards in the rear, on Trostle’s Land, near the Weirkert house, a SECOND line of artillery.

*The sacrifice of the 9th Mass. Battery, thus, accomplished the purpose desired and was not in vain.*

[Tyler Gibson]

Re: Mississippi at Gettysburg- Gettysburg NMP September 10-11, 2016

“3d July (Friday).—at 6 A.M. I rode to the field with Colonel Mannning, and wnt over that portion of the ground which, after a fierce contest, had been won from the enemy yesterday evening. The dead were being buried, but great numbers were still lying about ; also many mortally wounded, for whom nothing could be done. Amongst the latter were a number of Yankees dressed in bad imitations of the Zouave costume. They opened their glazed eyes as I rode past in a painfully imploring manner.”

From “Three months in the southern states”

[Tyler Gibson]

Re: Mississippi at Gettysburg- Gettysburg NMP September 10-11, 2016

From "Publications of the Mississippi Historical Society", whilst not directly dealing with the 21st, gives a good measure of the common soldiers experience of both the fight and the aftermath.


The Following, embracing the account of the fall of General Barksdale by J. C. Lloyd of the 13th Mississippi, who was probably the last one of the brigade to speak with him, and who lost his arm in the same conflict, was published in the Meridian Dispatch of August 3rd. The memory of the tragic scene is interwoven with the story of Mr. Lloyd’s attendance upon the Gettysburg reunion:


We met men that we fought on our part of the line – Barksdale’s Brigade – Where we ran over a battery of seven guns. The major commanding was with us.

“Why, you were the grandest men the world ever saw.” “You made the grandest charge of the war.” “Your line was perfect and you held it, too, long.” “I was giving you all the canister my guns could carry but you never halted, but charged right on over us.” His description was about correct as I remember it. We cleared the whole of our front from the enemy as far as I could see up to the bushes around Plum run. A new line came out and advanced through the bushes firing on our line and there our General Barksdale was mortally wounded and I caught a Minnie in my arm.

The first day I arrived, after selecting my post and depositing my grip sack, I walked up on the hill above our quarters, to a beautiful oak grove, to cool off and rest.

It was high ground and I could get a fine view of the new white tented city just erected, and the whold old battlefield for miles and miles.

Is this Battle of Gettysburg a dream that I had fifty years ago? The horrible facts reply “No.”

Here where I am sitting was a part of the line of battle of longstreet’s corps. To my right, say nearly two miles, was the position of Barksdale’s brigade.

At sunrise we were north of the town, now southwest, in the afternoon, and still expecting an immediate advance. Yonder is Cemetery Ridge; a little further on is Little Round Top, and still a little further on is Big Round Top, and still a little further on is Devil’s Den, etc. There is Plum run along at the foot of all, hidden by scrubby bushes and the extreme limit of Barksdales charge and where he was mortally wounded and I lost my arm.

Our company was the color company and here is the flag of the Thirteenth Mississippi Regiment.

Directly in our front, only a few steps, are Generals Longstreet, McLaws, Barksdale, and our beloved Colonel Carter, with their glasses, taking a last look over the field. General Hood is to open the fight on our right and all are waiting for his signal. The stern fighter was generally on time and we soon heard it.

Our Colonel stepped briskly a little further to the front. “Attention.” “Fix Bayonets.” “Forward March.” “Double quick march.” “Charge bayonets.” And the great battle was raging. Oh, that horrible dream. Did we hear shot, shell and canister; see men falling all around us and still live through it?

Was it a battle or a severe thunder storm? Scarcely a minute and we are at the barn and scaling the fences at the lane and right across and in among the enemy, literally running over them. A divergence to the left and we run over and capture a battery. Then a divergence to the right to face a force not yet driven back. Then on and on until no enemy was seen in our front. Then still on to Plum river. And did our gallant Barksdale ride into our midst and still say, “Forward through the bushes.” Did I hear him make a sound and see men rush to him; see him taken off his horse and started off the field? I turn again to the front and see the enemy bursting through the bushes and firing on us. They had come out from the top of the hill and fresh.

A shock, as if I had a rail in my left hand and one end had struck the gound. I sat down with the other hand up to show surrender. That line marches over me and I go down into the bushes to find a rest for my arm and for protection from further damages.

Did that line soon retreat over me and one of them fix a sling for my arm, leaving with a “Wish you well?” Then I reasoned that no enemy was between me and our troops and I pulled out. Not a single confederate was to be seen anywhere. I hear a weak hail to my right, and, turning to it, find General Barksdale, and what a disappointment when I hold my canteen to his mouth for a drink of water and found a ball had gone through and let it all out. I took his last message to his brigade and left him, with the promise to sent the litter bearers. I know that I was the last on that part of the field and the last man that saw General Barksdale. I thought I was safe now, but the first thing I knew I was in the lines of a regiment of Yankees. It was so smoky they did not notice me and I tacked back and made a wide circuit around and came in again at the barn and then made my way on to the field hospital.

[Tyler Gibson]

Re: Mississippi at Gettysburg- Gettysburg NMP September 10-11, 2016

Gentlemen, Registration is open!

"When the cannonade was at its height, a Confederate band of music, between the cemetery and ourselves, began to play polkas and waltzes, which sounded very curious, accomplished by the hissing and bursting of the shells.”
From "Three Months in the Confederacy"