Let’s see what ya’ll think:

In recent years, a different school of thought has emerged
…about Gen Picket Grand attack. Was he only to be a diversion, so that Gen.
Stewart could strike the center of the federal line from the rear?

Seems a bit strong to me to put the blame on Witcher for “disappearing” the night of the second. Do you have any idea when Witcher was notified that he was in command of his portion of Jerkins brigade? I have read that he spent the night of July 2nd on or near Brinkerhoff ridge. I feel that this lack of communication with Ferguson and Witcher might have been brought on by the late arrival of Stuart on the battlefield, and the fatigue that he and his staff felt from their long raid around the AOP.

There is no question that he was in tactical command of the portions of Jenkins brigade that fought so well at Rummels farm on the third, but then again the bulk of that combat was borne by the 34th Virginia. [See Witcher’s letters to John Batchelder in Volumes 2 and 3 of the Batchelder papers].

Also, while the 34th may have carried a few Enfield rifles or even rifle muskets, ordnance records show that they were armed with M1841 rifles [caliber .54], CS Richmond rifles, caliber .58 [rifles that had been cut down, or in some cases put together using battlefield salvaged rifle muskets and parts at the CS Richmond Armory] and even a few .69 caliber M1842 rifled muskets, which the “Nighthawks “valued for the long range accuracy. No matter what they carried, the men of the 34th knew how to shoot, and shoot well.

While the “Cavaliers” of the ANV might have looked upon the men of Jenkins brigade as rather rough and uncouth “mountaineers”, I do think that Stuart, having spent his youth in southern Virginia was familiar with the tenacity and marksmanship of Jenkins brigade and in particular the 34th, when he personally placed Witcher’s troops in position as the advanced right anchor” of the confederate position. Since Jenkins brigade was considered “mounted infantry” instead of cavalry it is plausible to me that Stuart placed the brigade in the best place tactically, were it could be used either as “bait” to draw a the main body of Yankee cavalry onto the field, and thereby exposing their right flank to a mounted charge, or perhaps in the event of a confederate reversal to be in place to cover a withdrawal from the field.” In short Witcher was placed in the best place possible on the confederate battle line.

Interesting. I hope you’ll post some excerpts from there in Cannonbal blog, ‘cos it’s always trouble to acquire such publications in Russia where I currently reside. Post service not always did great.

Alejandro.

Thanks very much for the compliment on my Cannonball blog! It covers my home area of York County PA in the Civil War, including Jenkins’ Raid. That expedition will be featured in an article I wrote for the Gettysburg Magazine for January 2011 publication.

Scott L. Mingus, Sr.

Kicking up rock after rock,
building walls to crouch behind
and pop some graybacks,
I uncover a heap of ants so thick
looks like they’re having a war themselves,
crawling on and about each other
like they hate the bug on the left more
than the bug on the right.

I sprinkle a bit of gun powder
on the mess, drop a match.
Flame sends `em all to hell.
Colonel Chamberlain asks
what I’m up to so I tell `im.
He smiles, says maybe God
just lifted up a stone
and found all us squirming
here and there, decided
to exterminate with a storm
of blood and lead, foul as we are.

S. Thomas Summers