The Georgia in the Civil War Message Board

Re: Gettysburg trip
In Response To: Gettysburg trip ()

Marvin,

The 24th Georgia, part of BGen Wofford's Brigade, was among the last Confederate units to go into action late on the afternoon of 2 July. If you have time, you can trace their circuitous route into position with McLaws' Division, but as for their battle action, Wofford's Brigade followed roughly the Warfield road, past the Peach Orchard where all of the Federals had already been cleared out a little earlier by Barksdale's Mississippians, and maintained their line intact into the woods bordering the west side of the Wheatfield, the soldiers marching at right shoulder shift. When they emerged from the woods (the time was about 6 p.m.) they surprised Sweitzer's Union Brigade at close quarters, which was caught in the open facing the wrong way (south), and there erupted a fierce and brief hand-to-hand conflict with liberal use of the bayonet and clubbed muskets on both sides, a rare thing indeed (far less than one percent of all casualties at Gettysburg were caused by the bayonet). If you visit the 4th Michigan's monument in the Wheatfield, you will be in the vicinity of this encounter. Sweitzer's brigade had to withdraw in confusion, as well as Caldwell's Division of the Federal Second Corps, including Brooke's Brigade whose monuments mark their furthest advance that day. Ayre's Regular Division of the Federal Fifth Corps, part of which was facing south on the eastern side of the Wheatfield, was also caught off guard by Wofford's advance and was mauled as a result. The new Visitor Center has some of Lt. Fisher's effects on display; I recall that he was a member of the 10th U.S. Regulars and was killed in the Wheatfield that day by Wofford's men. So although part of Wofford's Brigade had been engaged in close combat, they still had plenty of fight after having cleared out several Union brigades. The Georgians continued to advance with remnants of other Confederate brigades to the northwest foot of Little Round Top and the Weikert buildings on the north side of the Wheatfield (Warfield) road. At that moment the Union Sixth Corps was arriving opposite them, joining the Pennsylvania Reserves waiting then on the north slope of Little Round Top for their retreating soldiers to get out of the way. But it was also clear to the Confederates that with the close of day, Wofford's fresh force alone could not whip the remainder of the Union Army in the vicinity. So when the Pennsylvania Regulars and part of the Sixth Corps began to advance, Wofford's men were preparing to, or in the process of, withdrawing themselves to the woods on the west side of the Wheatfield where they spent the night. That's a brief synopsis of Wofford's Brigade and the 24th. The position of the regiments in the brigade is still not clearly defined, at least to me, so it is hard to be more specific as to the 24th's actual route, but this should get you close.

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