Thanks for the note and so noted. I do have a copy of the original letter from Cumming to Lee. I briefly incorporated those comments into my response of two days ago and a little more thoroughly in my Master's Thesis, "Free or Dead: Loyalty, Desertion, and Will in the 39th Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment."

Cumming's did take command of the brigade during active campaigning and what we (21st Century Army) refer to as, "on the fly." Not the best of circumstances in taking command and especially coming from outside of the army and not having much background about the men, the commanders within the brigade or outside of the brigade (division, staff, other brigade commanders); for better or worse, personalities count. All of that only violates a couple dozen rules on leadership that we kind of follow today. But is was the politics of the day that it was overridingly important that Georgians command Georgia troops.

I have been in correspondence with Mr. Winschel several times in the past on the regiments, hospital system, water availability, and terrain in the past. There is little to nothing there in the vertical files on the regiments.

I have over one hundred linear inches or material (not including CSR's) on the 39th and about eighteen on the other regiments in the brigade and this also does not include various mentions in books throughout their history. Not including my Master's Thesis, Book One is being written right now.

Respectfully,

Gerald D. Hodge, Jr.
War Between the States Historian
M.A. Military History - Civil War Concentration
Historian: 39th Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment