Cavalry charges and big rocks

          Today’s Gettysburg wanderings took me to the East Cavalry Field, where George Custer kicked the hindquarters of JEB Stuart’s Confederate cavalry in an engagement that included two of America’s best-known horse soldiers on the final day of the Battle of Gettysburg, July 3, 1863.

This monument marks the spot where General
Custer attacked the Confederate cavalry during
the battle of Gettysburg.

Ironically, Custer is not known best for his victory at Gettysburg. He is best known for his loss 13 years later, almost to the day, at Little Big Horn. One could argue that Stuart is best known for his tardy attendance at Gettysburg.

Be that as it may, the fighting in the East Cavalry Field sometimes gets the short end of history’s stick. Stuart’s force was larger than the group the Union threw at the Confederates in that location that day and Stuart’s cavalry was very experienced. But Stuart’s men and mounts were exhausted from their raid around the back of the Army of the Potomac. The Confederate Cavalry finally found the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia the night before, only to be rushed into a major engagement the next day.

Fairly stated, Custer’s attack was an unexpected and well-executed dash straight at the Confederates. It was among the determining factors in the fighting on the final day of the fight.

Good work, George.

The Rummel farm as seen from the edge of the wooded area where
a Confederate force waited for a chance to attack Union forces.

The East Cavalry Field terrain is mostly flat, open ground. The earth is covered with working farms and a few farm buildings. There are far fewer monuments and position markers here than on other, better-traveled areas of the battlefield.

Much of the action on this cavalry field involved dismounted troops. The fighting around the Rummel farm was especially close.

These images from that field, captured in the morning hours of a sweltering Pennsylvania day, are meant to show the distances involved during this part of the Gettysburg struggle.

As the heat really started getting nasty, my Nikon and I retired to the slightly cooler, shaded spot where the 20^th Maine Regiment fought so stubbornly against the 15^th Alabama Regiment on Little Round Top. Years after the battle, William Oates, the former commander of the 15^th who had become the governor of Alabama, wished to place a marker commemorating his outfit’s charge against Little Round Top. He wanted to place the marker on the spot where he believed his brother was fatally wounded during the fighting. Governor Oates wrote a letter to the governor of Maine about the project.

The large rock believed by some to be the location where
Alabama Governor Oates wanted to place his monument
on Little Round Top is in the foreground. The left
flank marker for the 20th Maine is to the right in
this image.

The governor of Maine was none other than J.L. Chamberlain, the commander of the 20^th Maine at Little Round Top. As I understand the story, Chamberlain did not argue against the idea of a marker, but he had a problem with Oates’ proposed location. Oates believed, or said he believed, that his brother fell near a large rock. The rock he indicated apparently sits behind the line held so well by the 20^th.

Nobody knows for sure today which rock Oates favored for the location of the monument, but Chamberlain was adamant that no Alabama marker belonged behind the line defended by his 20^th Maine. You can understand Chamberlain’s view on the matter. His regiment held the line and won the day. Still, you might also wonder if Chamberlain was wrong. Oates’ boys charged about five times at the Maine line and the fighting was very close at times. Surely the Maine line could have been pushed back on occasion in some spots.



The 20th Maine's left flank marker is on the right. The three possible
boulders mentioned in the text are 1) in the foreground, 2) moss-covered
and in the center 3) beyond the moss-covered rock, behind the small
tree at left.

This brings us to Elder’s Battlefield Law #1: Winners set up the markers at National Battlefield Parks. Losers are allowed to visit the National Battlefield Parks.

The images here are of the large rock commonly believed to be the spot where Oates wanted to erect his marker and of three alternative boulders (my alternatives, all of them) located just in front of the left flank of the line where the 20^th Maine stopped the determined Alabamians.

Thanks for reading.