Cemetery Hill Captured By Confederates!

[gary]

So I've read in Bradley Gottfried's book, The Brigades of Gettysburg. Gottfried tracks the movement of each brigade on the evening of July 2, 1863 and (on pages 505-506) states that Haye's Brigade & Hoke's (Avery) captured Cemetery Hill and Wiedrich's Battery, but being unsupported by their division (Jubal Early), by Gordon's Brigade and by Rode's Division and concerned about being cut off, they retired in good order. Old Jube was no Jackson.

[milhistbuff1]

I know Wright's Brigade of Anderson's Division crested it the night of the 2nd.

[gary]

Gottfried says that Pfanz certainly believe so too. Unfortunately for them, they were captured shortly afterwards.

[whitworth]

who spent too much time on Cemetery Hill were wounded, killed or captured. So much for a Confederate occupation.

[michiganmoon]

Originally Posted by gary

So I've read in Bradley Gottfried's book, The Brigades of Gettysburg. Gottfried tracks the movement of each brigade on the evening of July 2, 1863 and (on pages 505-506) states that Haye's Brigade & Hoke's (Avery) captured Cemetery Hill and Wiedrich's Battery, but being unsupported by their division (Jubal Early), by Gordon's Brigade and by Rode's Division and concerned about being cut off, they retired in good order. Old Jube was no Jackson.

Coddington on pages 436-437 doesn't make it seem like the batteries were "captured." He says a battery was swarmed over, but he writes as if the fight for the whole lot of batteries was still in progress and Hancock anticpating the need for reinforcements in the area had already sent a strong reserve force before the action heated up. The reserve force reached the batteries while the fight was still in progress and routed the Confederates who weren't able to escape from the fight for the batteries.

[cw1865]

If the Confederates are on Cemetary Hill with artillery, Army of the Potomac is doomed.

[gary]

They got there, but couldn't hold it. Unsupported, when the blue bellies counterattacked, a mess o' 'em were captured.

[michiganmoon]

Originally Posted by gary

They got there, but couldn't hold it. Unsupported, when the blue bellies counterattacked, a mess o' 'em were captured.

"blue bellies"? No need for derogatory remarks.

Yet getting there isn't capturing it, now is it? If they swarmed over a battery and were in the process of fighting over other batteries on a small portion of the hill before retreating, then they didn't capture the hill.

[larry_cockerham]

Blue bellies is one of the milder terms used for yanks in the South. I, with Union ancestors, just refer to them as Federal troops.

[whitworth]

I believe that might have been the Achilles heel of the Confederates on the attack.
They basically attacked with infantry, penetrated some, and were repulsed by infantry and artillery.
The Confederacy were so fearful of losing artillery that they would not send much artillery in on an attack, since they might lose it on a counter-attack.

All the attacks on Little Round Top, Cemetery Ridge, Cemetery Hill and Culp's lacked enough artillery to penetrate in depth. AoP artillery played an important part of the AoP defenses on July 1 to 3rd. It wasn't just an infantry show for the Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg.