Gettysburg Generals on Little Round Top

Gettysburg Greg

First Sergeant
Joined
Jun 6, 2010
Location
Decatur, Illinois
lrt generals.jpg


Simon says, "hats on". I always thought it interesting that these two nearly identical photographs of Gettysburg generals on Little Round Top were taken hats on and hats off. Other than the hats, the only difference I see is General Slocum standing next to General Chamberlain in the left photo has been replaced by General Butterfield in the hats on photograph. Generals Longstreet, Sickles, and Carr are to the right. Just my opinion, but I believe General Chamberlain has once again topped General Longstreet, not in battle, but in selection of hats. What is that thing Longstreet has on his head?
 
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Simply wonderful.

On July 1, Longstreet "almost broke down" during a speech before thousands of First Corps veterans of the Army of the Potomac in Herbst's Woods, where Union General John Reynolds was killed on the first day of the battle. As he walked to the massive speakers' stand, he was greeted by a Rebel yell, the Gettysburg Cornet Band played "Dixie" and veterans eagerly sought him out to shake his hand or to exchange pleasantries. Among them was a one-legged Union vet, who told Longstreet: "General, I fought against you at Round Top. I lost a wing there, but I am proud to meet you here."

After Longstreet took his place on the stand, Chamberlain shouted, "Comrades, you see on this platform one of the hardest hitters whoever fought against us. I propose we give three times three for General Longstreet, one of the best Union men now in the country." The crowd erupted, surging toward the stand and "showering God bless you's on him." After Longstreet had taken his place on the platform, it collapsed, falling several feet, but no one was seriously hurt.

From the blog below including more photos.



The blog below is a great write up for this 1888 reunion. It really is a great read.

http://john-banks.blogspot.com/2017/01/no-man-more-honored-longstreets-1888.html
 
Would you have noticed that Slocum was replaced by Butterfield, @Bee? I didn't the first time I compared the two photos.

You still da man, Greg! I was focusing all of my attention on the 'hats off' picture for details, so I did not catch the presto change-o of Slocum and Butterfield (shoulda kept Slocum:wink:
 
I love this photo!!! A real who's who of the battle. Longstreet, Slow Come, Chamberlain, Butterfield, Historicus....those are the ones that stand out like a sore thumb.

hahaha I was not present at the Battle of Gettysburg.

By the way, you left out John Bachelder.
 
You still da man, Greg! I was focusing all of my attention on the 'hats off' picture for details, so I did not catch the presto change-o of Slocum and Butterfield (shoulda kept Slocum:wink:
I agree...ole Henry W. didn't age very well did he??? He looks like he just came off a 3 day bender...rode hard and put away wet.
 
What is that thing Longstreet has on his head?

I have seen this referred to as a pork pie hat. Pork pie hats have been around since the mid-19th century and I have read they got their name because they bear a slight resemblance to a pork pie dish. I'm not sure about this. Some have a small button on a string located on the back. The string can be wound around the hat in windy weather and the button attached to a jacket's lapel. This keeps the hat from blowing away on a windy day. I can see my favorite general liking that idea. Sadly, I don't think this partcular style suits him.
 
Simply wonderful.

On July 1, Longstreet "almost broke down" during a speech before thousands of First Corps veterans of the Army of the Potomac in Herbst's Woods, where Union General John Reynolds was killed on the first day of the battle. As he walked to the massive speakers' stand, he was greeted by a Rebel yell, the Gettysburg Cornet Band played "Dixie" and veterans eagerly sought him out to shake his hand or to exchange pleasantries. Among them was a one-legged Union vet, who told Longstreet: "General, I fought against you at Round Top. I lost a wing there, but I am proud to meet you here."

After Longstreet took his place on the stand, Chamberlain shouted, "Comrades, you see on this platform one of the hardest hitters whoever fought against us. I propose we give three times three for General Longstreet, one of the best Union men now in the country." The crowd erupted, surging toward the stand and "showering God bless you's on him." After Longstreet had taken his place on the platform, it collapsed, falling several feet, but no one was seriously hurt.

From the blog below including more photos.



The blog below is a great write up for this 1888 reunion. It really is a great read.

http://john-banks.blogspot.com/2017/01/no-man-more-honored-longstreets-1888.html
What I would give to sit in at that dinner with Sickles and Longstreet.
 
I have posted this colorized picture (with the hats on) in another CWT thread. I downloaded it from The Longstreet Society. Thought I would share it here too.

View attachment 122399
Thank you for posting this one @Eleanor Rose. It is pretty neat how far colorizing old photos has come since its beginnings. Back in the day it made the photos look so unnatural. Today they look like they were actually color photos to begin with.
 
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