Heth's foray to Gettysburg (1 July)

RebelYank87

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Something that has always fascinated me about the Battle of Gettysburg, and something that was never adequately answered in the post-battle reports or the post-war years, is the nature of Heth's foray to Gettysburg on the morning of July 1, 1863.

Pettigrew had been there the previous evening and had reported to Heth that there were men from the Army of the Potomac within the city proper. Heth and Hill did not believe him and yet Hill approved a reconnaissance in force for the morning of July 1 with 15,000 men and almost the entirety of the Third Corps's artillery. Why send that many men and that many cannon to a town that you believe to be occupied by militia? If you're committing more than half of an army corps to a reconnoiter you are expecting a fight. And if you're Hill on the morning of July 1, and you're expecting a fight, you are going against Lee's order of June 29 to avoid an engagement with the Army of the Potomac until their own army was concentrated.

People forget that Heth went to Gettysburg with Dorsey Pender's division of 7,500 right behind him in a supporting role. Why send so many troops and artillery to Gettysburg if you believe only militia holds the town and you've been ordered not to draw yourself into a fight?
 
I will always believe there were 2 things wrong with the Army of Northern Virginia's Gettysburg campaign at the start: (1.) Lack of leadership and (2.) Lack of communication. These seemed to prompt arrogance on the part of some and indifference in most. A. P. Hill was kinda "there/not there" during most of this battle, thus his division commanders made decisions early on that snowballed into inevitable defeat. Lee's only wish was to engage only when he felt his entire army was in an advantageous position AND he was certain of the Army of the Potomac's position and strength. This wish went unfulfilled, as we know. I believe it was ultimately arrogance on Heth's part that led his division into unexpected conflict, and lack of communication immediately after that continued the confusion and disorganization within the Confederate Army. Just my 2 cents.
 
Plus that shoe thing ... there was neither a shoe factory nor a shoe warehouse in Gettysburg. The “Encyclopedia Virginia“ offers two other reasons for sending so many troops :
  • “Hill sent Heth back to Gettysburg the next day to reconnoiter. His mission: to find out whether the soldiers in town were harmless home guard troops or the more fearsome Army of the Potomac.“
  • “In a defense of Stuart, fellow cavalryman John S. Mosby wrote in 1908 that Heth and Hill were not interested in shoes at all, but in battle, glory, and prisoners. Lee's army was never blind, he claimed, and only selfishness and perfidy led to battle. "If Hill and Heth had stood still," Mosby wrote, "they would not have stumbled."
http://encyclopediavirginia.org/shoes_at_gettysburg#start_entry
 
Plus that shoe thing ... there was neither a shoe factory nor a shoe warehouse in Gettysburg. The “Encyclopedia Virginia“ offers two other reasons for sending so many troops :
  • “Hill sent Heth back to Gettysburg the next day to reconnoiter. His mission: to find out whether the soldiers in town were harmless home guard troops or the more fearsome Army of the Potomac.“
  • “In a defense of Stuart, fellow cavalryman John S. Mosby wrote in 1908 that Heth and Hill were not interested in shoes at all, but in battle, glory, and prisoners. Lee's army was never blind, he claimed, and only selfishness and perfidy led to battle. "If Hill and Heth had stood still," Mosby wrote, "they would not have stumbled."
http://encyclopediavirginia.org/shoes_at_gettysburg#start_entry
I have heard postulated that the "shoe thing" was just Harry Heth' s explanation for exceeding his orders.
 
Very interesting first post RebelYank. Ought to be good for some interesting discussion.
 
Well there's always that thing about bringing a gun to a knife fight. (Don't want to be caught off guard.) Maybe just playing it safe...just in case.

I know the townspeople were hiding their horses and cows back in the hills as the ANV was taking provisions with Confederate Scrip. I'm thinking Heth was looking for whatever stores might be present in abundance in the hamlet of Gettysburg -- whether whiskey, coffee, swine, fowl, linens or shoes, etc.
 
Well there's always that thing about bringing a gun to a knife fight. (Don't want to be caught off guard.) Maybe just playing it safe...just in case.

I know the townspeople were hiding their horses and cows back in the hills as the ANV was taking provisions with Confederate Scrip. I'm thinking Heth was looking for whatever stores might be present in abundance in the hamlet of Gettysburg -- whether whiskey, coffee, swine, fowl, linens or shoes, etc.
I'm sure that thought has merit, Bill, but it doesn't explain why a division ought to act as a foraging party.
 
I'm sure that thought has merit, Bill, but it doesn't explain why a division ought to act as a foraging party.
The more hands with which to carry things off, at least to my way of thinking. A little payback for ransacking Old Virginny perhaps.

Your consideration has merit, too. (I think Harry brought half of a division, hwvr.)
 
The Confederates were always looking for something to carry off .

Perhaps shoes became synonomous for supplies .

I believe the first mention of " shoes " appears in Heth's memoirs . No mention of shoes in the after action report .

The question remains why did Heth wait fourteen years to explain his purpose for going to Gettysburg with the shoe story ?

There is however evidence that Heth received a message from General Lee , from a courier , a few miles into the march , that ordered Heth to " get the shoes " even if resistence was encountered .



The lack of concern exibited by Heth & Hill the morning of July 1st is remarkable IMHO .
 
Plus that shoe thing ... there was neither a shoe factory nor a shoe warehouse in Gettysburg. The “Encyclopedia Virginia“ offers two other reasons for sending so many troops :
  • “Hill sent Heth back to Gettysburg the next day to reconnoiter. His mission: to find out whether the soldiers in town were harmless home guard troops or the more fearsome Army of the Potomac.“
  • “In a defense of Stuart, fellow cavalryman John S. Mosby wrote in 1908 that Heth and Hill were not interested in shoes at all, but in battle, glory, and prisoners. Lee's army was never blind, he claimed, and only selfishness and perfidy led to battle. "If Hill and Heth had stood still," Mosby wrote, "they would not have stumbled."
http://encyclopediavirginia.org/shoes_at_gettysburg#start_entry
Thank you this makes sense to me. Hill was most likely probing Gettysburg due to the lack of Calvary reconnoiter. Lee only had the word of Harrison the paid scout at that time. Hill most likely wanted to have a look for himself and went prepared.
 
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When he wrote his memoirs long after the war, Harry Heth candidly and honestly admitted that he was ill prepared that morning because he didn't believe that there was anything but militia in front of him. He paid for that error.
Do you think it's possible that Hill only intended to demonstrate a show of strength to the town of Gettysburg with so many soldiers? Why else would such a large party be dispatched to the town on a looting mission?
 
Do you think it's possible that Hill only intended to demonstrate a show of strength to the town of Gettysburg with so many soldiers? Why else would such a large party be dispatched to the town on a looting mission?

I think that Hill was looking to develop the enemy force and see what was there. It got out of hand quickly.
 
“The Battle of Gettysburg was by the result purely of an accident,” claimed Heth years after the end of the war, “for which I am probably more than anyone else, accountable.”

When he wrote his report of the battle, Heth stated, “It may not be improper to remark at this time—9 o’clock on the morning of July 1—I was ignorant of what force was at or near Gettysburg, and I supposed that it consisted of cavalry, most probably supported by a brigade or two of infantry.” OR 27, pt. 2, 637.
 
Not in any way being an expert on the campaign I suggest that Heth sent 15,000 men to Gettysburg because it was there and a major crossroads. He was out in enemy country with no knowledge of the AoP so it made sense to go there both to see what was going on and to be able to control it. Shoes? Sure, he might have heard that too. But on the map, Gettysburg is a big magnet with all the converging roads. Leaving it out there as a big question mark with its strategic potential doesn't make sense. Looking at the map Gettysburg seems like a good place to have under your control.

[serious students of the campaign please take your shots]
 
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