Unseen Details in Familiar Photo

Gettysburg Greg

First Sergeant
Joined
Jun 6, 2010
Location
Decatur, Illinois
The top photo below is the untouched photograph of Lee's HQ on the Chambersburg Pike taken by Mathew Brady's crew o/a July 15, 1863. The widow Thompson can be sitting on a kitchen chair next to Brady's often photographed assistant. This is one of many Gettysburg photographs available to be downloaded from the Library of Congress in the high resolution format, tiff. Then the photo can be blown up to reveal very interesting and otherwise unseen details. Check out the details in the second photo below and you can clearly see that Brady can be seen somewhat camouflaged among the roses. Notice that the widow's roses and trellis appear to have survived the battle rather unscathed. Also, of particular interest to me is the horseshoe seen nailed to the fence post in the right foreground. I can't help but wonder if it was there prior to the battle. Was it placed there for luck and why is it oriented with the open end down. I have always heard that means your luck will run out so it is usually the case that you will see a good luck horseshoe with the open end up. Just one of my meaningless observations that I found interesting. :D
leeshq4.jpg


lees hq - Copy.jpg
 
During WWII, both HMS Walker and U-99 used the horseshoe as ship insignia. Walker's faced up and U-99's faced down. When HMS Walker sank U-99 on 17 March 1941, Captain Donald Macintyre told Korvettenkapitän Otto Kretschmer that the reason for U-99s loss was that his horseshoe was facing the wrong way and the luck was bound to run out.

Source, The Golden Horseshoe: The Wartime Career of Otto Kretschmer, U-Boat Ace by Terence Robertson.

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
It looks like there's an iron ring below the horse-shoe, perhaps to keep the post from splitting where the holes were drilled/chiselled in it? Any other ideas what it's for? I wonder if the horse-shoe had anything to do with that, an additional thing to prevent splitting?

None of the other posts have such openings. Was this post just randomly different, or was it a gate post for bars that were taken down as needed? Is that area beside it built up enough to be a road if necessary, not everyday use, but maybe occasionally to get equipment in and out of fields? I'm wondering if the other bar post, on the other end, was taken out for firewood if it was loose, but somehow there was a reason for the horse-shoe in connection with the iron ring, the chiselled hole and the missing bar.

I went to find a picture of a bar gate just in case some people weren't familiar with it, and wow--I couldn't find a single one. Do modern people know what I'm talking about? Surely farmers do. It's a place where there are three or four bars run across from post to post, temporarily fastened in place by going into holes in the posts or something, and you take them down one at a time and set them aside to "open" the gate.
 
There are those that say if u find a shoe to hang it from the nearest fence post. Some say luck some say for the owner to find it and reuse. Kinda like putting a hubcap on a post along the road.
Some other horseshoe lore:
*There are those that believe horseshoe nails are lucky. (Which is good cuz they are much more portable then the shoe itself and fit in your pocket better)
* When churning butter if it doesnt gather to throw a shoe in the fire
* Put a shoe in the fire to protect your sheep herd
* A shoe nailed to the hog trough protects them

Like old tires these things were quite plentiful. Folks have to get creative on finding uses for them. A buddy of mine welds them together in a pattern that forms a star. Looks great to.
 
During WWII, both HMS Walker and U-99 used the horseshoe as ship insignia. Walker's faced up and U-99's faced down. When HMS Walker sank U-99 on 17 March 1941, Captain Donald Macintyre told Korvettenkapitän Otto Kretschmer that the reason for U-99s loss was that his horseshoe was facing the wrong way and the luck was bound to run out.

Source, The Golden Horseshoe: The Wartime Career of Otto Kretschmer, U-Boat Ace by Terence Robertson.

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
In fairness, U99 had previously survived 7 other attacks.
 
Great photos and conversations. My grandmother who was born in 1893 always believed that the horseshoe had to be in a U position, otherwise all the luck drained out. I grew up in a house built in the 1880's that had a horseshoe hanging in several rooms.

Take a minute to look at this old Gettysburg Daily page on the Thompson House. Interestingly there is an identical photo taken as in Greg's post with no people shown. But the chair remains in the same position.

There is also another photo taken on the east side of the home that possibly shows Mrs Thompson dressed in white along with possibly her daughter. However that person looks different than the older women who is seated. Check them out.

http://www.gettysburgdaily.com/semi...-the-thompson-house-lees-headquarters-part-1/


Another site below talks on Mary Thompson and the photo of her in this site looks like the person in Greg's posted photo.
http://civilwarwomenblog.com/mary-thompson-house/


Great stuff.
 
Notice that the widow's roses and trellis appear to have survived the battle rather unscathed.

Was this house under any direct fire? Is there evidence of damage to the house or fence due to small arms fire??

Regarding the horse shoe in the photo--- Sometimes I look at the close-up and I see a horse shoe with the horizontal ring. Then again I look at it and see the ring holding a vertical bar and the "horse shoe" is the top support for this bar. Just wondering if it really something else related to a gate hinge.
 
Was this house under any direct fire? Is there evidence of damage to the house or fence due to small arms fire??

I've not read of any damage and I didn't see anything obvious when I had the chance to give it a close look in September. However, there was a lot of shooting on day one very near the house. It's pretty much in the middle of Buford's position. Apparently soldiers did not occupy the house during the first day's shooting so I'm going to guess that's why it wasn't directly targeted and thus didn't sustain damage.
 
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