Trivia 4-29-19 Big Guns

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At Gettysburg, during Longstreet's offensive, a half-dozen batteries were overrun. All but three guns were later recaptured by the Union. What kind of guns did the Union lose? Whose guns did men of the 1st Texas of Robertson's brigade drag off during the night, and how did they do it?

credit: @luinrina
 
Actually four guns were permanently lost that afternoon, three 10-pounder Parrotts from Smith's 4th New York Battery at Devil's Den, dragged off by the Texans after dark, and one 3-inch Rifle left on the field by Pennsylvania Independent Battery C-F, hauled off the next morning by the Confederates from somewhere north of the Trostle buildings.
 
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What kind of guns did the Union lose? - 10 pound parrots
Whose guns did men of the 1st Texas of Robertson's brigade drag off during the night, - Fourth New York Independent Battery - source for last two
and how did they do it? - Jeffrey Wert states "Speaking in whispers, the Texans cleared a path by removing stones, wrapped blankets around the wheels, and dragged the guns down the western slope without alerting the enemy on Little Round Top. " - source
 
The guns were 10 pound Parrott rifles.

The 3 Guns were from Smith's Fourth New York Independent Battery.

To avoid attention during the night, they plotted their route carefully and they wrapped the wheels in blankets to dampen the wheel noise.

Source. Numerous pages from Harry Pfanz Gettysburg The Second Day and my rapidly deteriating memory!
 
1. What kind of guns did the Union lose? 10 Pounder Parrot rifles

2. Whose guns did men of the 1st Texas of Robertson's brigade drag off during the night? Captain James E. Smith's according to the marker at Gettysburg: 4th New York Battery (ref. 1 & 2)

3. How did they do it? I assume the question wants how they took them away that night - "under the cover of darkness, the men of the 1st Texas moved three of the guns Smith left behind and wrapped the wheels in blankets to execute this plan as quietly as possible.

http://gettysburg.stonesentinels.co...d-engineers/4th-new-york-independent-battery/
http://gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/confederate-headquarters/robertsons-brigade/
http://npshistory.com/series/symposia/gettysburg_seminars/9/essay6.pdf
 
1) What kind of guns: three 10-pound Parrot rifles
2) Whose guns: Captain Smith's guns from the 4th New York Battery
3) How did they do it: they silently cleared a path by removing stones and wrapped blankets around the wheels. Then they dragged the guns down the western slope of Houcks's Ridge above Devil's Den


guns.JPG


From: Gettysburg, Day Three / by Jeffry Wert
https://books.google.de/books?id=sk...ifles night&hl=de&pg=PA34#v=onepage&q&f=false

Wikipedia says:
"Capt. Smith's New York battery was under severe pressure from three sides, but its supporting infantry regiments were suffering severe casualties and could not protect it. Three 10-pound Parrott rifles were lost to the 1st Texas, and they were used against Union troops the next day."
 
I hate not being able to answer a trivia question that involves my favorite general, but I'm short on time today. :stomp: I look forward to the answer. I'll be curious to see if involves Parrot rifles and if the latter question is related to Captain James Smith's 4th New York Battery.

Edit - It does involve Parrott rifles and the second part of the question was related to Smith's 4th NY battery, but there was a third part to the question.

hoosier
 
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At Gettysburg, during Longstreet's offensive, a half-dozen batteries were overrun. All but three guns were later recaptured by the Union. What kind of guns did the Union lose? Whose guns did men of the 1st Texas of Robertson's brigade drag off during the night, and how did they do it?

credit: @luinrina
Three 10-pound Parrott rifles were lost by Captain James Smith's Fourth New York Independent Light Artillery Battery on July 2, 1863, while supporting the Fourth Maine Infantry. Soldiers of Companies E and I, First Texas Infantry, 'manhandled' the guns and their caissons to the rear under heavy fire. They were unable to remove three other pieces which were unsafely located between the lines.
 
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Credit for question, thank you.

I wish everyone good luck, especially with the third part - the how - which IMO is the most challenging to find (though I might be mistaken and you all surprise me with your mad research skills :D). Please don't hate me for it but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask that in a trivia question when I first read how the Texans dragged off those guns. :whistling:
 
The three guns lost were 10 Pound Parrott Rifles belonging to Capt. James Smith's 4th New York Battery placed on Houck's Ridge above Devil's Den. That night being the lines were so close men of the 1st Texas tied blankets around the wheels of the captured guns so they could quietly move them to the rear and were used by the Confederates the next day.
 
1. Three 10-pounder Parrott Rifles
2. The guns of Smith 4th New York Battery
...officers and men crawled to the crest of Houck's Ridge above Devil's Den to retrieve three 10-pounder Parrott Rifles of the 4th New York Battery which the Confederates had seized earlier in the day. Speaking in whispers the Texans cleared a path by removing stones, wrapped blankets around the wheels and dragged the guns down the western slope without alerting the enemy on Little Round Top.
Source: "Gettysburg, Day Three", by Jeffry D. Wert, page 34
 
1. What kind of guns did the Union lose?
Three 10-pounder Parrott Rifles. Captured on July 2nd, from Smith's 4th New York Independent Battery, the guns were not recovered and eventually went to Henry's Artillery Battalion CS. http://gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/union-monuments/new-york/new-york-artillery-and-engineers/4th-new-york-independent-battery/

2. Whose guns did men of the 1st Texas drag off?
The guns dragged off during the night by Robertson's Texans were the ones above, captured from Smith's 4th New York Battery earlier in the day.

3. How did they do it?
The men crawled to the cannon, not speaking above a whisper, wrapped blankets around the wheels, and brought the guns off so carefully that a noise was not heard 100 yards away. https://books.google.com/books?id=4...q=cannon night "1st Texas" gettysburg&f=false
 
the 4thNew York Independent Battery. Its commander, Captain James Smith, defended the extreme left of General Sickles' infantry line with four of his six Parrott rifles perched atop Houck's Ridge.
Under the cover of darkness, the men of the 1stTexas moved three of the guns Lieutenant Smith had been forcedto leave behind to the rear. They wrapped the wheels in blankets to execute this plan as quietly as possible
Source: http://npshistory.com/series/symposia/gettysburg_seminars/9/essay6.pdf
 
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