Capt. John Cussons or Capt. Francis Lewis Price?

lenjolley

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Jan 5, 2017
Hi there

I live in the UK and my great, great, great uncle Capt. John Cussons, born Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England April 6th 1838- died Glen Allen, Henrico County, VA, January 5th 1912, was VADC to Gen. E M Law. Coincidently, my g.g.g.uncle and Captain Price, who was also of British Nationality, were both captured on Big Round Top, Gettysburg on the early morning of the 3rd, and ended up being prisoners on Johnson's Island Federal Prison.

About 7:15 am that same morning, the 118th PA Volunteers, the Corn Exchange Regiment, took position on Big Round Top, about opposite where the left of Law's Brigade joined with Robertson's Texans. From the history of the 118th PA is the following excerpt; The regiment was just becoming familiar with its new surroundings, when a Confederate officer, without sword or belt, with his coat thrown back with an air of ease, independence and authority, comfortably enjoying a cigar, moving calmly and leisurely as if he were out for a stroll, walked into their lines. Being close to the confederate enemy, skirmishers had advanced but a few paces, but the Confederate officer had passed them either unobserved, or had been permitted to do so, with a conviction that that his capture was certain to follow elsewhere. Astonished, in being captured, the Confederate officer moodily accepted his fate, and was conducted to the rear. It was assumed that he had had no idea that he was in such proximity to the Union lines, when a few moments before he sought a short respite from the bustle and activity of head-quarters by strolling off in a direction where he thought he would be alone. Of good address and culture, he was keenly sensitive to the reproach that might follow the unfortunate way in which he had permitted himself to be taken.

However, at about the same time as my g.g.g. uncle went on his mission, Gen. Robertson sent Capt. Francis Price out to examine the position of the Texas Brigade’s lines, at the base of Big Round Top, and report back. Price entered into the trees to be never seen again and was originally feared dead.

Unfortunately, the 118th PA never gave a physical description of their captive so, though this Confederate staff officer could have been either my g.g.g. uncle or Capt. Price, the description of how the Confederat staff officer was captured seems very unlikely, as my g.g.g. uncle regularly went on battlefield reconnaissance missions, and even though Capt. Price was probably not as experienced, even he would probably have had a good idea the Federals occupied Big Round Top. However, the officer's mein and attitude towards being captured is interesting because my g.g.g. uncle certainly would have been embarrassed, as maybe Capt. Price may have been?! Fortunately, records show that no other Confederate staff officers were captured on BRT, so it had to be one of the two.

Anyway, after all that waffle, this daft Limey is attempting to find out who the 118th PA captured. So, can anyone help solve this mystery? A discription, or a photograph, of Capt. Price might help
 
Good post. I've wondered the same thing. Price was AAG on the staff of Robertson's Texas brigade. Both Robertson and Law's brigades occupied a line at the western base of Big Round Top on July 3 (their well-preserved line of piled up rocks between boulders is well worth a visit for those who like out-of-the-way places on the field).

It so happens, based on my calculations, that the 118 PA was opposite the 44 AL, the left regiment of Law's brigade on that line; on the 44 AL's left (north) was the 5 TX, with the rest of Robertson's brigade extending northward. The distance separating the 44 AL from the 118 PA was only about 800 feet. But this information gets us no closer to an answer since it fits either man. Perhaps this Confederate officer passed through the lines between Law's and Robertson's brigades, whether intentionally as in the case of Price, or inadvertently in the case of Cussons (the men were exhausted from fatigue incurred the day before and most were likely resting/sleeping, thus he was not warned of the danger).

My only thought, a weak one, is that Cussons, being quite a colorful character, could in my mind's eye be the individual described by the writer of the 118 PA. I think more telling is the fact that Price was evidently undertaking a directed task and consequently should be on the alert, unlike the sauntering fellow depicted by the 118 PA. I just realized there is one more piece of information that would favor Cussons being the man taken by the 118 PA. Price was reportedly captured at daybreak on July 3 - sunrise was at 0435. I figure the 118 PA went into position on Big Round Top about 0845, four hours later. Voila!

FYI, Assistant Adjutant General Francis L. “Frank” Price, born 6 September 1837 in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), the son of a British Indian Army officer, died Georgetown (which Georgetown?) 31 July 1884.

Attached are a couple of photographs from Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, taken in May 2014, when by chance I passed by Cussons' monument.
 

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Hi Tom

Interesting and feasible comments regarding the capture, though I don't think the term "sauntering" that the 118th PA historian used was factual. Nevertheles, an officer on a reconnaissance mission certainly wouldn't have carried a sword, whereas Price may have done. 1-0 to Cussons?! The timescale is food for thought. 60-40 in Cussons' favour. 2-0 to Cussons?! Price is buried in Georgetown 100F Cemetery, Texas. He died of paralysis.

Thanks for the photo's of Cussons' monument in Hollywood Cemetery, though I have my own photo's that show both the inscriptions. A bit of trivia: the inscriptions on the front and rear were put forward by The Grand Camp of Confederate Veterans, R. E. Lee Camp No 1. The reverse verse being a slight adaption from Cato; Act 5, Scene 1, written by the English essayist: The Hon. Joseph Addison (1672-1719)., Cussons was Grand Commander 1896-97, but refused a 2nd term, which is a story in itself.
 
The capture of Captains Price and Cussons and a pure, but logical, long winded guess, open to constructive critisism.

Running in a southerly direction, the line of Hood's (Law's) division followed the crest of Houck's Ridge and curved sharply eastwards to cross Devil's Den, probably by a skirmish line formed by men from Benning's and/or Robertson's Brigade. Heading well up the north western slope of BRT, the line of Robertson's Brigade then curved back in a southerly direction to head down the south western slope, where it terminated at BRT's base.

So, taking that into account. Depending as to exactly where Robertson was, to which in his report Robertsons only stated that after being wounded he moved 200 yards to the rear, though not where from, but such would have presumably been from the center of his brigades line, as that would normally be where a brigade commander would direct movements from. Therefore, at daybreak 0435, Price would have gone to examine the position of the Texas brigade's line to the last place he believed its approximate centre was?! It's known that Price went into the woods never be seen again, suggesting that, unexplainably, he completely missed coming across even one solitary Confederate, who could have pointed him in the right direction, but instead kept moving until being met by skirmishers or pickets of an unknown Federal unit.

Now taking Cussons' little trip. Once Law found out he had acting command of the division, he immediately went to direct movements around the area of Devil's Den, and possibly Houck's Ridge, without letting Col. Sheffield, of the 48th AL, know he was incommand of the AL brigade, or passing on any orders. Being Law's VADC, and having to be nearby to receive orders, it is logical why Cussons was amongst the boulders with the 4th and 5th Texas on the evening of the 2nd, possibly near the Slaughter Pen?! If Cussons went on a reconnaisance up BRT from around the Devil's Den/Slaughter Pen area, his heading in the direction of where the 118th PA was positioned, and being captured by them, is more feasible.
 
Yes he is. Cussons and Price, together with Capt. Thomas L. Christian, of Law's staff, plus Lt. Thomas Eubanks of coy D 48th AL, who were both captured on BRT, by the 20th Maine, on the night of the 2nd, along with a number of skirmishers from the 48th AL, were all held on BRT until the morning of the 4th. All four officers eventually ended up in Johnson's Island Federal Prison, Sandusky Bay, Ohio. However, the peice from Tyler's Men of Mark is incorrect. Cussons didn't join Forrest, in fact, as a British Citizen and one whose word was his bond, agreed to the terms of his parol and exchange, on 17th March 1864, and so declined to return to Confederate service. Instead, he got married to Mrs. Susan Sheppard Allen , on 19th May 1864, and lived in Glen Allen, Henrico County, untill his death on 5th January 1912.

As for the time of 0435, being dawn, Tom Elmore provided that information.

Tom where, or how, did you get that info???

In passing, regarding the book A Glance of Current History that my g.g.g. uncle wrote, I'm the proud owner of an original 1st edition, which I eventually inherited. However, a digitalized reproduction of the book is, apparently, available from Amazon.

This isn't a promition plug, it's well worth a read.
 
In passing, regarding the book A Glance of Current History that my g.g.g. uncle wrote, I'm the proud owner of an original 1st edition, which I eventually inherited. However, a digitalized reproduction of the book is, apparently, available from Amazon.

This isn't a promition plug, it's well worth a read.[/QUOTE]
He wrote four or five books.
 
In an article that I prepared for The Gettysburg Magazine, issue no. 13 (July 1995), entitled "Torrid Heat and Blinding Rain: A Meteorological and Astronomical Chronology of the Gettysburg Campaign," a friend of mine accessed a special computer software program that could calculate data going back in time to any longitude or latitude. In that era before standard time zones, the sun's passage over the local meridian established high noon in every town across the country. This is what he found in that period, using 39-50 N, 77-15 W for Gettysburg:

June 30
0329 Moonset
0434 Sunrise
1901 Moonrise (98 percent)
1932 Sunset

July 1
0435 Sunrise
0459 Moonset
1932 Sunset
1953 Moonrise (100 percent - full moon)

July 2
0435 Sunrise
0614 Moonset
1932 Sunset
2038 Moonrise (99 percent)

July 3
0436 Sunrise
0729 Moonset
1932 Sunset
2016 Moonrise (95 percent)

July 4
0436 Sunrise
0842 Moonset

I have never had reason to doubt the accuracy of these times, because multiple primary source accounts back up the above data, for instance the reporting of moonrise observed over Cemetery Hill soon after the night attack ended on July 2, or the morning action at Culp's Hill when the 66 OH went over the entrenchments around 0400.

The above data has been supplemented with personal experimentation. For example, with sunset at 1932 (7:32 p.m.) one is still just able to read a newspaper at 1952 - a member of Johnson's division reported he could just read a paper once his division had arrived in town on the evening of July 1. At 0356 there is just enough light to stir oneself awake - except of course in thick woods. One morning I positioned myself in front of Little Round Top before dawn to determine lighting effects. The early light did illuminate the skyline behind the Federal positions that would have given Confederate skirmishers a very brief edge.
 
Well go to the top of my stairs. It's amazing what computer software technology can spurt out, and doing a person experiment is the icing on the cake.
Nice one Tom.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be able to time swap with someone from the past, and then discuss what each other thought about each others past and future.
 
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