Col. John Ramsey 8th NJ

[neyankee61]

There has been a lot of confusion and talk about the role of the 8th NJ in the Wheatfield on July 2nd. It would have been a great help if Col. John Ramsey commander of the 8th wrote a full after action report. Unfortunately Ramsey was wounded early in the fighting. The 8th "advanced across the wheat-field, taking a position behind a stone wall, from whence they were ordered further to the right, placing them in an exposed position."
Samuel Toombs. New Jersey Troops in the Gettysburg Campaign from June 5 to July 31, 1863. The Evening Mail Publishing House. Orange, New Jersey, 1888. Page 352
"The fight had not progressed far when he was wounded. Col. Ramsey received a severe wound in the shoulder from a bit of shell on the bloody wheat field. Col. Ramsey was invalided home, his wound being a severe one." The Evening Journal. Ramsey Was Our Bravest Soldier. Tuesday, February 12, 1901. Jersey City, N.J. Vol. XXXIV - No. 237.
There was some confusion in regards to the seriousness of Ramsey's wound.
"He was wounded by a spent musket ball in the left shoulder, but is not seriously injured." The American Standard. Jersey City, New Jersey. Vol. 4. Number 294. Date: July 7, 1863.
List of the Killed Wounded & Missing in 8th N.J.V. Commissioned Officers Wounded
Rank Name Co[mpany]
Colonel John Ramsey Shoulder Slight
Source: New Jersey State Archives. Records Group: Dept. of Defense. Subgroup: Military Records. Series: Civil War. Box 84, Book 404, item: #1.

Col. Ramsey's After Action Report
June 30th The Regiment left Taneytown, Md., and marched through Bridgeport and Emmitsburg arriving July 2d at Gettysburg, Pa., where we engaged the Enemy four hours, with the following casualties: Wounded: Commissioned Officers 7, Enlisted Men 30. Killed: Enlisted Men 7, Missing 2. Aggregate 46. July 5th Detailed to bury the Dead. July 6th Left Gettysburg, Pa., and proceeded through Emmitsburg, Mechanicstown, Katoschsin Furnace, Franklinsville, Lewistown, Frederick City, Fairview, Middleton and Keedysville, arriving in the vicinity of Williamsport July 14th. On the 15th resumed marching; passing through Fairplay, Tillmington, Sharpsburg, Rohrersville, Brownsville, Harpers Ferry and Upperville arriving at Manassas Gap July 24th where we skirmished with the Enemy; and drove them suffering no loss. July 25th Passed through Salem, arriving at Warrenton the 26th where we remained until August 1st. From there we marched to our present camp near Bealton, Va. Distance marched, about 160 miles.

[signed] John Ramsey
Col. 8th N.J.V.
Station: Near Bealton, Va.
Date: August 31st, 1863

 

[BCS1973]

There has been a lot of confusion and talk about the role of the 8th NJ in the Wheatfield on July 2nd. It would have been a great help if Col. John Ramsey commander of the 8th wrote a full after action report. Unfortunately Ramsey was wounded early in the fighting. The 8th "advanced across the wheat-field, taking a position behind a stone wall, from whence they were ordered further to the right, placing them in an exposed position."
Samuel Toombs. New Jersey Troops in the Gettysburg Campaign from June 5 to July 31, 1863. The Evening Mail Publishing House. Orange, New Jersey, 1888. Page 352
"The fight had not progressed far when he was wounded. Col. Ramsey received a severe wound in the shoulder from a bit of shell on the bloody wheat field. Col. Ramsey was invalided home, his wound being a severe one." The Evening Journal. Ramsey Was Our Bravest Soldier. Tuesday, February 12, 1901. Jersey City, N.J. Vol. XXXIV - No. 237.
There was some confusion in regards to the seriousness of Ramsey's wound.
"He was wounded by a spent musket ball in the left shoulder, but is not seriously injured." The American Standard. Jersey City, New Jersey. Vol. 4. Number 294. Date: July 7, 1863.
List of the Killed Wounded & Missing in 8th N.J.V. Commissioned Officers Wounded
Rank Name Co[mpany]
Colonel John Ramsey Shoulder Slight
Source: New Jersey State Archives. Records Group: Dept. of Defense. Subgroup: Military Records. Series: Civil War. Box 84, Book 404, item: #1.

Col. Ramsey's After Action Report
June 30th The Regiment left Taneytown, Md., and marched through Bridgeport and Emmitsburg arriving July 2d at Gettysburg, Pa., where we engaged the Enemy four hours, with the following casualties: Wounded: Commissioned Officers 7, Enlisted Men 30. Killed: Enlisted Men 7, Missing 2. Aggregate 46. July 5th Detailed to bury the Dead. July 6th Left Gettysburg, Pa., and proceeded through Emmitsburg, Mechanicstown, Katoschsin Furnace, Franklinsville, Lewistown, Frederick City, Fairview, Middleton and Keedysville, arriving in the vicinity of Williamsport July 14th. On the 15th resumed marching; passing through Fairplay, Tillmington, Sharpsburg, Rohrersville, Brownsville, Harpers Ferry and Upperville arriving at Manassas Gap July 24th where we skirmished with the Enemy; and drove them suffering no loss. July 25th Passed through Salem, arriving at Warrenton the 26th where we remained until August 1st. From there we marched to our present camp near Bealton, Va. Distance marched, about 160 miles.

[signed] John Ramsey
Col. 8th N.J.V.
Station: Near Bealton, Va.
Date: August 31st, 1863

So, Toombs reference to moving further to the right is kind of where I believe that the 115th may have started in that direction and never actually made it to their actual flank marker location, at least in force. Dunne of the 115th PA, in his letter to Batchelder, references that the 8th NJ is to his right with a gap in between. I don't believe he mentions any other regiments in his official report. Dunne also mentions that the 8th retreated, exposing his right and in his words forcing him to retreat (he also spoke of his left being "in the air" which it would have been after the 6th was dispersed to Ward. I would posit that possibly the 8th shifted further west and their disappearance could have been seen (or just implied) as a retreat by Dunne two decades after the fact.

In reference to one of your posts in a different thread, Burling references that after leaving to help place the 6th, as he rode back, that the 8th NJ was in the position that he had left them. It's been a while since I read his official report, but based on his Batchelder correspondence, which is more handy to me, it appears he leaves open the idea that he was not remembering correctly. That leaves open the idea that he was really seeing the 115thPA in position and not the 8th.

As a sidenote, Lt. William P. Wilson of Caldwell's staff, watched and listened with curiosity as Sickles pushed outwards. He mentions the following, "The left of Sickles was located as follows, Ward's brigade, forming his extreme left, ...with [his] right extended towards the wheat-field. DeTrobriand, with his brigade, continues the extension along the crest of the wheat-field in the direction of the peach orchard. Part of Burling's brigade is there." That said, I am uncertain as to which part of Burling's brigade that Wilson is referencing (crest of the wheat-field or the portion's closer to the peach orchard i.e the 5th, 7th and 2 NH).

 

[neyankee61]

I believe that when Burling returned he had no idea where the 8th NJ was. I thought he asked Dunne where the 8th had gone. One question might be "Who moved the 8th?"
Of the rest of Burling's Brigade, the 2nd NH was in the Peach Orchard, the 7th NJ was supporting Clark's Battery along the Wheatfield Rd, and the 5th NJ was across the Emmitsburg Rd in front of Humphreys Division.

 

[neyankee61]

This is an interesting tidbit.
When the enemy were seen advancing Ramsay dismounted and handed his bridle to his orderly. The orderly was killed in a minute and the Colonel's horse, a beautiful bay, galloped towards the enemy. After the battle the horse was found dead beside two cows, but a canteen of whiskey and a brand new saddle were missing. The death of Ramsey's horse helped Col. Batchelder, the Gettysburg historian, to straighten out that part of the field, as it was hard to determine what troops first fought in the wheat field, there being seven different bodies of troops in action that day, at that point. The fact that the cows were seen alive by the Eighth, and were found dead beside Ramsay's horse, settled it in history.
The Evening Journal. Ramsey Was Our Bravest Soldier. Tuesday, February 12, 1901. Jersey City, N.J. Vol. XXXIV - No. 237.

 

[BCS1973]

I believe that when Burling returned he had no idea where the 8th NJ was. I thought he asked Dunne where the 8th had gone.

Was that from Burling's report? I don't remember it if it was but I'm not against forgetting things either. Dunne makes reference to Batchelder that Burling thought the 115th had been captured because they were back in the woods behind the wheatfield long after the 8th. Burling, for his part references that portions of his regiments were all gathering behind the wheat field when he arrived.

 

[neyankee61]

In Burling's report he wrote; "I was now ordered by General Birney to form a line across a small wheat-field on my left, to connect two brigades of the First Division. Before I had executed this order, I received an order from General Birney to send the largest regiment to General Ward's support, on my left, and while I was attending to that, the Eighth New Jersey Volunteers was taken from me without my knowledge, leaving me with the One hundred and fifteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers, numbering 140 muskets."
The two brigades he mentions are de Trobriand's and Ward's. His largest regiment left to him was the 6th NJ. He left the other two 8th NJ and 115th Pa at the wall at the end of the Wheatfield and moved with the 6th NJ to find the right of the 99th Pa, which he never found. While being gone, the 8th NJ was moved further to the right. When he returned, he only located the 115th Pa.

 

[neyankee61]

Another note on Ramsey
A few days before going to the field of Gettysburg the officers of the Eighth had donned new uniforms, which were conspicuous for the quantity of gold lace with which they were embellished. All the officers but Ramsay threw off their coats before going into the fight. Lieut. Mason called Col. Ramsey's attention to his gaudy uniform, saying that it would be a conspicuous mark for the sharpshooters of the enemy. Col. Ramsey refused to discard his coat. His only remark was: 'If they kill me they will know they have killed a colonel." The Evening Journal. Ramsey Was Our Bravest Soldier. Tuesday, February 12, 1901. Jersey City, N.J. Vol. XXXIV - No. 237.
Lt. William Mason was the regimental adj.