Colonel E. Porter Alexander Orders His Batteries into Action

[Tom Elmore]

Sixteen guns of Alexander's battalion and seven under Patterson from Lane's battalion move into position to assist the twelve guns of Cabell's battalion already in action against the Union Third Corps. Burling's brigade and DeTrobriand's 110th Pennsylvania are directed southward against a more imminent threat. Artillery Chief Hunt leaves the Peach Orchard and rides to Devil's Den. The map shows the situation at 3:40 p.m.

"Formed forward into battery left oblique; the caissons were fairly well sheltered in the rear just where the ground began to descend. … The general [Henry J. Hunt] had no sooner ridden away … than the enemy brought a battery [Lieutenant Stephen C. Gilbert's] … in a piece of timber on our right flank" – Captain Nelson Ames, Battery G, 1st New York.

"Capt. Clark gave the command 'right reverse.' We had hardly straightened out after the movement when the order was given, 'action right,' and immediately around went the guns, down went the trails, we taking position under a galling fire" – Sergeant Ellis H. Timm, Battery B, 1st New Jersey.

"To help [Cabell] I ran up [Major Francis K. "Frank"] Huger [Alexander's executive officer] with 18 [?] guns and opened upon it [the Peach Orchard]" – Colonel E. Porter Alexander.

"The air seemed thick with flying missiles. … It was only by hugging the ground closely that we escaped serious loss" – Thomas D. Marbaker, Company E, 11th New Jersey.

"One of [Major General David B.] Birney's aides dashed up with orders for the brigade to change direction to the left" – Private Martin A. Haynes, Company I, 2nd New Hampshire.

"[Burling's brigade] "made a left wheel … taking the position" [just south of the road] – Colonel George C. Burling.

"We were moved off to the left, to the cover of a woods" – Benjamin D. Cooley, Company K, 6th New Jersey.

"As he [Captain James E. Smith, 4th New York Battery] did not reply, I proceeded to the [Devil's] Den" – Brigadier General Henry J. Hunt.

Sources:
-History of Battery G, First Regiment New York Light Artillery, by Capt. Nelson Ames, Marshalltown, IA: Marshall Printing Company, 1900, pp. 64, 69-70.
-Clark's N. J. Battery, by Sergeant Ellis H. Timm, National Tribune, January 8, 1891, p. 4.
-The Great Charge and Artillery Fighting at Gettysburg, by E. Porter Alexander, Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, III:359.
-History of the Eleventh New Jersey Volunteers, by Thos. D. Marbaker, Serg't Co. E, Trenton, NJ: MacCrellish & Quigley, 1898, p. 97.
-A History of the Second Regiment New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry in the War of the Rebellion, by Martin A. Haynes, Lakeport, NH: 1896, p. 169.
-Letter of George C. Burling to Bachelder, February 8, 1884, The Bachelder Papers, II:1007.
-January 18, 1888 letter of Benjamin D. Cooley, Company K, 6th New Jersey, Final Report of the Gettysburg Battle-field Commission of New Jersey, Trenton: John L. Murphy Publishing Company, 1891, p. 103.
-The Second Day at Gettysburg, by Henry J. Hunt, Brevet Major General, Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, III:305.

 

[neyankee61]

"Our brigade moved to a piece of woods & the whole brigade were marched in a open field but the rebels hurled shells too thickly & we fell back to the woods," Priv Heyward Emmell 7th NJ Burling's Brigade

 

[Tom Elmore]

"Our brigade moved to a piece of woods & the whole brigade were marched in a open field but the rebels hurled shells too thickly & we fell back to the woods," Priv Heyward Emmell 7th NJ Burling's Brigade

Thanks for posting. In this case Emmell is completely consistent with other accounts, including that of Burling himself. Emmell describes Burling's forward movement out of the woods, receiving artillery fire (from Cabell's batteries at least), and then returning to the woods for shelter. But it appears they were soon ordered out of the woods and wheeled left, and about that time the three largest regiments (2 NH, 5 and 7 NJ) were detached. 2 NH moved immediately to support Ames at the Peach Orchard, 7 NJ would be posted on Trostle Lane some distance behind Battery B, 1st New Jersey, and 5 NJ eventually deployed as skirmishers in front of Humphreys.

I have Emmell's diary, but evidently his journal contains additional material. Does he describe the 7th New Jersey's subsequent movements before taking position in Trostle Lane? The latter location is known because Battery B, 1st New Jersey divided the 7th into two parts when it retreated from Barksdale's attack, but that occurred over two hours later.

 

[neyankee61]

Capt Adolfo Cavada of Humphreys' staff "Gen'l H. directed me to select a position for one of our Brigades (the Jersey commanded by Col. Burling) in the rear of Birney's right and lead them to the place. I placed the Brigade in a rocky wood of large growth about a third of a mile to the left of the 'big barn' (Trostle's) a crumbling stone wall about 3 ft high serving as cover."
Gen'l Birney then ordered the Brigade to move out of the woods "to a high point in a rye field just west of Trostle's Woods and just below the Peach Orchard." Almost immediately artillery rounds fell among the men.
Col Sewell 5th NJ urged Burling to fall back behind a small rise. Burling agreed and began to pull back.
Capt. John Pollard of Sickles' staff rode up and demanded by whose authority was Burling moving his Brigade. Burling replied "on my own." Pollard ordered Burling to return to his position.
As the Brigade began to move an aide from Birney appeared and ordered Burling to move further to his left and take up a new position behind a piece of woods. (I believe the woods would be near the exit of Ayres Ave onto the Wheatfield Rd) This new position placed the Brigade front at right angles to its original front.
Upon reaching here Burling was ordered to detach the 2nd NH and 7th NJ to Graham.Capt Thomas Eayre escorted the two regiments forward. A few moments later he was ordered to send the 5th NJ to Humphreys

 

[Tom Elmore]

We don't have to guess concerning Burling's new position since he drew a map for Bachelder after the war (below). It's clearly in the woods on the west side of the Wheatfield. Those woods do not not extend all the way to the Wheatfield road, as is still true today.

After the Confederate artillery opened on them, Emmell has the brigade moving back into Trostle woods (their initial position), unlike Burling's drawing. I believe Emmell's version, particularly since Burling himself indicates his brigade made a left wheel to move south across the Wheatfield road.

 

[neyankee61]

The 7th upon leaving Burling moved quickly thru Trostle's field to support Clark's Battery B 1st NJ. Col Francine had his men lie down behind the battery. Here they were subject to heavy artillery fire. Corp Eugene Pollard Co K was hit in the neck. His brother Francis picked him up and carried him back to woods. Leaving him there Francis returned to the Regiment. Eugene survived.
One shell screamed over the entire length of the Regiment before it exploded. It killed two men and wounded several others. 2nd Lt Stanley Gaines commanding Co E was hit in the back and Priv James Fletcher Co G had his buttocks torn away. Fletcher will die on July 8.
Francine had the men rise up and began to move them back. Before the regiment could move, an aide from Gen'l Graham rode up and told Francine that the battery must be supported at all costs. Francine replied, "I will support the battery. I was only trying to get a better position for my men, who I am losing very fast."
It seems Emmell carried pocket diaries throughout the war. Upon his return he rewrote and expanded those writing the final copy on legal size paper. He must have used the diaries as notes and fleshed them out.

 

[Tom Elmore]

Quite a few veterans after the war used their diaries as a baseline upon which to build a more detailed narrative.

Thanks @neyankee61 for the 7 NJ input. I was thinking about putting 7 NJ into place behind B/1 NJ rather quickly. Major Frederick Cooper, in his official report of the 7th, wrote: "Colonel Francine was ordered to report to Brigadier-General Graham, which was done, and soon after we were placed to support a battery." Graham was often observed in or near the Peach Orchard. I envision that 7 NJ followed 2 NH westward on the [Wheatfield] road, but was soon ordered rather close behind B/1 NJ as was typical. However, as you note, this placed 7 NJ in a very exposed and frankly untenable position, being subject to (or nearly) a full enfilade fire, particularly from Moody's battery. So I believe Francine made his case and was allowed by Graham to fall back some 175 yards to a less exposed position on Trostle lane.

Incidentally, speaking of Moody's battery, it is officially listed as having four 24-pounder howitzers. However, Alexander, in his Military Memoirs of a Confederate, wrote that two 12-pounder howitzers were also attached to Moody's battery in this action. It would account for his count of 18, vice 16, guns being in the action. Just where these howitzers came from is unknown, but the fact there was some trading around of guns between artillery commanders was apparent - see https://civilwartalk.com/threads/no...rps-artillery-batteries-at-gettysburg.181549/

Or it could be that Alexander was merely confused, and those two 12-pounder howitzers came under Moody's control afterwards - perhaps they were the two serviceable guns left from Gilbert's (Rhett's SC) battery at the end of the day.

 

[neyankee61]

If the 7th fell back that far I can see why Graham might question its ability to support the battery. Also there is that pesky problem of the regiment being ran over by the withdrawing battery. In the book about Clark's Battery it is mentioned a horse got hit by a shell. In its agony it headed straight for the rear taking a limber with it. It then hit a fence, crashed over it and died kicking. 1st Lt Thomas Clark Co H was kicked severely by a horse. Hillyer mentioned that the regiment was split after the collison. Part went forward with Francine reaching where the monument is today.

 

[neyankee61]

I always felt that Francine pulled the 7th NJ back to the fence line that is behind the monument. There would be some cover and he could effectively support Clark. I'm not sure how deep Clark's position but with limbers and cassions it must have extended far.

 

[dennmorr]

Here is my interpretation of the collision and split of the 7th NJ by Clark's Battery