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- Jan 16, 2015
Captain Justus Scheibert, a Prussian army observer, recorded the number of couriers who were assigned to the various command levels of the Army of Northern Virginia in 1863: "Young, skilled, nimble horsemen on excellent mounts performed orderly service and were attached to headquarters, so that the commanding general had 60, a corps 12, a division 6, and a brigade 3, each ready for duty." If these numbers are accurate, a maximum of 288 couriers were detailed with the infantry at Gettysburg. However, from the few examples available, it appears that brigade commanders had but two couriers assigned to them, which would revise the total downward to 244. (Justus Scheibert, Seven Months in the Rebel States During the North American War, 1863, p. 44)
There also appears to be a notable exception with corps commander Lt. Gen. Richard Ewell, which I speculate might be because part of his corps moved independently through enemy territory. Ewell relied not only upon Company A, 1st Maryland Cavalry to supply scouts and couriers, but some members of the 35th Virginia Battalion Cavalry also served him as couriers, in addition to being a provost guard.
Assignment as a courier no doubt conferred prestige upon a young enlisted soldier, not to mention the extra 40 cents a day he received to provide for his mount. But on the march, couriers might have to ride alone or with a small escort through enemy territory, while they risked life and limb crossing back and forth across a battlefield to deliver messages.
Couriers carried important dispatches while on the march, and communicated critical orders on the battlefield. On July 3, Texas troops sent back a courier to inform the Confederate artillery that they were dropping their shells in their midst. That same day, Brig. Gen. Carnot Posey's brigade was ordered to join the charge against Cemetery Ridge, and had just moved out of their breastworks when a courier dashed up and halted them. "It saved many lives," according to John J. Lewis of the 16th Mississippi. However, the importance of the assignment was lost on Private Wilson J. "Will" Barbee of the 1st Texas, who served his division commander, Maj. Gen. Hood, as a courier, but who "never failed to join his regiment, if possible, and go into battle with it." After Hood was wounded on July 2, rather than report to his successor, Evander Law, Barbee rode his horse forward to join his regiment in the firefight (Polley, Hood's Texas Brigade).
Thus far I have compiled the following list of 43 identified couriers at Gettysburg, from the army down to the brigade level, and look forward to members adding to it.
Lee, army: Pvt John Wesley Miller, G/10 VA; Pvt Catlett Conway Taliaferro, C/39 VA BN CAV; 4Cpl Martin V. Gander, C/39 VA BN CAV
Longstreet, corps: Pvt William Youngblood, I/15 AL; Pvt William C. Cage, K/16 MS
Hood, division: Pvt John J. Haggerty, A/4 TX (captured); Pvt Wilson J. Barbee, L/1 TX (wounded)
G. T. Anderson, brigade: Pvt Jackson Brown Giles, Jr., C/9 GA (killed)
McLaws, division: Pvt George B. Malone, I/13 MS
Kershaw, brigade: Pvt W. DeSaussure Burroughs, A/15 SC
Barksdale, brigade: Pvt William M. Palmer, I/13 MS
Pickett, division: Pvt James D. Ryals, E/18 VA; Pvt Martin V. Campbell, G/19 VA; Pvt Thomas R. Friend, C/9 VA; Pvt Robert T. Hempston, H/8 VA; Pvt John L. Watkins, K/18 VA
Garnett, brigade: Pvt Robert H. Irvine, I/19 VA; Pvt David P. Gulick, D/8 VA
Kemper, brigade: Pvt George T. Walker, C/11 VA
Ewell, corps: Pvt Joshua O. Johns, E/8 LA; Pvt Albert C. Stoutsenberger, B/35 VA BN CAV (captured); Cpl Edwin Selvage, D/1 MD CAV (captured)
Early, division: 2Sgt George Garig, Jr., B/7 LA; Pvt Pleasant S. Harelson, B/7 LA; 5Sgt George A. Kleinpeter, B/7 LA
Hays, brigade: Pvt H. H. Stevens, H/5 LA; Pvt Charles C. Stuart, B/7 LA
Johnson, division: Pvt John J. Long, D/2 LA
Williams, brigade: Pvt Alexander Durham, K/2 LA; Pvt S. E. Ross, D/2 LA
O'Neal, brigade: Pvt Thomas G. Moore, D/5 AL; Pvt William S. Cowin, D/5 AL
Iverson, brigade: Pvt John A. L. Sherrill, A/12 NC
A.P. Hill, corps: Pvt James D. Cage, K/16 MS
R. H. Anderson, division: Pvt Charles E. Miller, B/12 VA
Posey, brigade: Pvt Stephen D. Fletcher, I/16 MS; Pvt Charles Weil, G/16 MS
Wilcox, brigade: Pvt John C. J. Ridgeway, B/11 AL (killed); Pvt James W. Brundidge, F/9 AL (wounded)
Lane, brigade: Pvt George E. Barringer, E/28 NC; Pvt Absalom R. Joyce, I/28 NC
Archer, brigade: Pvt Thomas M. Long, A/5 AL BN
Davis, brigade: 3Cpl William H. Fox, G/11 MS
There also appears to be a notable exception with corps commander Lt. Gen. Richard Ewell, which I speculate might be because part of his corps moved independently through enemy territory. Ewell relied not only upon Company A, 1st Maryland Cavalry to supply scouts and couriers, but some members of the 35th Virginia Battalion Cavalry also served him as couriers, in addition to being a provost guard.
Assignment as a courier no doubt conferred prestige upon a young enlisted soldier, not to mention the extra 40 cents a day he received to provide for his mount. But on the march, couriers might have to ride alone or with a small escort through enemy territory, while they risked life and limb crossing back and forth across a battlefield to deliver messages.
Couriers carried important dispatches while on the march, and communicated critical orders on the battlefield. On July 3, Texas troops sent back a courier to inform the Confederate artillery that they were dropping their shells in their midst. That same day, Brig. Gen. Carnot Posey's brigade was ordered to join the charge against Cemetery Ridge, and had just moved out of their breastworks when a courier dashed up and halted them. "It saved many lives," according to John J. Lewis of the 16th Mississippi. However, the importance of the assignment was lost on Private Wilson J. "Will" Barbee of the 1st Texas, who served his division commander, Maj. Gen. Hood, as a courier, but who "never failed to join his regiment, if possible, and go into battle with it." After Hood was wounded on July 2, rather than report to his successor, Evander Law, Barbee rode his horse forward to join his regiment in the firefight (Polley, Hood's Texas Brigade).
Thus far I have compiled the following list of 43 identified couriers at Gettysburg, from the army down to the brigade level, and look forward to members adding to it.
Lee, army: Pvt John Wesley Miller, G/10 VA; Pvt Catlett Conway Taliaferro, C/39 VA BN CAV; 4Cpl Martin V. Gander, C/39 VA BN CAV
Longstreet, corps: Pvt William Youngblood, I/15 AL; Pvt William C. Cage, K/16 MS
Hood, division: Pvt John J. Haggerty, A/4 TX (captured); Pvt Wilson J. Barbee, L/1 TX (wounded)
G. T. Anderson, brigade: Pvt Jackson Brown Giles, Jr., C/9 GA (killed)
McLaws, division: Pvt George B. Malone, I/13 MS
Kershaw, brigade: Pvt W. DeSaussure Burroughs, A/15 SC
Barksdale, brigade: Pvt William M. Palmer, I/13 MS
Pickett, division: Pvt James D. Ryals, E/18 VA; Pvt Martin V. Campbell, G/19 VA; Pvt Thomas R. Friend, C/9 VA; Pvt Robert T. Hempston, H/8 VA; Pvt John L. Watkins, K/18 VA
Garnett, brigade: Pvt Robert H. Irvine, I/19 VA; Pvt David P. Gulick, D/8 VA
Kemper, brigade: Pvt George T. Walker, C/11 VA
Ewell, corps: Pvt Joshua O. Johns, E/8 LA; Pvt Albert C. Stoutsenberger, B/35 VA BN CAV (captured); Cpl Edwin Selvage, D/1 MD CAV (captured)
Early, division: 2Sgt George Garig, Jr., B/7 LA; Pvt Pleasant S. Harelson, B/7 LA; 5Sgt George A. Kleinpeter, B/7 LA
Hays, brigade: Pvt H. H. Stevens, H/5 LA; Pvt Charles C. Stuart, B/7 LA
Johnson, division: Pvt John J. Long, D/2 LA
Williams, brigade: Pvt Alexander Durham, K/2 LA; Pvt S. E. Ross, D/2 LA
O'Neal, brigade: Pvt Thomas G. Moore, D/5 AL; Pvt William S. Cowin, D/5 AL
Iverson, brigade: Pvt John A. L. Sherrill, A/12 NC
A.P. Hill, corps: Pvt James D. Cage, K/16 MS
R. H. Anderson, division: Pvt Charles E. Miller, B/12 VA
Posey, brigade: Pvt Stephen D. Fletcher, I/16 MS; Pvt Charles Weil, G/16 MS
Wilcox, brigade: Pvt John C. J. Ridgeway, B/11 AL (killed); Pvt James W. Brundidge, F/9 AL (wounded)
Lane, brigade: Pvt George E. Barringer, E/28 NC; Pvt Absalom R. Joyce, I/28 NC
Archer, brigade: Pvt Thomas M. Long, A/5 AL BN
Davis, brigade: 3Cpl William H. Fox, G/11 MS
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