Crowd Sourcing Map: Wright's Brigade at Manassas Gap July 23, 1863

lelliott19

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Does anyone know of a detailed map of the Battle of Manassas Gap? This is one I found at Visit Fauquier County and altered according to information from the OR - but I have no idea who was in command of French's 3rd Division? @rpkennedy @Andy Cardinal @22ndGa @infomanpa @Tom Elmore do any of you know? EDITED: to reflect info provided by ryan and Andy below. Still interested in other information/corrections/additions.

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The Battle of Manassas Gap, also known as Wapping Heights, took place on July 23, 1863 near Front Royal, Virginia. As Lee's Army of Northern Virginia retreated into the Shenandoah Valley, Meade sent Maj. Gen. William H. French and the Third Corps to cut them off at Front Royal by forcing passage through Manassas Gap. (The Third Corps was commanded by French as a result of Sickles' wounding at Gettysburg.)

Brig. Gen. Ambrose R. Wright's brigade, under the command of Col. Edward J. Walker (3rd GA), was composed of the 2nd Georgia Battalion, 3rd Georgia, 22nd Georgia, and 48th Georgia Infantry and numbered about 600 effectives. They were deployed to guard the left flank of A.P. Hill’s Corps as it passed through Front Royal. Recognizing the "large force of the enemy" to be contended with at the gap, Ewell sent a detachment of 60 (or 250*) sharpshooters from Rodes' division under Major Blackford to reinforce Wright's brigade. Colonel E J Walker was wounded in the first volley and command devolved upon Capt Charles H Andrews (D/3GA) who reported as follows:

...Our line now extended about 2 miles, and was very weak, as our numbers were small. Between 4 and 5 p.m. the enemy advanced again and we resisted them to the utmost of human capacity; fought till our ammunition was exhausted, and, to enable us to fight at all, the ammunition was taken from the killed and wounded and distributed. Ammunition was ordered up, but failed to reach us. The fight was made in open fields, and at the distance of 15 paces. General Rodes sent forward a squad of 60 men who were ordered into position on the left of Captain Girardey, assistant adjutant-general, and a squad who were posted on the right of the Third Georgia, but they failed to render any service. The enemy broke our center, forcing us to retire to a line formed of Rodes' troops in our rear some 600 yards. The Third Georgia held its position till flanked on the left. The enemy in front of this regiment were repulsed three times....​

French took advantage of his superior force, pushing Wright's brigade from the heights and and back through the gap. The Georgians fell back upon Rodes' division. French abandoned his attacks due to darkness, and, during the night, the Confederates withdrew - the Union advance having been stalled long enough for Lee's army to pass.

Wright's brigade reported 168 casualties in the engagement - 19 killed; 83 wounded; and 66 missing. Colonel Walker was wounded in the first volley and Adjutant John Ellis was also wounded.
1569782671757.png

The following men of Wright's brigade were reported, by name, as wounded in the engagement:
H R Pinkerton (D/3GA) back
Lt J M Simmons (E/3GA) both thighs
W W Oglesby (G/3GA) thigh
R L Rivers (F/3GA) head
A Milligan (L/3GA) arm broke
E E Odum (F/3GA) side
John P Payne (C/3GA) mortally
Sgt J Davidon (C/3GA) knee
N J L Kettles (I/3GA) leg
E S Garlick (A/3GA) thigh
J E Vaughn (I/3GA) side
W S Moore (K/48GA) back severely
John Brown (E/48GA) side
H Whitehead (G/48GA) thigh
Henry M Moon (G/48GA)
M M Garmand (E/2GA) mortally
William Bailey (E/22GA) mortally
J P McDonald (D/22GA) both thighs
Sgt J T Glover (B/22GA) side severely
C C Warner (I/3GA) hand, breast & arm
J C Shaw (E/22GA) arm
H Fonhand (D/48GA) face
William Sturdevant (B/3GA) head
N H DeJarnette (B/3GA) thigh
1569775580777.png

Weekly Chronicle & Sentinel. (Augusta, Ga.), August 19, 1863, page 4.

Sources:
Original map from Visit Fauquier County
DRAFT map alterations by author from interpretation of OR
* Ewell reports that "about 250" sharpshooters were sent under Major Blackford; Capt Charles H Andrews, commanding Wright's brigade after Walker was wounded, says in his report that the number was 60.
"Report of Capt. C. H. Andrews, Third Georgia Infantry, commanding Wright's brigade, of action at Manassas Gap." OR, Volume 27, Part 2, pages 626-627. Link
"Ewell's Report of the Pennsylvania Campaign," Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 10, Issues 5-7, pp. 301-303.Link
The 72nd New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster, Rick Barram, McFarland 2014, page 155. Link
Casualties from OR, Volume 27, Part 2, page 627. Link

Capt. Charles Haynes Andrews (22 March 1835 - 11 February 1905) FindAGrave memorial
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This day demonstrated William French's incompetence for much of the army to see. The terrain was such that much of the fighting took place within a bowl so that Union troops who were arriving could watch their comrades advance across the valley and watched the Third Corps make piecemeal attacks that, while valiant (see the charge of the Excelsior Brigade), allowed Wright's Georgians to hold strong for several hours.

Ryan
 
Best published treatment is Meade and Lee After Gettysburg by Jeffrey Wm Hunt (2017)
I agree. Also the best treatment of Chester Gap. Hunt has this map which shows the 3rd GA up with the skirmishing 2 companies of the 2nd GA Battn. That's kind of why I started trying to put it on "paper" myself.
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Meade and Lee After Gettysburg, Jeffrey Wm Hunt (2017) p. 207
Capt Andrews says in his report:
"The troops were posted as follows, viz: Third Georgia (Capt [C.H.] Andrews) on the extreme right, somewhat in advance of and disconnected from the balance of the brigade, on a mountain side; next Forty-eighth Georgia, Captain [M. R.] Hall; then Twenty-second Georgia (Captain [B.C.] McCurry), the left of the latter regiment resting upon the railroad. Two companies of Second Georgia Battalion were deployed as skirmishers in front of the Twenty-second Georgia; the other two companies of the battalion were posted in the rear 1 1/2 miles, to guard a road by which the enemy might gain our rear by the left."​
I am trying to reconcile Hunt's map with Capt. Andrews report. Any/all help appreciated.
 
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Known 3rd Georgia Casualties:

KILLED
Colonel Edward J. Walker, died of wounds on August 21, 1864
Sergeant William C. Chapman (C)
1st Lt. Francis L. Hillyer (C)
John T. Payne (C)
Ramon P. Payne (C)
Henry C. Moore (D)
Sergeant Thomas J. Glover (E), died of wounds in 1863
Joseph J. Keils (E)
A.H. Wiley (E)
H.W. Cannon (F), wounded and captured, died of wounds on September 2, 1863 and buried in Arlington, VA
William Hipps (G), wounded and captured, died of wounds on October 23, 1863
George Thigpen (G), missing and probably killed
Jasper H. Wilcher (G)
David Mathis (I)
King D. Robinson (I)
John L. Watkins (I)
Francis M. Doster (K)


WOUNDED
Adjutant John L. Ells
Sergeant Major Nathan H. DeJarnette
Ordnance Sergeant Joseph T. Davison
Sergeant Edgar S. Garlick (A)
Sergeant Stephen A. Jackson (A)
Sergeant Drewry Reeves (A)
Robert M. Atkinson (A)
Murphy Deas (A)
Jefferson L. Goodwin (A)
Avery D. Jackson (A)
Robert A. Palmer (A)
James Y. Baynes (B)
Wiley C. Branan (B)
Benjamin T. Hollis (B)
Hilliard G. Jones (B)
Henry R. Pinkerton (B)
Merryman Pound (B)
John F. Spivey (B)
Henry T. Welch (B)
Ensign James D. Johnson (D)
Peyton H. Shy (D)
1st Lt. John M. Simmons (E), leg was amputated and may have died of his wounds in 1864
Thomas N. Amason (E), also captured
Henry A. White (E)
Martin V. Wylie (E), also captured
Captain James A. Mason (F)
Erasmus F. Hughes (F), member of the color guard
Ellis E. Ogburn (F)
R.L. Rivers (F)
William P. Williams (F)
Sergeant Austin W. Malone (G)
William J. Bartley (G)
David Fountain (G)
William W. Oglesby (G)
J. Henley Harris (H)
Henry Coleman (I)
1st Sergeant James L. DuPriest (I), also captured
Sergeant Pleman H. Nesbit (I)
Newton J.L. Kettles (I)
John E. Vaughn (I)
Henry C. Warner (I), had been permanently disabled by wounds from Antietam but stayed with the regiment until April 1865
David H. Bailey (K)
Atlas M. Thornton (K)
Doctor E. Elder (L)
Arch Millican (L)

CAPTURED
James A. Fulcher (A)
William H. Fulcher (A)
Corporal William W. Fears (B)
Homer Broxton (E)
Sergeant Henry H. Martin (E)
David Campbell (G)
D.M. Cook (G), listed as captured but with no further record so it's possible that he was either killed or mortally wounded
George W. Crawford (G)
Asa Jones (G), shot and paralyzed at Point Lookout
Daniel McCook (G)
John Vail (G)
John Widener (G)
Howell Stuckey (I)

Ryan
 
Does anyone know of a detailed map of the Battle of Manassas Gap? This is one I found at Visit Fauquier County and altered according to information from the OR - but I have no idea who was in command of French's 3rd Division? @rpkennedy @Andy Cardinal @22ndGa @infomanpa @Tom Elmore do any of you know? EDITED: to reflect info provided by ryan and Andy below. Still interested in other information/corrections/additions.

View attachment 327481
The Battle of Manassas Gap, also known as Wapping Heights, took place on July 23, 1863 near Front Royal, Virginia. As Lee's Army of Northern Virginia retreated into the Shenandoah Valley, Meade sent Maj. Gen. William H. French and the Third Corps to cut them off at Front Royal by forcing passage through Manassas Gap. (The Third Corps was commanded by French as a result of Sickles' wounding at Gettysburg.)

Brig. Gen. Ambrose R. Wright's brigade, under the command of Col. Edward J. Walker (3rd GA), was composed of the 2nd Georgia Battalion, 3rd Georgia, 22nd Georgia, and 48th Georgia Infantry and numbered about 600 effectives. They were deployed to guard the left flank of A.P. Hill’s Corps as it passed through Front Royal. Recognizing the "large force of the enemy" to be contended with at the gap, Ewell sent a detachment of 60 (or 250*) sharpshooters from Rodes' division under Major Blackford to reinforce Wright's brigade. Colonel E J Walker was wounded in the first volley and command devolved upon Capt Charles H Andrews (D/3GA) who reported as follows:

...Our line now extended about 2 miles, and was very weak, as our numbers were small. Between 4 and 5 p.m. the enemy advanced again and we resisted them to the utmost of human capacity; fought till our ammunition was exhausted, and, to enable us to fight at all, the ammunition was taken from the killed and wounded and distributed. Ammunition was ordered up, but failed to reach us. The fight was made in open fields, and at the distance of 15 paces. General Rodes sent forward a squad of 60 men who were ordered into position on the left of Captain Girardey, assistant adjutant-general, and a squad who were posted on the right of the Third Georgia, but they failed to render any service. The enemy broke our center, forcing us to retire to a line formed of Rodes' troops in our rear some 600 yards. The Third Georgia held its position till flanked on the left. The enemy in front of this regiment were repulsed three times....​

French took advantage of his superior force, pushing Wright's brigade from the heights and and back through the gap. The Georgians fell back upon Rodes' division. French abandoned his attacks due to darkness, and, during the night, the Confederates withdrew - the Union advance having been stalled long enough for Lee's army to pass.

Wright's brigade reported 168 casualties in the engagement - 19 killed; 83 wounded; and 66 missing. Colonel Walker was wounded in the first volley and Adjutant John Ellis was also wounded.
View attachment 327453
The following men of Wright's brigade were reported, by name, as wounded in the engagement:
H R Pinkerton (D/3GA) back
Lt J M Simmons (E/3GA) both thighs
W W Oglesby (G/3GA) thigh
R L Rivers (F/3GA) head
A Milligan (L/3GA) arm broke
E E Odum (F/3GA) side
John P Payne (C/3GA) mortally
Sgt J Davidon (C/3GA) knee
N J L Kettles (I/3GA) leg
E S Garlick (A/3GA) thigh
J E Vaughn (I/3GA) side
W S Moore (K/48GA) back severely
John Brown (E/48GA) side
H Whitehead (G/48GA) thigh
Henry M Moon (G/48GA)
M M Garmand (E/2GA) mortally
William Bailey (E/22GA) mortally
J P McDonald (D/22GA) both thighs
Sgt J T Glover (B/22GA) side severely
C C Warner (I/3GA) hand, breast & arm
J C Shaw (E/22GA) arm
H Fonhand (D/48GA) face
William Sturdevant (B/3GA) head
N H DeJarnette (B/3GA) thigh
View attachment 327443
Weekly Chronicle & Sentinel. (Augusta, Ga.), August 19, 1863, page 4.

Sources:
Original map from Visit Fauquier County
DRAFT map alterations by author from interpretation of OR
* Ewell reports that "about 250" sharpshooters were sent under Major Blackford; Capt Charles H Andrews, commanding Wright's brigade after Walker was wounded, says in his report that the number was 60.
"Report of Capt. C. H. Andrews, Third Georgia Infantry, commanding Wright's brigade, of action at Manassas Gap." OR, Volume 27, Part 2, pages 626-627. Link
"Ewell's Report of the Pennsylvania Campaign," Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 10, Issues 5-7, pp. 301-303.Link
The 72nd New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster, Rick Barram, McFarland 2014, page 155. Link
Casualties from OR, Volume 27, Part 2, page 627. Link

Capt. Charles Haynes Andrews (22 March 1835 - 11 February 1905) FindAGrave memorial
View attachment 327471

I know of nothing else besides what has already been presented. I would have assumed that there were no detailed maps, since this battle didn't rank high in relative significance.
 
As a follow-up, General Elliott was commanding French's Division from the Middle Department which joined the army in the days after Gettysburg. When the division was attached to the crippled Third Corps, as the senior officer, French took command and Elliott was bumped up to division. Elements of the division had gotten whupped by Ewell at Winchester and their reliability was a little shaky.

Ryan
 
Also, I discovered Washington Elliott was a local boy. He was born in Carlisle, PA in 1825 and studied at Dickinson College before entering West Point. I'll have to hit the historical society in town and see if they have anything about him.

Ryan
 
aka WAPPING HEIGHTS
This map seems to credit the NY Herald, contemporary date inferred but not specified

Derp. Per Rare Newspapers, that'd be August 1st 1863
Thanks Story. That is very helpful.
Also, I discovered Washington Elliott was a local boy. He was born in Carlisle, PA in 1825 and studied at Dickinson College before entering West Point. I'll have to hit the historical society in town and see if they have anything about him.
I'll be interested to see what you find out about him. It does seem that he was particularly competent. I'm also interested to know if he had brothers who wound up in IN. <See post #4>
 
I'll be interested to see what you find out about him. It does seem that he was particularly competent. I'm also interested to know if he had brothers who wound up in IN. <See post #4>

As far as I can tell Jesse D. Elliott had only one son (Washington Lafayette) and two daughters.

Interestingly, Jesse Elliott was pretty famous in his own right. He was Oliver Perry's second-in-command at the Battle of Lake Erie and was his predecessor as commander of naval forces on the lake, rising to the rank of commodore.

Ryan
 
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