Tell me more! Gettysburg Gatlings?

[Kurt G]

I never got that one.

Ryan

Many years ago at the old Gettysburg visitor center I was waiting in the car while my girl friend went into the bookstore to buy something before our long drive home .A couple , along with a licensed battlefield guide , came out of the center and headed towards the car parked next to me . As they approached the wife said to the guide in a somewhat confused manner "I saw something about Gettysburg on PBS , but that was about the Civil War." After a short pause the guide responded "This IS about the Civil War." I figured the guide had a very long next few hours ahead .

 

[bayonet]

Many years ago at the old Gettysburg visitor center I was waiting in the car while my girl friend went into the bookstore to buy something before our long drive home .A couple , along with a licensed battlefield guide , came out of the center and headed towards the car parked next to me . As they approached the wife said to the guide in a somewhat confused manner "I saw something about Gettysburg on PBS , but that was about the Civil War." After a short pause the guide responded "This IS about the Civil War." I figured the guide had a very long next few hours ahead .

Probably didn't mind as long as he got overtime pay!

 

[rpkennedy]

Many years ago at the old Gettysburg visitor center I was waiting in the car while my girl friend went into the bookstore to buy something before our long drive home .A couple , along with a licensed battlefield guide , came out of the center and headed towards the car parked next to me . As they approached the wife said to the guide in a somewhat confused manner "I saw something about Gettysburg on PBS , but that was about the Civil War." After a short pause the guide responded "This IS about the Civil War." I figured the guide had a very long next few hours ahead .

Another one I had once was "Who were the Americans fighting?"

Ryan

 

[bayonet]

Another one I had once was "Who were the Americans fighting?"

Ryan

How about this one. My ex-wifes (thank goodness) Sister who was in College at the time stated "It was America's fault that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour!

 

[DixieRifles]

I know Gatlings weren't "officially" accepted by the army until after the Civil War, but some Union commanders personally purchased a few for use in the Petersburg siege and on gunboats. AFAIK, that was the only use during the war. But I recently read a post (not on this forum) claiming they were used against Pickett's charge. Anybody know if that's true?

Maybe it is partially true.
The Confederates obtained a breech-loader cannon called the Williams Gun. It operated with a crank that moved the breech block for manually loading. Since it was manually loaded, it did not have a rapid fire capability. There is a report that the Williams Gun was first put into operational use in Picket's brigade.

This quote is from "The Artilleryman" magazine, Spring 2002- Vol. 23, No. 2.

I think that this was the gun that was at the Seven Pines/Fair Oaks battle May 31, 1862. H.T.
Owen, a Confederate veteran living in Richmond, Va., wrote to Capt. Theodore Allen after the war:

"On Saturday morning, May 31, 1862, the command to which I belonged (then Pickett's
Brigade, of Longstreet's Division) moved from near Richmond down the Williamsburg Road to
attack the Federal Forces near Seven Pines. There had been a heavy rain night before and the
roads were filled with pools of water which the artillery and wagons soon cut up into slush and
mire, consequentially there were long halts and delays on the roads.
"About a mile west of Seven Pines, while waiting for some other command to file by ours and
take position in line of battle a small cannon halted in front of us for some time and we got a good
look at it. It was drawn by one horse in shafts, the axle was short, the wheels very low and the
barrel was about as big as a man's coat sleeve. It carried a round ball about the size of a hens
egg and was loaded at the breech.
"Mr. Williams, the inventor and five or six other men on horse back were with the gun and this
was its first experiment on the battlefield. Mr. Williams readily replied to all the questions asked
about the gun by some of our officers who gathered around it while halting.
"There was a federal fort on the Williamsburg road, about one mile west of Seven Pines,
flanked by a line of breast-works, rifle pits and abatis in front of them. Our breech loader moved on
with other artillery to begin the attack while our command was held in reserve and was not
engaged in the battle of that day; so when the uproar began we were silent reports of the little
breech-loader.
"They were much louder than a musket and less than an ordinary cannon. We never saw the
gun afterwards and wondered what became of it. After Gettysburg, Pickett's Division guarded
about four thousand prisoners from the battle-field to Winchester, and the Federal Officers among
the prisoners asked us many questions about the rapid-firing little gun or guns we used on them at
Seven Pines.
"In 1880-81, I became acquainted with Capt. George W. Williams, Deputy Clerk of the Virginia
Senate, who had served in General John H. Morgan's Kentucky Cavalry Command during the
war. In swapping reminiscences, I mention our little gun at Seven Pines and he informed me that
his father was the inventor."

A replica of a Williams Gun. (I do not believe it was mounted with cheek pieces but on a pintle mount.)

 

[Irishtom29]

I don't think we should be busting the OP's chops: he asked a simple question and one I don't think at all absurd. You know, that a person doesn't know much about the things we know much about doesn't make him a fool. And all here once had a time when they were ignorant.

 

[bayonet]

I don't think we should be busting the OP's chops: he asked a simple question and one I don't think at all absurd. You know, that a person doesn't know much about the things we know much about doesn't make him a fool. And all here once had a time when they were ignorant.

Whoa slow down there my Irish Comrade. Nobody is calling the Man a Fool or Ignorant or busting his Chops. He asked a question and it was answered. If anything Folks were attacking the source he got the information from. It took a light hearted humorous turn and after all this World and Country went thru in the last 2 years (yeah thank you China) we could use a good laugh. Now lets all go enjoy a Pint of Guinness Stout

 

[Package4]

Another one I had once was "Who were the Americans fighting?"

Ryan

My favorite, while discussing the artillery at Antietam/Sharpsburg it was mentioned that there were Parrotts as large as 20 pounds on the field, to which a woman replied, "that's one mighty big bird!" She was completely serious and inconsolable as to why the birds were forced into battle. She had apparently arrived to the discussion late and did not hear the beginning of the talk describing types of field artillery………

 

[JerryD]

Another one I had once was "Who were the Americans fighting?"

Ryan

I had an eye opening experience along these lines. First time I took my children to Gettysburg I was showing them where Pickett's Charge occurred. My precocious daughter who was about 10 at this time asked "Where were the good guys and where were the bad guys?". I tried to explain they were all Americans, so good guys and bad guys didn't really apply. And she said "But weren't the southern troops fighting for slavery?"

Out of the mouths of babes. That really brought me up short and made me rethink what I thought about the war. I still don't see it as a good guy/bad guy thing, but it did raise more awareness of the cause the CSA was really fighting for, which I had not focused on before.

Off topic, I know.

 

[Irishtom29]

When I want to rub it in to defenders of the rebellion I refer to the Federals as the Americans; after all one use of the term refers to citizens of the United States and the rebels can't say both that the Confederacy was legit <and> refer to the Confederates as Americans. If the Confederacy was truly a foreign country invaded by the Americans...you know, like Germany was...

 

[Daily Bread]

Gen Butler (US) is the earliest rumored use of having the Gatling during the James River campaign May 4th 1864

 

[7thWisconsin]

When I want to rub it in to defenders of the rebellion I refer to the Federals as the Americans; after all one use of the term refers to citizens of the United States and the rebels can't say both that the Confederacy was legit <and> refer to the Confederates as Americans. If the Confederacy was truly a foreign country invaded by the Americans...you know, like Germany was...

I prefer to use ¨Federal¨ and ¨Confederate¨ as often as I can because all the combatants were ¨Americans.¨ On NPS battlefield maps, Federal forces are represented using blue ink and Confederate in red, using standard military iconography for friendly and enemy forces.

 

[REBVojak]

Oh lord no....now someone will start a thread with...."So what if the South had B-52 bombers at Gettysburg.....how would that have changed the outcome?"

The Union's S-300 Air Defense systems would have neutralized them.

 

[REBVojak]

no change at all, the Union would of sent up P-51 Mustangs and shot down the B-52s

I thought the combat air cover for that day were F-4s.

 

[Nathan Stuart]

When I want to rub it in to defenders of the rebellion I refer to the Federals as the Americans; after all one use of the term refers to citizens of the United States and the rebels can't say both that the Confederacy was legit <and> refer to the Confederates as Americans. If the Confederacy was truly a foreign country invaded by the Americans...you know, like Germany was...

A Civil War is a violent conflict between opposing groups of citizens of the same country. The American Civil War was American vs. American.

 

[Irishtom29]

A Civil War is a violent conflict between opposing groups of citizens of the same country. The American Civil War was American vs. American.

I consider it a separatist rebellion not a civil war, with the rebels doing their damnedest to no longer be Americans.

 

[Nathan Stuart]

I consider it a separatist rebellion not a civil war, with the rebels doing their damnedest to no longer be Americans.

Whether the conflict was a 'Civil War' or a 'Rebellion' could make for an interesting discussion elsewhere. These descriptions are sometimes used interchangeably and there appears to be a degree of overlap in meanings between the two terms.

I think a Civil War generally involves a large-scale and sustained physical conflict between politically organized and significant sized groups within the same country (usually over the monopoly of authority).

In my view, a Civil War is distinguished from intense and shorter duration episodes of violent actions (against an existing authority) within a country, like coups, mutinies, insurrections or rebellions.

Regarding the American Civil War, what might have started as a rebellion soon escalated into a large-scale and sustained civil war between sections within a politically divided nation.

This is not a discussion about the legitimacy of causes, but the characterization of an internal violent conflict.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Gen Butler (US) is the earliest rumored use of having the Gatling during the James River campaign May 4th 1864

Welcome to CWT !

Butler's private purchase and use of these new weapons at James River seems to have the most documentation.
No matter his historic reputation, Butler was extremely wealthy. So I've aways thought it was plausible.

But used at Gettysburg ?

I don't think so.

 

[bayonet]

I consider it a separatist rebellion not a civil war, with the rebels doing their damnedest to no longer be Americans.

um wait a minute here were the "rebels" the CSA as in calling themselves the Confederate States of America? That sort of sounds like some sort of "Americans" to me.

 

[Irishtom29]

um wait a minute here were the "rebels" the CSA as in calling themselves the Confederate States of America? That sort of sounds like some sort of "Americans" to me.

You can spread the term American as far as you like, as far as including all those who live in the American continents. It still remains that a common use of the word, especially among citizens of the United States, refers to citizens of or those who have loyalty to the United States. Which the rebels most certainly were trying not to be, right?