Gettysburg Movie Question

MikeyB

Sergeant
Joined
Sep 13, 2018
See attached photo. Screenshot from Buford's stand on day 1 (Before Reynolds shows up). You can notice all the way to the left the reenactor is loading his muzzle. Is this:
1) Just an inaccuracy because no one's ever going to notice and they needed another body creating firing effects for the movie?
2) Maybe supposed to represent a local militia fighting alongside the cavalry? Is that how it happened? Were they intermingled alongside the Feds? OR
3) Do breachloaders sometime require the operator to do something to the muzzle end?

20210610_165103.jpg
 
Is your underlying question "how could regular cavalry be shooting muzzleloaded rifled muskets?"
 
The answer is that there is slipshod editing in this part of the movie that shows infantry where cavalry should've been shown.
essentially. or if there is a reason for a cavalry reenactor to be doing what is being shown. Irishtom29's explanation makes the most sense however.
 
In that scene I loved how the Rebels seem to be casually retreating as Union soldiers are firing into their backs. 😁

I forgot about the breastworks. Oof. There were none of those that early in the battle. Elements of Robinson's Division would later begin some works on Seminary Ridge which were continued by elements of Doubleday's Division during the lull in the fighting on July 1.

Ryan
 
what about that John Burns guy? Was it just him grabbing a shotgun? Always thought he was part of some local unit that helped out.

It was just him as a cantankerous, old (maybe) veteran. He did initially go out with his own musket but then took up a rifle left on the ground by a casualty. He seems to have fought in Herbst Woods with the Iron Brigade (he initially approached an officer from Stone's Brigade who sent him off to the cover of the woods) and was wounded at some point in the afternoon.

In addition, there is evidence of an African-American man who fought with elements of the Twelfth Corps on Culp's Hill on July 3 but who he was is a mystery.

As for organized militia, there were none at Gettysburg during the battle.

Ryan
 
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