Linking the Movements of Crawford’s Division and Sickles on the Evening of July 2

Tom Elmore

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When attempting to establish a timeline of events, insightful clues surface whenever a source links two distinct events. So it is with an account from Brigadier General Samuel W. Crawford, who tied together the movements of his division with the wounded Major General Dan Sickles being transported to the rear late in the day on July 2.

Crawford’s division of Pennsylvania Reserves consisted of two brigades, led by Colonels William McCandless and Joseph W. Fisher. The division arrived on the field around noon on July 2, and turned off the Baltimore Pike just after crossing Rock Creek. We are indebted to I. N. Durboraw of the 1st Pennsylvania Reserves for locating McCandless’ brigade on Isaac M. Diehl’s property (see attached map). Durboraw’s company was from Adams County and the surrounding area, and he may have been personally acquainted with Diehl. In fact, Peter Baker, who lived just a few hundred yards away, invited Durboraw to visit and fed him. So I speculate McCandless might have halted his brigade within the solid red rectangle shown on the map, on a relatively level patch of the hillside just west of the Diehl place. Because Fisher preceded McCandless on the march to Little Round Top, his brigade may have occupied the adjacent hill crest. (History of Company K, 1st (Inft.) Penn’a Reserves, by H. N. Minnigh, Duncansville, PA: 1891)

I had previously calculated that Fisher’s brigade reached the north slope of Little Round Top at 6:30 p.m., with McCandless following immediately behind him. Working backward in time, the map projects an estimated itinerary of McCandless’ brigade at 10 minute intervals, from which it is deduced that Crawford commenced his march from his bivouac near Rock Creek around 6 p.m. I selected a pace of 80 yards/minute given that the division reportedly marched at the “double-quick” part of the time, although ambulances and the wounded walking to the rear forced Crawford’s soldiers off to the roadside at times, slowing their progress. (Silas W. Crocker, Company I, 6th Pa. Reserves, National Tribune, October 15, 1885, p. 4; History of the Twelfth Regiment Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps, by M. D. Hardin, 1890)

Crawford recalled that a “Captain Moore,” whom he thought was on Meade’s staff, rode up in a greatly excited state to report that the enemy was driving back the Union forces on the left, and General Sickles had directed him to get any assistance he could. This might actually have been Major Alexander Moore, a junior aide serving on Sickles’ staff. However, Crawford declined to move until authorized by higher authority, so the officer galloped off to nearby Power’s Hill to secure permission from General Slocum. The delay likely consumed only a few extra minutes. So I deduce Moore left Sickles’ side at the Trostle buildings (presumably he was not wounded yet) by 5:45 p.m., with Crawford’s division put in motion about 6 p.m.

Somewhere in a woods east of the Taneytown road, Crawford was out in front of his column when he encountered a large group accompanying a wounded officer, who turned out to be Sickles. Crawford had directed them off the road until his command passed. (Correspondence with Maj. Gen. S. W. Crawford, Address Delivered Wednesday, 28th November 1866, in Feller’s Hall, Madalin, Township of Red Hook, Duchess Co., N.Y., by J. Watts De Peyster, 1867) If this encounter took place as shown on the map, the time would have been 6:20 p.m. by my estimation. Sickles would have been traveling in an ambulance, which I imagine had sped off the field at a trot or better, then perhaps switched to a walk to minimize jolting. If we pick 180 yards/minute as an average, it means Sickles was transported from the Trostle buildings around 6:05 p.m., give or take, placing his actual wounding at about 6 p.m.

Given the number of variables involved in these calculations, we should consider a window of up to 20 minutes variation, but leaning later, not earlier. I say this because we must take into account other known linkages: First, Captain Winslow (commanding Battery D, 1st New York), reported to Sickles moments before the latter was wounded, Winslow’s battery having just been driven from the Wheatfield northward through Trostle woods (where he discovered Caldwell’s division forming for an advance). Second, Winslow in turn had lingered long enough in the Wheatfield to be joined by a section from Captain Smith’s battery (4th New York), which had been driven out of Plum Run valley following the collapse of the Union position at Devil’s Den. (See also: https://civilwartalk.com/threads/timing-the-wounding-of-dan-sickles-on-july-2.139397/#post-1670593)

The challenge of creating any timeline at Gettysburg is to integrate known linkages like those described above, which results in a narrower window for specific events. In the case of Sickles’ wounding, that still comes down to a period between 6:00 and 6:22 p.m., based on my research to date, which still leaves considerable room for refinement.
 

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Love it! As an aside, my first Civil War impression was of Col. William “Buck” McCandless. He was truly a brave citizen soldier who was a Philadelphia lawyer when the call for volunteers went out. He quickly rose from Private to Colonel in less than a year, but remained a Colonel even though he commanded the Brigade and later Crawford’s Division when Crawford was away.
 
Tom,

Your timeline for Fisher's and McCandless' brigades' movement pretty much matches mine, a difference of 5 minutes. I have Fisher moving out at 6:15 PM and McCandless following after at 6:20. I have both brigades in position north of Wheatfield road (on Munshower hill) at 6:50 PM and across the road at 6:55 PM. Almost immediately, Fisher's brigade is ordered to the left of LRT.

By 7:15 PM Fisher's brigade has extended across LRT (its leading regiments, the 12th and 5th Pa Reserves arriving just as the 20th Maine advances). With Fisher's brigade having uncovered their front (with the exception of the 11th Pa Reserves, held back), at appx. 7:12 PM McCandless' brigade starts to move forward toward the northern crest of LRT. As General Crawford reported, "...My command was formed in two lines, the second massed on the first. The Sixth Regiment...on the right, the First Regiment...on the left, and the Eleventh Regiment of Fisher's brigade...in the center." The First and Second Pa. Reserve Regiments formed the second line.

I estimate that by 7:18 PM, McCandless's brigade (with the 11th Pa Reserves) was in position to see refugees from Caldwell's Division as well as the brigades of Burbank and Day being driven back across Plum Run valley.

As for General Sickles' route to the rear after being wounded (and the timing involved), we have at least five stories to examine:

1. General Crawford encountering him on the un-named road leading from Powers Hill s-sw to the Wheatfield road (just north of
LRT).
2. Captain Alexander Moore, upon getting General Crawford's brigades started off to the left, meeting Captain Poland who informed
him of Sickles wounding. (Moore then set off for Meade's HQ to advise the Commanding General of the news.)
3. Benjamin Thompson, 111th NY (Willard's brigade) recalled opening his company "F" to, "...let four men carry General Sickles...to
the rear".
4. Lockwood's History of the Second Connecticut Volunteers Light Battery (Sterling's) having the battery ordered into position
"...just as the gallant Sickles was being borne to the rear".
5. Private John Paxton, 140th Pennsylvania, recalling that just before the Zook's brigade entered Trostle's woods he glanced to his
right and saw, "...a man on a black horse giving orders; another man on horseback listening as to orders; another galloped up;
there came a shell, it burst over the three; the man on the black horse lay on the ground [it was General Sickles]...".

Regarding the route taken:

Sterling's battery had been in the artillery park (along Granite Schoolhouse road) when late in the afternoon it went into position just east of where the 1st Minnesota's monument is located.

Taking together, the anecdotes of Lockwood (Sterling's battery) and Thompson (111th NY) would have Sickles being transported in a north by north east direction off the field (toward Granite Schoolhouse road and on to the Baltimore Pike).

Crawford's recollection, on the other hand, would have Sickles being moved first south by south east to the Taneytown Road and then, instead of turning north on that better road, continue across it to use the circuitous country lane (jammed with Crawford' troops) to finally move north by north east to the Baltimore Pike.

The direct north by north east route seems the more intuitive one and has my vote.

Regarding the time of the wounding:

If Willard's brigade arrived at its pre-deployment position at appx. 6:45 PM (my estimate), that would mean that the ball that took Sickles' leg off was fired probably no earlier than 6:30 PM and probably closer to 6:35 PM (allowing 15 minutes for the wounded Sickles to travel from the Trostle barn to the Granite Schoolhouse road, intersecting the 111th NY and 2nd Ct Battery on the way). Any earlier, and the 111th NY would not have been in position to see Sickles pass through.

Linkages: Captain Poland leaves the wounded Sickles and (speculative) possibly near the George Weikert farm meets Captain Moore (at about 6:40 PM) returning from getting Crawford's brigades moved to the left. Moore rides to Meade's headquarters arriving at about 6:55 PM and reports. An aide is dispatched to inform General Hancock and finds him at approximately 7:05 PM on his way south along Cemetery Ridge to where Willard's brigade had halted. Hancock reported that he was informed of Sickles' wounding after complying with a request from General Humphreys for help by dispatching a couple of Col. Hall's regiments and posting Weir's battery and the 19th Maine in support (6:45 PM). Hall's two regiments (19th Massachusetts and 42nd NY) did not report because Humphreys' line was disintegrating as they approached it (6:50 PM). Humphreys' request is linked to his concern that his 5th New
Jersey skirmishers were being driven in (6:30 PM) as a prelude to an attack on his front, but may also have been precipitated by the sight of Barksdale's Mississippians advancing against the Peach Orchard (6:20 PM).

Willard has already ordered the 125th and 26th New York regiments to advance by the time Hancock arrives (approximately 7:12 PM) on the scene. Hancock immediately orders the 111th NY (in reserve) forward to join the advance on the right in order to stop and drive back Barksdale (who had in the past 30 minutes succeeded in not only smashing Graham's brigade in the Peach Orchard but also Humphreys' Excelsior brigade before running into the 125th and 126th NY).

Now, if my time estimate regarding Willard's brigade is correct, it would mean his brigade started its move to the left at appx. 6:30 PM (in response to a request from General Birney according to Hancock's report).

Paxton's story is interesting and, as I have Zook's brigade entering Trostle's woods at appx. 6:20 PM, it would appear to support your outside time frame for Sickles' wounding. However, there may be some troublesome linkages involved with having Zook's brigade entering Trostle's woods at the same time as Sickles' wounding. But then again, during this pandemic we've plenty of shut in time to ponder the variables.


Jim
 
Jim,

We're close as far as McCandless and Fisher deploying (both initially to the right - north - of the Wheatfield road before shifting to the left across the road, occurring between 6:35 and 6:50 by my reckoning). Also, Fisher soon moving to the south side of Little Round Top between 7-7:10, but I don't understand the 20th Maine remark since they did not advance to Big Round Top until after dark.

I have McCandless moving into Fisher's old spot by 7:10 while the Regulars were just breaking in their front. Again we are close, but that's not surprising since sunset is approaching at 7:32.

As for Sickles, I have my strong doubts about the 111th New York account. There's also this sighting: "As we were going in General Sickles was carried past on a stretcher." (Diary of Henry Keiser, G/96 PA, Pennsylvania Volunteers of the Civil War, Schuykill County).

I have Zook's 140th PA moving forward into action from the Wheatfield road at exactly 6:22 p.m.! Until that moment it is conceivable that Paxton saw Sickles struck at a distance. Now things do seem to be falling into place nicely. Thanks for the input!

By the way, I have Willard moving south at 6:45 p.m. from a point just west of the Leister cottage.
 
Tom,


My reference to the 12th and 5th Pennsylvania Reserves arriving just as the 20th Maine was advancing refers to the 20th Maine's famous bayonet attack that ended the fight for LRT, not its later (after dark) advance up big Round Top.

Jim
 
Tom,


My reference to the 12th and 5th Pennsylvania Reserves arriving just as the 20th Maine was advancing refers to the 20th Maine's famous bayonet attack that ended the fight for LRT, not its later (after dark) advance up big Round Top.

Jim
Well, that's one we disagree on, for I have that bayonet charge ending at 5:30 p.m. However, I do show Robertson's and Sheffield's final half-hearted attack being repulsed between 7:15 and 7:20 p.m., although it required very little if any effort on the part of the 20th Maine based on what I can tell.
 
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