Longstreet's HQ

[gettysburgerrn]

Hi - I know where the marker for Longstreet's Hq on the Gettysburg battlefield is. I was wondering, was there ever any kind of building or structure that marked the location of his HQ? Was it in the same location? What happened to it?

Thanks

Ken

 

[rpkennedy]

Tradition tells us that his headquarters were at the Flaherty farm (which was on the land of the Eisenhower Farm) but later stories say that it was at the Pitzer Schoolhouse which is almost certainly incorrect. The best evidence indicates that Longstreet had no fixed headquarters and spent much of his time either with Lee or in the saddle. There was likely a tent set up for Longstreet but there's no real clear evidence indicating where it was located. I would guess somewhere west of Warfield Ridge but that's just supposition, in all honesty.

Ryan

 

[Tom Elmore]

During the night of July 1 until about 3 a.m. on July 2, Longstreet's headquarters were "about 3 miles" west of Gettysburg, according to a comment made in a May 18, 1875 letter from Medical Director J. S. D. Cullen to Longstreet.

Longstreet had no stationary headquarters during the rest of the day on July 2, until after dark. He was all over the battlefield during the daylight hours. About dark, Major Thomas Blackburn Rodgers of the 140th Pennsylvania, then a prisoner, states that he halted at a farmhouse to get water, "where Gen. Longstreet had his headquarters." Unfortunately he did not identify the farmhouse - perhaps it was Samuel Pitzer's place? There, or at Flaherty's, are the two most logical places.

Longstreet was up the next morning making observations with Lee (he spent a lot of time in company with Lee), and again moved around a lot during the day, especially in the vicinity of Pickett's division. Around sunset he visited Parker's battery near the Peach Orchard. Presumably that night he returned to the same farmhouse in the rear to catch a few hours sleep.

He was up again the next day, July 4, and found a hill with a commanding view, where British Col. Fremantle caught up with him. In the early afternoon, Fremantle mentioned that Longstreet's camp was three miles out on the Fairfield road. The next day, Longstreet proceeded toward Fairfield.

 

[rpkennedy]

During the night of July 1 until about 3 a.m. on July 2, Longstreet's headquarters were "about 3 miles" west of Gettysburg, according to a comment made in a May 18, 1875 letter from Medical Director J. S. D. Cullen to Longstreet.

Longstreet had no stationary headquarters during the rest of the day on July 2, until after dark. He was all over the battlefield during the daylight hours. About dark, Major Thomas Blackburn Rodgers of the 140th Pennsylvania, then a prisoner, states that he halted at a farmhouse to get water, "where Gen. Longstreet had his headquarters." Unfortunately he did not identify the farmhouse - perhaps it was Samuel Pitzer's place? There, or at Flaherty's, are the two most logical places.

Longstreet was up the next morning making observations with Lee (he spent a lot of time in company with Lee), and again moved around a lot during the day, especially in the vicinity of Pickett's division. Around sunset he visited Parker's battery near the Peach Orchard. Presumably that night he returned to the same farmhouse in the rear to catch a few hours sleep.

He was up again the next day, July 4, and found a hill with a commanding view, where British Col. Fremantle caught up with him. In the early afternoon, Fremantle mentioned that Longstreet's camp was three miles out on the Fairfield road. The next day, Longstreet proceeded toward Fairfield.

Kathy Georg Harrison makes a pretty compelling case that a lot of the connection between Longstreet and Pitzer came in the 1880s when Longstreet was hosted there during one of his visits to the field. Prior to that, there wasn't a lot of evidence to indicate that Longstreet's HQ was there.

Personally, I don't think that there's a lot of clear evidence for any one place and that leads me to believe that his nominal HQ was probably a couple tents pitched in one of the farmhouse yards somewhere west of Seminary or Warfield Ridge. In any case, he doesn't seem to have spent much time there other than to grab a few hours of sleep on the night of the 2nd-3rd and 3rd-4th.

Ryan

 

[James N.]

Hi - I know where the marker for Longstreet's Hq on the Gettysburg battlefield is. I was wondering, was there ever any kind of building or structure that marked the location of his HQ? Was it in the same location? What happened to it?

Thanks

Ken

You *might* be thinking of this THING that evidently stood on Confederate Avenue on Seminary Ridge near the Longstreet Tower pictured in the background on this ca. 1961 postcard in my collection. (Notice the autos - the photo is actually older than that.) It was apparently totally bogus and had been used as a lure for some kind of tourist trap in preceeding decades but had no actual connection to either the battle in general nor Longstreet in particular. Although the observation tower certainly continues to exist not far from and just west of the Peach Orchard the structure was removed by the NPS, possibly even prior to my Centennial visit as I have no memory of actually seeing it there.

 

[gettysburgerrn]

View attachment 436944

You *might* be thinking of this THING that evidently stood on Confederate Avenue on Seminary Ridge near the Longstreet Tower pictured in the background on this ca. 1961 postcard in my collection. (Notice the autos - the photo is actually older than that.) It was apparently totally bogus and had been used as a lure for some kind of tourist trap in preceeding decades but had no actual connection to either the battle in general nor Longstreet in particular. Although the observation tower certainly continues to exist not far from and just west of the Peach Orchard the structure was removed by the NPS, possibly even prior to my Centennial visit as I have no memory of actually seeing it there

 

[gettysburgerrn]

Wow I think thats what i was referring to...My father (in his early 90s) said he was pretty sure he had seen a building calling itself Longstreets Headquarters in Gettysburg many many years ago...I had never heard of such a thing and was sure he was mistaken...thanks for the postcard.... (as well as the information as to where Gen. Longstreet really may have been during the battle)

Ken

 

[Scott F]

In the company of Colonels Black and Freemantle it seems, General Longstreet scouted the area. According to Freemantle, this occurred at 7 a.m. and although Black did not mention a time, through the context of his account it was before 8 a.m. Black wrote,

By this time my command of cavalry had come up and I accompanied Gen'l Longstreet to the right & top of a hill on a pike leading out of Gettysburg [The Fairfield Rd.]. Here he made his headquarters & ordered me to take possession of a bridge in sight [the stone bridge crossing Marsh Creek near the Black Horse Tavern] & supply him with two trusty cavalry subalterns. I did….

I went to the foot of the hill and bridge to see about something & ordered Lt. Marshall to examine a large house near the bridge, a kind of tavern & I think called the "Black Horse Tavern". Marshall did so and found a number of whiskey barrels. These I promptly ordered stored and soon after informed Gen'l L. what I have done.

"I suppose," said he, "You saved some for yourself & me."

"Excuse me, General, as I do not drink, I forgot to do so."

I applied for orders and was ordered to stay at his headquarters & await orders. I did so and so was a spectator at a safe distance of the fight that took place that day.

Besides Black's antidote, he was very specific about the location of Longstreet's headquarters in which, until recently was not thought to have existed at Gettysburg. The hill on the pike he is talking about is undoubtedly Bream's Hill on the Fairfield Rd. It is overlooking the Black Horse Tavern in which was mentioned by name in the account. Incidentally, an oral tradition has been passed down through the years that a wooden structure, originally a schoolhouse, was the site of Longstreet's headquarters at Gettysburg. This was investigated by the Park's historian and found that it did not have merit. The structure was moved from its original location and used as a tourist attraction at the time, and it was thought to be the original Pitzler's Schoolhouse near the line of battle on the 2nd of July. It was proven not to be and rightfully so, and for these reasons the claim was dismissed. However, the historian did not have Colonel Black's account or any other account for that matter, that Longstreet even had a headquarters at Gettysburg, and so the structure was taken apart but preserved. Luckily the building could not be taken off the historic structure list and the Park Service had placed it in storage. The reason I mention this is that because of Colonel Black's account we have a location and confirmation that General Longstreet had established a headquarters at Gettysburg, and at that very spot pointed out by Black, there was an old schoolhouse in 1863, not Pitzler's but Adam Butts' Schoolhouse.

 

[Tom Elmore]

In the company of Colonels Black and Freemantle it seems, General Longstreet scouted the area. According to Freemantle, this occurred at 7 a.m. and although Black did not mention a time, through the context of his account it was before 8 a.m. Black wrote,

By this time my command of cavalry had come up and I accompanied Gen'l Longstreet to the right & top of a hill on a pike leading out of Gettysburg [The Fairfield Rd.]. Here he made his headquarters & ordered me to take possession of a bridge in sight [the stone bridge crossing Marsh Creek near the Black Horse Tavern] & supply him with two trusty cavalry subalterns. I did….

I went to the foot of the hill and bridge to see about something & ordered Lt. Marshall to examine a large house near the bridge, a kind of tavern & I think called the "Black Horse Tavern". Marshall did so and found a number of whiskey barrels. These I promptly ordered stored and soon after informed Gen'l L. what I have done.

"I suppose," said he, "You saved some for yourself & me."

"Excuse me, General, as I do not drink, I forgot to do so."

I applied for orders and was ordered to stay at his headquarters & await orders. I did so and so was a spectator at a safe distance of the fight that took place that day.

Besides Black's antidote, he was very specific about the location of Longstreet's headquarters in which, until recently was not thought to have existed at Gettysburg. The hill on the pike he is talking about is undoubtedly Bream's Hill on the Fairfield Rd. It is overlooking the Black Horse Tavern in which was mentioned by name in the account. Incidentally, an oral tradition has been passed down through the years that a wooden structure, originally a schoolhouse, was the site of Longstreet's headquarters at Gettysburg. This was investigated by the Park's historian and found that it did not have merit. The structure was moved from its original location and used as a tourist attraction at the time, and it was thought to be the original Pitzler's Schoolhouse near the line of battle on the 2nd of July. It was proven not to be and rightfully so, and for these reasons the claim was dismissed. However, the historian did not have Colonel Black's account or any other account for that matter, that Longstreet even had a headquarters at Gettysburg, and so the structure was taken apart but preserved. Luckily the building could not be taken off the historic structure list and the Park Service had placed it in storage. The reason I mention this is that because of Colonel Black's account we have a location and confirmation that General Longstreet had established a headquarters at Gettysburg, and at that very spot pointed out by Black, there was an old schoolhouse in 1863, not Pitzler's but Adam Butts' Schoolhouse.

Interesting! Adam Butts' schoolhouse was about two miles distant (west-southwest) from Gettysburg on the Fairfield road. Butt's house was nearby, about 400 yards to the west of the schoolhouse, on a rise with a view towards the east. That location is off by one mile from Fremantle's description of Longstreet's headquarters on July 4. The Butts' farm was utilized as a field hospital by Wilcox's brigade as of July 2.

 

[Scott F]

Interesting! Adam Butts' schoolhouse was about two miles distant (west-southwest) from Gettysburg on the Fairfield road. Butt's house was nearby, about 400 yards to the west of the schoolhouse, on a rise with a view towards the east. That location is off by one mile from Fremantle's description of Longstreet's headquarters on July 4. The Butts' farm was utilized as a field hospital by Wilcox's brigade as of July 2.

Yes Colonel Black also mentioned that Longstreet had moved forward the next day to likely where Fremantle had mentioned his headquarters on July 4th.

 

[SJU5]

It was still there in 1963 when I visited…that's me in the Union blue in this pix.