Mistake in Gettysburg?

[Mr. King]

Great maps

I must confess, I stole them off the world wide web.

 

[rebelatsea]

It is a small error, and it is a work of fiction, but I too am puzzled that, if a writer is going to put in little details, he doesn't make a little effort to get them right. If the fellow knows the brigade and division, and knows that Confederate troops could have been captured at the railroad cut, he obviously using some historical reference, so why not use it? It wouldn't affect the scene if the prisoners were from say the 42nd Miss.

I ran across an example recently in The Churchill Factor by Boris Johnson. Writing about D-Day, he mentions the 12" guns of HMS Belfast. Belfast of course carried 6" guns; in fact there were no 12" guns anywhere in the Royal Navy at that time. There's no actual need in the narrative to mention the ship's gun caliber, but if you are going to mention it, why not get it right?

Belfast, incidentally, is now a museum ship moored in London, of which Johnson is the current mayor.

That could well be an editing error. If Johnson actually said "the 12 guns of HMS Belfast" he would be correct, I reckon a navally ignorant editor added the inch symbol.

 

[1stMN]

Yeah a few little items like this through the movie but overall is an excellent movie. One of my favorites, of course, minus the omission of the 1st Minnesota But you can't fit everyone from a three day battle into four hours of film hehe.

 

[mtpotter]

I actually have a question about a statement attributed to Longstreet in this movie. My memory is slightly foggy and I'm paraphrasing, but he says that the "Confederate cause is victory" now, I think in a conversation that relates to slavery. Does anyone remember this scene and know whether it is an actual statement made by Longstreet?

(I'm actually going to start reading his memoirs in a month or so, so it might shed some more light on the issue).

 

[Mr. King]

I actually have a question about a statement attributed to Longstreet in this movie. My memory is slightly foggy and I'm paraphrasing, but he says that the "Confederate cause is victory" now, I think in a conversation that relates to slavery. Does anyone remember this scene and know whether it is an actual statement made by Longstreet?

(I'm actually going to start reading his memoirs in a month or so, so it might shed some more light on the issue).

Make sure you take his memoirs with a grain of salt. He seems to spend a lot of time pointing fingers after the smoke cleared. I skimmed his writing a few years back, and all I remember was that I felt as if he did Lee and a few others a great disservice while taking on little or no blame.
It's basically as if Tom Brady wrote a book blaming all his losses on Coach Belichick.... Sure, Lee may have been to blame, but you don't air out the dirty laundry of the ANV in order to deflect any blame. The only thing that makes me feel better about Longstreet's story about Gettysburg is that his story seems to have always been consistent, having written in his after action report that he did not like the idea of Pickett's Charge.

Longstreet's Report:
Some time after our batteries opened fire, I rode to Major [James] Dearing's batteries. It appeared that the enemy put in fresh batteries about as rapidly as others were driven off. I concluded, therefore, that we must attack very soon, if we hoped to accomplish anything before night. I gave orders for the batteries to refill their ammunition chests, and to be prepared to follow up the advance of the infantry. Upon riding over to Colonel Alexander's position, I found that he had advised General Pickett that the time had arrived for the attack, and I gave the order to General Pickett to advance to the assault. I found then that our supply of ammunition was so short that the batteries could not reopen. The order for this attack, which I could not favor under better auspices, would have been revoked had I felt that I had that privilege. The advance was made in very handsome style, all the troops keeping their lines accurately, and taking the fire of the batteries with great coolness and deliberation. About half way between our position and that of the enemy, a ravine partially sheltered our troops from the enemy's fire, where a short halt was made for rest. The advance was resumed after a moment's pause, all still in good order. The enemy's batteries soon opened upon our lines with canister, and the left seemed to stagger under it, but the advance was resumed, and with some degree of steadiness. Pickett's troops did not appear to be checked by the batteries, and only halted to deliver a fire when close under musket-range. Major-General Anderson's division was ordered forward to support and assist the wavering columns of Pettigrew and Trimble. Pickett's troops, after delivering fire, advanced to the charge, and entered the enemy's lines, capturing some of his batteries, and gained his works. About the same moment, the troops that had before hesitated, broke their ranks and fell back in great disorder, many more falling under the enemy's fire in retiring than while they were attacking. This gave the enemy time to throw his entire force upon Pickett, with a strong prospect of being able to break up his lines or destroy him before Anderson's division could reach him, which would, in its turn, have greatly exposed Anderson. He was, therefore, ordered to halt. In a few moments the enemy, marching against both flanks and the front of Pickett's division, overpowered it and drove it back, capturing about half of those of it who were not killed or wounded. General Wright, of Anderson's division, with all of the officers, was ordered to rally and collect the scattered troops behind Anderson's division, and many of my staff officers were sent to assist in the same service. Expecting an attack from the enemy, I rode to the front of our batteries, to reconnoiter and superintend their operations.

 

[Rebforever]

I think the map is here. He does a pretty good job.

http://www.cwmaps.com/freemaps.html