Railroad Cut, 2nd Mississippi Battle Flag- Photo's Bloody Sound Track

I never saw the photo in the original post before. Why would a fence straddle the tracks or am I looking at it wrong. Was the photo taken post-battle?

I'd have to guess it so? And you're correct, it does indeed look like that. Pretty sure at the time it was just a cut with no tracks laid so if trails went across there, would not have been blocking a route yet? If that's the case, someone must have been fairly certain plans were on hold indefinitely for rails- those fences were a big pain to put up.
 
The rails were not laid through the cut until 1884 - 1885. I guess the local farmers kept using the land until the trains started running.
From the Official Report of R. R. Dawes, Lieutenant-Colonel Comdg. Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers:
"Major Hauser informs me that by direction of General James S. Wadsworth, commanding division, he placed in charge of a cavalry guard 7 officers and about 225 men. The battle-flag of the regiment was captured before the surrender by Corpl. F. Asbury Waller, of Company I, and has been forwarded, in obedience to orders, to army headquarters."
 
A must read for those interested in the 6th Wisconsin at the Railroad Cut and the capture of the 2nd Mississippi battle flag.

md20037800733.jpg
 
I believe the Railroad Cut was the location of the most recent discovery of a soldier's remains at Gettysburg, in 1996. This post from a 2006 thread reports the autopsy findings:
http://civilwartalk.com/threads/battlefield-burial.6161/

And here is a newspaper article on the interment ceremony at the National Cemetery:
http://brotherswar.com/Union_Confederate_Burial_at_Gettysburg_1997.htm

How very sad, someone's loved one who will forever remain anonymous.
 
Note that the photograph in post #1 is the cut at Seminary Ridge (looking westerly), and not the one made famous by the 6th Wisconsin and Davis' Brigade. Those huge rocks were mentioned by Capt. James Stewart as he was withdrawing his three pieces from their position near the summit to the right (north) of the cut late in the day on July 1: "I moved down through the timber, running a short distance parallel with the railroad cut, and then attempted to cross. I did not know at the time that the cut was full of large rocks. However, the men got the first two pieces over, but in getting over the third, the pintle hook broke and the trail fell to the ground. As this happened, a party of rebels came running out of the timber adjoining, shouting: 'Halt that piece.' ... When the pintle hook broke, I felt that we would never be able to get the gun out of the cut, as it took us a long time to disengage the prolonge from the trail; then we had to get the limber out of the cut, then the gun; then we had to tie the trail to the rear of the limber; and during all this time the enemy were firing upon us at not more than one hundred yards."
 
The railroad cut at Gettysburg was not the first time the 2nd Mississippi and 6th Wisconsin
had locked horns in combat. At Antietam, they met in the cornfield and in that fight, it was
the 2nd Mississippi that helped push the 6th Wisconsin out of the cornfield during the
counterattack of Hood's Division that morning. It can be said that these two regiments had a
history before Gettysburg.
 
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The railroad cut at Gettysburg was not the first time the 2nd Mississippi and 6th Wisconsin
had locked horns in combat. At Antietam, they met in the cornfield and in that fight, it was
the 2nd Mississippi that pushed the 6th Wisconsin out of the cornfield during the counterattack
of Hood's Division that morning. It can be said that these two regiments had a history even
before Gettysburg.
Actually it was the 18th Georgia and Hampton's Legion of the Texas Brigade that pushed the 2nd and 6th Wisconsin along with elements of Phelps' brigade back through the cornfield. The 18th Georgia and Hampton's Legion were straddling the Hagerstown Pike on their advance, so the 2nd and 6th Wisconsin were right in their path. The 1st Texas was then sent around the 18th Georgia's right and chased them back through the corn. The 2nd Mississippi in Law's Brigade was to the Texas Brigade's right; they may have taken some shots at the 6th Wisconsin but they weren't face to face.
 
Thanks to all for the interesting posts and pictures. It's fascinating to learn about the role of railroad cuts and unfinished railroads during CW battles, not only at Gettysburg. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking of Jackson's defense at the railroad cut during 2nd Manassas; Warren's ambush of Hill's corp from a railroad cut at Bristoe Station, and Longstreet's flank attack on Hancock's II Corps via an unfinished railroad at the Wilderness. I'm sure there are many other examples.
 
OK, a little "late to the dance" on this thread also, so the interest may have waned a bit. The fight at the Railroad Cut could certainly be considered a disaster for Davis's Brigade in general and the 2nd Mississippi in particular, having many men captured and losing its colors. However, many accounts give a gross exaggeration of the number of officers and men from the 2nd Mississippi captured there. There is a fairly recent scholarly article that presents a very detailed account of the 2nd Mississippi and Davis's Brigade at the fight that debunks several known "facts." The author at the time used my online roster database from which to pull his information so I know at least that part is accurate, at least with respect to the 2nd Mississippi. If interested, "The Railroad Cut Reconsidered" is available at the link below:

https://muse.jhu.edu/article/566384

If I recall correcctly, the article reads more easily as a pdf download than on the webpage.
 
" ...lack of artifacts with the interment makes identification nearly impossible. The location of the burial site along the south bank of the railroad cut suggests the soldier was killed during intense fighting on July 1, 1863. The location and orientation of the burial is consistent with renderings of Confederate graves on the Elliot Map which depicts a number of interments laid out perpendicular to the railroad cut in this location.

The recovery of what is thought to be Confederate buck & ball ammunition in context to the burial lends to the theory this may be a Confederate soldier. It is speculated that this soldier may have been a member of General Davis's 2nd Mississippi or 55th North Carolina Regiments who were retreating to the railroad cut late morning of July 1, 1863.

...... One must note, for example, that nearly 150 men of the 6th Wisconsin Regiment were also killed in the field on this day. "

Edited from the CWT post, from 2006. I only edited it so heavily because sometimes TMI takes away from what happened in these places, and who exactly that may have been who was found buried there. I don't know, no wish to sound like a fruitbat but maybe a reason this place has such a sobering effect on so many of us is that we're standing in the middle of a cemetery, on sacred ground. Men still buried there almost where they last saw Earth- and in a terrible struggle.

The Eliot Map is dreadful to look at. Anyone else have an awful time with it? First time I saw the thing, thought I was looking at artist's shading like they do, with little lines then understood all of them were graves, bodies of soldiers.

Given the evidence, have to be inclined to believe the grave uncovered was Confederate. Kind of wish he had not been discovered, had been allowed to rest where he was. Not sure I'd point one out to anyone. Seems a shame after all this time, if he's not to be identified, let him have his cemetery on the ground he fought for, win or lose.

It is moving to think that the soldier could have been a member of the 2nd Mississippi. My only misgiving with respect to the evidence concerns the "buck & ball" ammunition found nearby and any association with the body. If memory serves from the brigade ordnance reports, the 2nd Mississippi, except for Co. H, was equipped with Springfield rifle muskets. Co. H. was equipped with Enfields. Thus, there shouldn't have been anyone carrying a weapon that would fire .69 caliber buck & ball ammo. I have not researched the ordnance reports of the 55th North Carolina, so they may have been equipped or partially equipped with smoothbores.
 
That's a good point, that there could be no association. On a battlefield littered with the debris of armies doing their best to rid the planet of each other, could have been anyone's.

There's also no reason to think any soldier out there on either side would doggedly stick to his issued weapon, if some need arose. Good number of accounts include mentioning how someone picked up a weapon from a fallen soldier, theirs dropped or lost or not functioning.
 
I've mentioned this in a couple of other threads, so for the newcomers on the forum, my gr-gr uncle was there. His name was Henry Schildt, a sergeant in the 6th Wisconsin. He was badly wounded at the Railroad Cut. The 2nd Miss. were armed with smoothbore muskets which fired a load of round balls and buckshot. Very effective at ranges up to 50 yds. He had just about finished reloading, he was in the process of putting a new percussion cap on his musket's nipple when some buckshot enter his chest between a couple of ribs. When the 6th retired up to Culp's Hill, they had to leave their most seriously wounded there on the field, including Henry. The Rebels had him for the rest of the battle but when they retreated on July 4, he was recovered by the Federal Army. He was sent to the hospital over in York where he recovered after several months. He went home briefly and then spent some time in the Veterans Reserve Corps. In Aug. of 1864 he came back to the 6th Wisc. and was promoted to captain of Co. F, his old company.
A photo of him in his captain's uniform.


HenrySchildt.jpg
 
I've mentioned this in a couple of other threads, so for the newcomers on the forum, my gr-gr uncle was there. His name was Henry Schildt, a sergeant in the 6th Wisconsin. He was badly wounded at the Railroad Cut. The 2nd Miss. were armed with smoothbore muskets which fired a load of round balls and buckshot. Very effective at ranges up to 50 yds. He had just about finished reloading, he was in the process of putting a new percussion cap on his musket's nipple when some buckshot enter his chest between a couple of ribs. When the 6th retired up to Culp's Hill, they had to leave their most seriously wounded there on the field, including Henry. The Rebels had him for the rest of the battle but when they retreated on July 4, he was recovered by the Federal Army. He was sent to the hospital over in York where he recovered after several months. He went home briefly and then spent some time in the Veterans Reserve Corps. In Aug. of 1864 he came back to the 6th Wisc. and was promoted to captain of Co. F, his old company.
A photo of him in his captain's uniform.


View attachment 195438

It's possible some in the regiment still carried .69 caliber smoothbores, or maybe the buck & ball came from either the 42nd Mississippi to the 2nd's right or the 55th North Carolina on its left (both were"green" newly organized regiments and I would assume more likely to have been issued older weapons; the other veteran regiment in the brigade was the 11th Mississippi but it was on detached duty on 1 July guarding the divisional trains at Cashtown). All I'm saying that in general that it would be logistically more difficult for the ordnance department to have to supply both .58 rifle musket ammo and .69 caliber smoothbore ammo to the same regiment. I agree that buck & ball can be deadly at close range and would have come in handy during the fight at the Railroad Cut.
 
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