Unit hiding behind stone wall ambushes another unit

[historicus]

Many years ago I read a book about the Battle of Gettysburg, but I am not 100% sure of the title of the book or the author. I think that the book was Glenn Tucker's book High Tide at Gettysburg. In this book I read, the author wrote about an incident at the Battle of Gettysburg in which a unit was ducking down behind a stone wall, and I believe that the incident occurred on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Anyway, this unit was ducking down behind a stone wall in an area where many other units were engaged in combat. There was a lot of smoke that obscured the stone wall and the troops ducking behind the stone wall. An enemy unit approached the stone wall, and the enemy unit did not know that there was an enemy unit hiding behind the stone wall because of both the stone wall itself and because of the large amount of smoke in the area. Anyway, this enemy unit approached, and the officers of the unit behind the stone wall saw that an enemy unit was approaching the unit behind the stone wall. The unit behind the stone wall stood up and ambushed the enemy unit that was marching with a volley of musket fire.

Does anyone know about what incident I am talking about? If you do know of the incident I am discussing, please tell me more about the incident. When did this incident take place? Where on the battlefield did this incident happen? What unit(s) was ducking behind the stone wall? What unit(s) were marching towards the stone wall?

 

[Miles Krisman]

You are referring to an incident that occurred on Oak Hill on July 1, 1863, between the Federal Brigade commanded by Baxter and Iverson's Brigade on the Confederate side.

There has been a few threads on this subject. I'm not sure how to copy and paste the pertinent threads, but if you put "Iverson's Brigade" in the search box at the top right of this page, you should get some hits.

 

[kholland]

This was Iverson' s brigade consisting of North Carolina soldiers moving across Gettysburg farmer Forney' s field. Men from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts were behind the wall on their flank and the attack happened so fast that dead and wounded were found laying in formation.

 

[Andy Cardinal]

This was Iverson' s brigade consisting of North Carolina soldiers moving across Gettysburg farmer Forney' s field. Men from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts were behind the wall on their flank and the attack happened so fast that dead and wounded were found laying in formation.

To me this is one of the more fascinating actions at Gettysburg. There is a really good article about it called "The Annihilation of Iverson's Brigade" in one of the early issues of Gettysburg Magazine.

 

[Malingerer]

I'll check my copy of Busey and Martin tonight but the losses in most of Iverson's Brigade were staggering - many of those who were not killed or wounded simply surrendered because they were directly under Yankee guns. As far as the rest of G-burg is concerned, Iverson's Brigade was out of the picture. It was said that Iverson himself was not even in the charge and was of course accused of cowardice - in any case, Lee was through with him and he was packed of to the AOT.

 

[Blessmag]

ambush? I would say war in action. One side shooting the other. Unseen, could you see through other walls and obstacles or the Wilderness???

Normal not ambush!

 

[MRB1863]

Sure sounds like Iverson's Brigade on Oak ridge!

 

[texaswildcat]

Indeed, it was Iverson's Brigade. In the span of just a few minutes the brigade was slaughtered with several hundred wounded and captured and over 100 killed. Sad turn of events. Iverson was accused of being drunk and or cowardice, Iverson stayed in the rear instead of leading his men from the front and didn't sent out skirmishers to recon the area before hand. I believe I read one account where even the Yankees were surprised by how the enemy blindly walked up to them.

 

[rpkennedy]

I'll check my copy of Busey and Martin tonight but the losses in most of Iverson's Brigade were staggering - many of those who were not killed or wounded simply surrendered because they were directly under Yankee guns. As far as the rest of G-burg is concerned, Iverson's Brigade was out of the picture. It was said that Iverson himself was not even in the charge and was of course accused of cowardice - in any case, Lee was through with him and he was packed of to the AOT.

The remnants of the brigade would support Daniel's Brigade in their attacks and would participate in the attacks that would drive the Union troops from the McPherson Woods north of the Chambersburg Pike. On the night of July 2/3, they would be moved to Culp's Hill to support Johnson's Division there.

Ryan

 

[Malingerer]

The remnants of the brigade would support Daniel's Brigade in their attacks and would participate in the attacks that would drive the Union troops from the McPherson Woods north of the Chambersburg Pike. On the night of July 2/3, they would be moved to Culp's Hill to support Johnson's Division there.

Ryan

Yes, but if i recall correctly, it was a single regiment that supported Daniel's Brigade not the entire brigade and their support for Johnson's Div. consisted of hanging out in the woods out of harms way. As a functioning brigade, they were pretty much through after the massacre.

 

[historicus]

ambush? I would say war in action. One side shooting the other. Unseen, could you see through other walls and obstacles or the Wilderness???

Normal not ambush!

The following is the definition of ambush from Merriam-Webster's dictionary:


Definition of ambush

1. transitive verb
2. 
   1 : to attack by surprise from a hidden place : waylay Our troops ambushed the enemy units.
   

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What happened to Iverson's brigade was both war in action and an ambush. The two are not mutually exclusive.

 

[Gettysburg Greg]

Here is an artist's depiction of the moment the Union troops rose up and fired on the unsuspecting Rebels.

 

[Tom Elmore]

Iverson's line recoiled at the first volley, without doubt leaving a ragged line of dead and wounded, and fell back roughly 100 yards to a "ditch" or slight depression in the ground, where more men were lost before the Federals charged. I am skeptical about how the dead lay in a straight line as the result of the initial Federal volley, but imagine instead that they were aligned together in that way by a burial detail or comrades soon after the action. Very probably it was this identical line that Rodes reportedly afterwards saw at a distance and ordered into action, only to be informed that they were dead soldiers.

The 12th North Carolina on the right was protected in large measure by a slight rise (which I have explored), so escaped the wholesale destruction. When Robinson's division retired, the 12th and perhaps a few others from the brigade, joined by the 53rd North Carolina from Daniel's brigade, moved south through the woods on Oak Ridge. I surmise it was this group that emerged from the woods adjacent to the railroad cut through Seminary Ridge, at 4 p.m., and nearly captured an artillery piece from Stewart's Battery B, 4th U.S. that was momentarily disabled in the cut. It is proven that the 12th North Carolina reached there, because a Federal (I believe from the 88th Pennsylvania) reports that he was taken prisoner by men from that regiment in that vicinity.

Iverson's brigade did not move to Culp's Hill. It occupied Long Lane on July 2 and 3.

 

[Malingerer]

Here are my promised casualty figures curtesy of Busey and Martin. The worst hit was the 23rd NC 65 killed, 120 wounded, and 97 missing/captured for an 89% casualty rate. Next worst was the 20th NC 41 killed, 94 wounded, and 118 missing/captured a casualty rate of 68%. The 5th NC lost 64 killed, 125 wounded, and 100 missing/captured for a loss of 61%. This leaves us with the 12th NC which was on the far right of Iverson's line and subject to less intense fire partly because it was sheltered by a small knoll. This regiment suffered 12 killed, 60 wounded, and 7 missing/captured. It was this regiment that joined Daniel's Brigade in driving the federals off of McPherson's Ridge.

 

[historicus]

I am skeptical about how the dead lay in a straight line as the result of the initial Federal volley, but imagine instead that they were aligned together in that way by a burial detail or comrades soon after the action.

I agree because most soldiers that are KIA don't die instantly.

 

[AUG]

Here are my promised casualty figures curtesy of Busey and Martin. The worst hit was the 23rd NC 65 killed, 120 wounded, and 97 missing/captured for an 89% casualty rate. Next worst was the 20th NC 41 killed, 94 wounded, and 118 missing/captured a casualty rate of 68%. The 5th NC lost 64 killed, 125 wounded, and 100 missing/captured for a loss of 61%. This leaves us with the 12th NC which was on the far right of Iverson's line and subject to less intense fire partly because it was sheltered by a small knoll. This regiment suffered 12 killed, 60 wounded, and 7 missing/captured. It was this regiment that joined Daniel's Brigade in driving the federals off of McPherson's Ridge.

I've always wondered about the supposed 89% suffered by the 23rd NC. The 1st Texas's loss of 82.3% at Antietam is often said to be the highest regimental casualty rate of the war, though I have seen higher percentages claimed by a number of other regiments.

As for Iverson's Brigade (the Garland-Iverson-Johnston Brigade), even after its destruction at Gettysburg it did live on to serve throughout the rest of the war. They went on to see a lot of action in 1864. According to Lee's Army During the Overland Campaign: A Numerical Study by Alfred C. Young III, the brigade only had a strength of about 1,320 men at the start of the Overland Campaign, the smallest in Rodes' Division. It suffered heavy losses during the Overland Campaign as well, with a reported 739 casualties suffered at Spotsylvania.

 

[rpkennedy]

Iverson's line recoiled at the first volley, without doubt leaving a ragged line of dead and wounded, and fell back roughly 100 yards to a "ditch" or slight depression in the ground, where more men were lost before the Federals charged. I am skeptical about how the dead lay in a straight line as the result of the initial Federal volley, but imagine instead that they were aligned together in that way by a burial detail or comrades soon after the action. Very probably it was this identical line that Rodes reportedly afterwards saw at a distance and ordered into action, only to be informed that they were dead soldiers.

The 12th North Carolina on the right was protected in large measure by a slight rise (which I have explored), so escaped the wholesale destruction. When Robinson's division retired, the 12th and perhaps a few others from the brigade, joined by the 53rd North Carolina from Daniel's brigade, moved south through the woods on Oak Ridge. I surmise it was this group that emerged from the woods adjacent to the railroad cut through Seminary Ridge, at 4 p.m., and nearly captured an artillery piece from Stewart's Battery B, 4th U.S. that was momentarily disabled in the cut. It is proven that the 12th North Carolina reached there, because a Federal (I believe from the 88th Pennsylvania) reports that he was taken prisoner by men from that regiment in that vicinity.

Iverson's brigade did not move to Culp's Hill. It occupied Long Lane on July 2 and 3.

I misremembered O'Neal as Iverson. My mistake.

Ryan

 

[rpkennedy]

According to Iverson, Captain D.P. Halsey, Iverson's adjutant, led the remnants of the 5th, 20th, and 23rd North Carolinas forward in conjunction with the general advance of Daniel and Ramseur against the Union line in the woods north of the Pike. For the rest of the battle, Iverson attached his men to Ramseur's Brigade due to the lack of manpower and officer casualties.

Ryan

 

[Malingerer]

I've always wondered about the supposed 89% suffered by the 23rd NC. The 1st Texas's loss of 82.3% at Antietam is often said to be the highest regimental casualty rate of the war, though I have seen higher percentages claimed by a number of other regiments.

As for Iverson's Brigade (the Garland-Iverson-Johnston Brigade), even after its destruction at Gettysburg it did live on to serve throughout the rest of the war. They went on to see a lot of action in 1864. According to Lee's Army During the Overland Campaign: A Numerical Study by Alfred C. Young III, the brigade only had a strength of about 1,320 men at the start of the Overland Campaign, the smallest in Rodes' Division. It suffered heavy losses during the Overland Campaign as well, with a reported 739 casualties suffered at Spotsylvania.

I suppose it's some combination of recruiting, recovery, and exchanges. According to B&M, Iverson's Brigade went in with 1384 engaged strength and lost 903 a 65% loss. I checked on the other three brigades of the ANV that were badly mauled that day and Davis' Brigade suffered 53%; Archer's Brigade had 57% losses and Pettigrew's Brigade lost nearly 63% of its strength.

 

[Malingerer]

Additionally, it is worth mentioning that, with the exception of the 12th NC, every field grade officer of every regiment in the brigade was either killed, wounded, or captured in this so-called ambush leaving the individual battalions deficient in leadership.