What If: Wilcox vs Humphreys

[Hoplite]

Cadmus Wilcox's brigade had been detached to guard the extreme Southern right flank the night of July1, to picket the Fairfield Road and along Marsh Creek, in the area of the Black Horse Tavern.
Humphrey's division- two brigades of it with artillery, were marching to gain the Emmitsburg Road via the Fairfield Road. Luckily Humphreys had good scouts and intel and realized there were Southern troops and pickets barring his passage, so he reversed course and used the Millerstown Road to gain the Emmitsburg Road.
As Shultz and Mingus state in their Second Day at Gettysburg tome: 'It is hard to fathom how 2,145 infantry in two brigades, a battery of limbered Napoleons, caissons, hundreds of horses and supporting wagons could move so close to an armed picket line and not once be observed'

So they passed unnoticed by Wilcox who had been ordered to pay attention to such things.

Now Wilcox had about 1700 men to start the day, no idea what real strength was that nite.

What if Wilcox had discovered Humphrey and an engagement ensued? Who would have won, and more importantly would this engagement have impacted the events of the 2nd? Lee would surely have known about Union troops down there- would this have changed his plans for Longstreet's attack on the 'open' Yankee flank?

 

[121st PA Vols]

Cadmus Wilcox's brigade had been detached to guard the extreme Southern right flank the night of July1, to picket the Fairfield Road and along Marsh Creek, in the area of the Black Horse Tavern.
Humphrey's division- two brigades of it with artillery, were marching to gain the Emmitsburg Road via the Fairfield Road. Luckily Humphreys had good scouts and intel and realized there were Southern troops and pickets barring his passage, so he reversed course and used the Millerstown Road to gain the Emmitsburg Road.
As Shultz and Mingus state in their Second Day at Gettysburg tome: 'It is hard to fathom how 2,145 infantry in two brigades, a battery of limbered Napoleons, caissons, hundreds of horses and supporting wagons could move so close to an armed picket line and not once be observed'

So they passed unnoticed by Wilcox who had been ordered to pay attention to such things.

Now Wilcox had about 1700 men to start the day, no idea what real strength was that nite.

What if Wilcox had discovered Humphrey and an engagement ensued? Who would have won, and more importantly would this engagement have impacted the events of the 2nd? Lee would surely have known about Union troops down there- would this have changed his plans for Longstreet's attack on the 'open' Yankee flank?

Humphries Division –Wilcox brigade.
Hoplite, about acoustics: The area south of Blackhorse Tavern where Humphries nearly stumbled upon Wilcox is crossed with watercourses including Marsh and Lower Marsh Creek, Willoughby Run and a number of un-named tributaries that have cut through the area over time creating deep valleys and ravines, and consequently a number of significant hills. By significant, I mean you can see BRT and LRT from there as Longstreet later learned. Add in thick woodlots to the hills, dips and swales to understand the sound barrier they must have created.
Not too good at speculating about potential turning into an actual fight had they bumped heads near the tavern. Will say Humphries would likely have been in big trouble if he didn't quickly extricate himself from such isolation despite initial numbers advantage.

Related to this, Wilcox would run into 3rd​ corps elements (Birney's Division) later that day when Sickles reconnoitered the area of Pitzer Woods on Seminary Ridge with the 3rd​ Maine and a few companies of the 1st​ US Sharpshooters, getting into a pretty serious fight. This is the area where southern Seminary ridge is clearly divided from the main ridge, bisected by Pitzer Run at the Florida Monument in Barksdale's area.

 

[EHParks]

Cadmus Wilcox's brigade had been detached to guard the extreme Southern right flank the night of July1, to picket the Fairfield Road and along Marsh Creek, in the area of the Black Horse Tavern.
Humphrey's division- two brigades of it with artillery, were marching to gain the Emmitsburg Road via the Fairfield Road. Luckily Humphreys had good scouts and intel and realized there were Southern troops and pickets barring his passage, so he reversed course and used the Millerstown Road to gain the Emmitsburg Road.
As Shultz and Mingus state in their Second Day at Gettysburg tome: 'It is hard to fathom how 2,145 infantry in two brigades, a battery of limbered Napoleons, caissons, hundreds of horses and supporting wagons could move so close to an armed picket line and not once be observed'

So they passed unnoticed by Wilcox who had been ordered to pay attention to such things.

Now Wilcox had about 1700 men to start the day, no idea what real strength was that nite.

What if Wilcox had discovered Humphrey and an engagement ensued? Who would have won, and more importantly would this engagement have impacted the events of the 2nd? Lee would surely have known about Union troops down there- would this have changed his plans for Longstreet's attack on the 'open' Yankee flank?

Reading past threads and puzzling over some of the same ground so to speak. Humphreys will report crossing over the Fairfield road and then briefly stopping on the tavern grounds where he is told by the family that Confederate pickets are some two hundred yards to the rear of the farm (presumably the position just above the Butt's farm lane at the juncture of Herr's Ridge Road) with the bulk of Wilcox's men behind them. Additional skirmishers are deployed in the Willoughby Run valley perhaps in acoustic shadows where an errant bugle call might be missed.

A later account by another Bream family member states that shortly after Humphrey's left Confederate troops did show up at the tavern proper, no doubt having heard there was a tavern. What puzzles me, is why did the Confederate right flank along Marsh creek just end before the junction of the Fairfield Road/Black Horse Tavern road? Bream's Hill and the crossing of Marsh creek there on the Hagerstown/Fairfield road (along with the Knoxlyn road upstream crossing).

In my non-military opinion, to secure the Fairfield road should have been a given on the afternoon of July 1st. My recollection may be off, but at some point I believe General Longstreet personally orders the bridge there secured when he finds it isn't. At that late hour though, even if that position is held (picketed farther out) and Humphrey discovered how much of an engagement either side could have waged even had they wanted to.

 

[pmuskett]

A little late to this. The Confederates on the 1st, do seem to have tunnel vision in not protecting their right. Everything seems to be focused on the issue in front of them. And not on their right rear.

It is not until R. H. Anderson's division arrives around 4 p.m. on 1 July that Wilcox's brigade is ordered to protect the right. Here is what Anderson said in his report.

"I was directed to occupy the position in line of battle which had just been vacated by Pender's division, and to place one brigade and a battery of artillery a mile or more on the right of the line, in a direction at a right angle with it and facing to the right. Wilcox's brigade and Captain [H. M.] Ross' battery, of Lane's battalion, were posted in the detached position, while the other brigades occupied the ground from which Pender's division had just been moved."

Fry's brigade, after Archer is captured, is ordered to the right of Heth's division. In the advance on the afternooon of the first, here is what Shepard had to say.

Report of Lieut. Col. S. G. Shepard, Seventh Tennessee Infantry,of operations of Archer's brigade.
"Archer's brigade advanced at the same time upon the extreme right of the line. While advancing, the enemy threw a body of cavalry around upon our right flank. Seeing this, Colonel Fry changed the direction of his front so as to protect our flank. The cavalry did not advance upon us, but hung around during the entire engagement of the evening of July 1."

Also, the high ground around the crossing was an effective defensive position to cover the crossing and road intersection. This view is looking west toward Fairfield. This type of high ground runs to the left and the right of this picture for a pretty good distance. So you don't really need anyone down at the intersection. But you do need someone on the hills, and that doesn't seem to be until much later in the day.

The Longstreet quote may have been on July 2 when they are moving south along those roads.

I hope this helps.
Phil

 

[Gettysburg Bullet]

Are there any MAPs out there the show, the Route Humphreys' Div took to Gettysburg? Was Bullfrog road part of this route?

 

[pmuskett]

I haven't come across any maps that show an exact route on how he got to Black Horse Tavern. I thought there was a thread on here where that was discussed, but I think what I was reading was in Shultz's and Mingus's Second day book. They have a map on page 100 of that book that doesn't show Bull Frog Road on it. Map isn't large enough to show the road.