Where was Ricketts?

[Andy Cardinal]

I've been trying to piece together to my own satisfaction the fighting in the Cornfield. It reminds me of my attempt a few years ago to try to figure out the Wheatfield at Gettysburg.

I've been focusing in Ricketts's division specifically. The planned attack fell apart immediately when Hartstuff (who, by the way, the more I've read about, the more I admire him) was wounded and Christian suffered a breakdown. The result was that, instead of a coordinated attack, Duryee's brigade attacked alone. Whatever chance Rickett's division had of making a successful attack was nullified.

It makes sense to me that command confusion resulting from Hartsuff's wounding would delay his brigade. And it also makes sense to me why Christian's brigade was late into the fight. My question is, where was division commander Ricketts during all this? Did he do anything to try to sort out the confusion and delay?

I find a couple of references to Ricketts but little else about his activities:

1. He sent an aide to get Christian moving very early in the morning.

2. He spoke with Sumner when Sumner was trying to figure out what was going on before entering the West Woods.

3. McClellan specified that Meade would replace Hooker in command of the 1st Corps even though Ricketts outflanked him (by the way, Meade and Ricketts were apparently related through marriage).

4. He demanded Christian's resignation that night.

I also know he was incapacitated when his horse fell on him. I have no idea at what point during the battle and can find little reference to it. It may have incapacitated him, but (based on the above) it seems like he was present on the field for much of the day. However, it was quite awhile before he was fit enough to command in the field again.

If anyone has any knowledge or thoughts about Ricketts at Antietam, I would appreciate it.

 

[ErnieMac]

The following is an excerpt from Rickett's biography from Cullum's Register.
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer..._States/Army/USMA/Cullums_Register/1001*.html

"At Antietam, Ricketts, in command of his division, 3,158 strong, was again distinguished. The First Corps was now under General Hooker. In its bloody attack, in the early morning of September 17, on Jackson's Corps, both sides suffered terribly, and Ricketts lost a third of his division, — 1,051 killed and wounded. One of his classmates, General Lawton, was severely wounded in this conflict. 'Honors were easy.' Jackson's force fell back, their place being taken by Hood's; and Mansfield's Corps — the Twelfth — performed the same good office for Hooker's. Some of both Jackson's and Hooker's men, however, joined the fresh combatants; and when Sumner advanced over the same ground after Mansfield's fight — who was killed — he found General Ricketts and some three hundred of Hooker's men still there. Ricketts had two horses shot under him, and was badly injured by one of them falling on him, but remained with his troops, until in October his injuries compelled him to leave the field temporarily, and while still suffering from wounds."​

 

[Andy Cardinal]

The following is an excerpt from Rickett's biography from Cullum's Register.
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer..._States/Army/USMA/Cullums_Register/1001*.html

"At Antietam, Ricketts, in command of his division, 3,158 strong, was again distinguished. The First Corps was now under General Hooker. In its bloody attack, in the early morning of September 17, on Jackson's Corps, both sides suffered terribly, and Ricketts lost a third of his division, — 1,051 killed and wounded. One of his classmates, General Lawton, was severely wounded in this conflict. 'Honors were easy.' Jackson's force fell back, their place being taken by Hood's; and Mansfield's Corps — the Twelfth — performed the same good office for Hooker's. Some of both Jackson's and Hooker's men, however, joined the fresh combatants; and when Sumner advanced over the same ground after Mansfield's fight — who was killed — he found General Ricketts and some three hundred of Hooker's men still there. Ricketts had two horses shot under him, and was badly injured by one of them falling on him, but remained with his troops, until in October his injuries compelled him to leave the field temporarily, and while still suffering from wounds."​

This implies to me that Ricketts was injured after Sumner arrived on the field, which was well after his division's attack was repulsed.

 

[ErnieMac]

That is the way I read it. It also indicates IMO Ricketts remained on the battlefield despite his injuries.

 

[Andy Cardinal]

Yes, it seems like he remained on the field at least through the day and into the night, which was when he demanded Christian's resignation I believe.

 

[Wesley P Ellington]

*Edit: Nevermind this post. Lol.

 

[Wesley P Ellington]

I also know he was incapacitated when his horse fell on him. I have no idea at what point during the battle and can find little reference to it. It may have incapacitated him, but (based on the above) it seems like he was present on the field for much of the day.

This article says that he "refused to leave the field" even after his horse fell on him, so he was present throughout the whole day, incapacitated or not. My guess would be that his 1st horse was shot during the 1st confederate counterattack through the Cornfield, around 6:40 - 7:00, and his 2nd horse was shot and fell on him during the 2nd confederate counterattack (Hood's counterattack), around 7:00 - 7:30. But that's just a guess.

 

[Wesley P Ellington]

This implies to me that Ricketts was injured after Sumner arrived on the field, which was well after his division's attack was repulsed.

How does that imply that Ricketts was injured after Sumner arrived on the field?

 

[Andy Cardinal]

How does that imply that Ricketts was injured after Sumner arrived on the field?

Only because it comments on his horse falling on him after it mentions Sumner finding him with 200 men, which is not much to go on. So I really have no idea. But I'm curious about him because I can find no references to him in the accounts I've read, at least so far. Hartsuff was wounded and Christian left the field, so his division was in some disarray. When Hooker was wounded, Meade took command even though Ricketts was senior in rank on McClellan's order. Meade comments on having spoken to Ricketts about it,but this may have been after the Battle. I've read in general histories that he had a horses shot from under him, and was injured when the 2nd fell on him. I am curious as to where he was, what he was doing, and when he was wounded.

 

[LibertyAndUnion]

Another thing to keep in mind, regardless of when Ricketts was wounded, his two brigades in action after Duryee were spread across quite a bit of ground, with the East Woods in between the two wings. Perhaps Ricketts could've done more, of course, but the disjointed nature of his two brigades due to the command failure of Christian and the injury of to Hartsuff, when factoring in the East Woods as a barrier to rapid communication between the two, made division command difficult. There was a reference to Seymour leading elements of one of the brigades into action. Where Ricketts was at the time, who knows. Also, it couldn't be expected that a division commander would be so far forward in such a place as hot as the Cornfield.