Stiles/Akin
Sergeant Major
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2016
- Location
- Atlanta, Georgia
By Eb Joseph Daniels
"Never mind me, I am lost - keep this sword aloft so the men don't lose heart."
On this day in 1863 around 50,000 Confederates under the command of General Robert E. Lee attempted to dislodge around 60,000 Federals under the command of Major General George Meade during the second day of fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg.
The previous day, Federal troops under Brigadier General John Buford established an inspired defense line on the high ground south of the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Having successful repulsed several Confederate attacks, Buford ensured that Meade would be able to mount his defense on excellent ground.
Holding this ground, however, would require a determined defense. South of town, the high ground started at Cemetery Hill and continued south along Cemetery Ridge, terminating around two heights called Round Top and Little Round Top. Culp's Hill, to the east of Cemetery Hill, also provided a strong position above Rock Creek. To secure this valuable position, Meade arranged his forces like a fish hook, with the hook protecting Cemetery Hill and its environs.
The most famous actions of the day took place around the Devil's Den, Little Round Top,and The Wheatfield, but for my family the most important action was at Cemetery Ridge. It was there that my great-great-great-great uncle, Captain Charles R. Redding, was killed.
Charles was a bookkeeper from Macon, Georgia and was the commanding officer of Company C, "The Floyd Rifles," in the 2nd Georgia Independent Infantry Battalion. According to stories told by my great grandmother Ola Ray Redding Daniels, Charles was leading his men in a charge with his hat held up on the tip of his sword: officers would often do this in order to show the men that they were with them and willing to risk the horrors of the front line. As they advanced, Charles was suddenly struck by a Federal bullet and toppled to the ground.
A fellow officer ran to Charles' side, only to have Charles thrust his saber and hat to him, saying "Never mind me, I am lost - keep this sword aloft so the men don't lose heart." The officer did as he was told, leaving Charles to slowly expire as the Confederates continued their advance.
I do not know when in the fighting Charles was slain. His battalion was part of Brigadier General Ambrose R. Wright's "Georgia Brigade," along with the 4th, 22nd, and 48th Georgia infantry regiments. The brigade was part of Major General Richard H. Anderson's division, which was part of the Third Corps, commanded by Lt. General A.P. Hill.
Lee's plan to defeat Meade involved a coordinated attack at all points of the Federal "fish hook." The Third Corps, which constituted the Confederate center, was to attack the Federal center under Major General Winfield Scott Hancock and his Corps II on Cemetery Ridge. Their attack was to be coordinated to follow on the heels of the larger attack on the Federal left flank, which was being led by Lt. General James Longstreet around Round Top and Little Round Top.
Longstreet's attack was stopped, however, by the insurmountable defensive efforts of the Federal troops; Colonels Joshua L. Chamberlain and Vincent Strong and their men are most famously lionized for their efforts but the defense was of course a remarkable feat achieved by all of the men on the Federal left. Unable to delay the attack any longer, Anderson dispatched his own men to attack the Federal center.
Wright's brigade set out across a mile of open land, with the 2nd battalion deployed in front as skirmishers. Upon closing with the enemy lines, the men of the 2nd battalion were then to reform on the extreme left of the brigade and continue with the advance. Due to confusion and time constraints, however, many of the companies were separated and unable to reform with the rest of the battalion, and therefore fell in with the other regiments in the brigade.
Relative to the rest of the Federal position, Cemetery Ridge was lightly defended and Wright believed that he could charge the Emmitsburg turnpike and break the Federal center. The charge was sounded and the Confederates surged forward, smashing through the Federal lines and capturing several cannon; the fight was especially fierce around the Codori house, on the Confederate right.
By this time, Wright realized that he and his brigade were well in advance of the rest of the Confederate troops, and he was worried that he might be overwhelmed and surrounded without adequate support on his left and right. Nevertheless, he continued to advance against the Federal center on Cemetery Ridge and eventually managed to break through with an impetuous charge.
Wright later reported that he had successfully broken the center of the Federal lines and that Anderon's division could have cleaved the Federal troops in twain if the advance had continued, although some historians doubt that Wright actually penetrated as deeply he claimed. What was very clear, however, was that Wright was too far away from the rest of the Confederate lines; the other brigades had not been able to keep up with Wright and had either fallen behind or retreated. With Federal reinforcements pouring in, Wright was forced to retreat back down the hill. He insisted that if the Confederate charge had been more organized and the other brigades had been present to support him on his left and his right then they could have seized the heights.
But where was Charles during all of this? Assuming that Ola Ray was correct about the charge, Charles was probably killed either while attacking the Emmitsburg turnpike or while gaining Cemetery Ridge. In the letter sent home detailing his death, Redding's men reported that they had had no choice but to abandon his body on the field, so it seems likely that he fell somewhere on ground later retaken by the Federal troops. His saber, apparently, snapped while being wielded by the fellow officer who had taken it up and was discarded during the fighting.
When Ola Ray would tell the story, the saber broke at exactly the moment that Charles drew his last breath.
Image: The monument honoring Wright's Brigade on the Gettysburg battlefield.
"Never mind me, I am lost - keep this sword aloft so the men don't lose heart."
On this day in 1863 around 50,000 Confederates under the command of General Robert E. Lee attempted to dislodge around 60,000 Federals under the command of Major General George Meade during the second day of fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg.
The previous day, Federal troops under Brigadier General John Buford established an inspired defense line on the high ground south of the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Having successful repulsed several Confederate attacks, Buford ensured that Meade would be able to mount his defense on excellent ground.
Holding this ground, however, would require a determined defense. South of town, the high ground started at Cemetery Hill and continued south along Cemetery Ridge, terminating around two heights called Round Top and Little Round Top. Culp's Hill, to the east of Cemetery Hill, also provided a strong position above Rock Creek. To secure this valuable position, Meade arranged his forces like a fish hook, with the hook protecting Cemetery Hill and its environs.
The most famous actions of the day took place around the Devil's Den, Little Round Top,and The Wheatfield, but for my family the most important action was at Cemetery Ridge. It was there that my great-great-great-great uncle, Captain Charles R. Redding, was killed.
Charles was a bookkeeper from Macon, Georgia and was the commanding officer of Company C, "The Floyd Rifles," in the 2nd Georgia Independent Infantry Battalion. According to stories told by my great grandmother Ola Ray Redding Daniels, Charles was leading his men in a charge with his hat held up on the tip of his sword: officers would often do this in order to show the men that they were with them and willing to risk the horrors of the front line. As they advanced, Charles was suddenly struck by a Federal bullet and toppled to the ground.
A fellow officer ran to Charles' side, only to have Charles thrust his saber and hat to him, saying "Never mind me, I am lost - keep this sword aloft so the men don't lose heart." The officer did as he was told, leaving Charles to slowly expire as the Confederates continued their advance.
I do not know when in the fighting Charles was slain. His battalion was part of Brigadier General Ambrose R. Wright's "Georgia Brigade," along with the 4th, 22nd, and 48th Georgia infantry regiments. The brigade was part of Major General Richard H. Anderson's division, which was part of the Third Corps, commanded by Lt. General A.P. Hill.
Lee's plan to defeat Meade involved a coordinated attack at all points of the Federal "fish hook." The Third Corps, which constituted the Confederate center, was to attack the Federal center under Major General Winfield Scott Hancock and his Corps II on Cemetery Ridge. Their attack was to be coordinated to follow on the heels of the larger attack on the Federal left flank, which was being led by Lt. General James Longstreet around Round Top and Little Round Top.
Longstreet's attack was stopped, however, by the insurmountable defensive efforts of the Federal troops; Colonels Joshua L. Chamberlain and Vincent Strong and their men are most famously lionized for their efforts but the defense was of course a remarkable feat achieved by all of the men on the Federal left. Unable to delay the attack any longer, Anderson dispatched his own men to attack the Federal center.
Wright's brigade set out across a mile of open land, with the 2nd battalion deployed in front as skirmishers. Upon closing with the enemy lines, the men of the 2nd battalion were then to reform on the extreme left of the brigade and continue with the advance. Due to confusion and time constraints, however, many of the companies were separated and unable to reform with the rest of the battalion, and therefore fell in with the other regiments in the brigade.
Relative to the rest of the Federal position, Cemetery Ridge was lightly defended and Wright believed that he could charge the Emmitsburg turnpike and break the Federal center. The charge was sounded and the Confederates surged forward, smashing through the Federal lines and capturing several cannon; the fight was especially fierce around the Codori house, on the Confederate right.
By this time, Wright realized that he and his brigade were well in advance of the rest of the Confederate troops, and he was worried that he might be overwhelmed and surrounded without adequate support on his left and right. Nevertheless, he continued to advance against the Federal center on Cemetery Ridge and eventually managed to break through with an impetuous charge.
Wright later reported that he had successfully broken the center of the Federal lines and that Anderon's division could have cleaved the Federal troops in twain if the advance had continued, although some historians doubt that Wright actually penetrated as deeply he claimed. What was very clear, however, was that Wright was too far away from the rest of the Confederate lines; the other brigades had not been able to keep up with Wright and had either fallen behind or retreated. With Federal reinforcements pouring in, Wright was forced to retreat back down the hill. He insisted that if the Confederate charge had been more organized and the other brigades had been present to support him on his left and his right then they could have seized the heights.
But where was Charles during all of this? Assuming that Ola Ray was correct about the charge, Charles was probably killed either while attacking the Emmitsburg turnpike or while gaining Cemetery Ridge. In the letter sent home detailing his death, Redding's men reported that they had had no choice but to abandon his body on the field, so it seems likely that he fell somewhere on ground later retaken by the Federal troops. His saber, apparently, snapped while being wielded by the fellow officer who had taken it up and was discarded during the fighting.
When Ola Ray would tell the story, the saber broke at exactly the moment that Charles drew his last breath.
Image: The monument honoring Wright's Brigade on the Gettysburg battlefield.
Bringing the