27. Coco, A Strange and Blighted Land, 197–203; Conklin, Women at Gettysburg, 107. Sickles biographers W.A. Swanberg and Thomas Keneally accepted the hospital site as a “ghastly huddle of tents near Taneytown Road.” See Sickles the Incredible, 217 and American Scoundrel, 287–289.
28. 1882 Sickles interview, undated newspaper, J. Howard Wert Scrapbook, #34, Vol. 3, 4–5, ACHS; Coco, A Vast Sea of Misery, 80–81; New York at Gettysburg, 2: 579; Messent and Courtney, Civil War Letters of Joseph Hopkins Twichell, 248–249.
29. For a vast list of potential sites, see Coco, A Vast Sea of Misery, 80–81 and A Strange and Blighted Land, 199–200; “Interesting Note on Amputation of Sickles’ Leg,” Gettysburg Star and Sentinel, April 19, 1905, Gregory A. Coco Collection, Box B-36, GNMP; Wert, A Complete Hand-Book, 121.
30. “Affairs at Gettysburgh,” New York Times, July 18, 1863; The Medical and Surgical History of the Civil War, 2:143.
31. Andrews, The North Reports the Civil War, 422; New York Herald, July 6, 1863, copy in Box B-36, GNMP.
32. “Affairs at Gettysburgh,” New York Times, July 18, 1863.
33. Ibid.
34. Coco, A Vast Sea of Misery, 81; Tremain, Two Days of War, 92–93.
35. Tremain, Two Days of War, 90–91, 105; Busey and Martin, Regimental Strengths and Losses, 245–246, 262, 265. Although the Third Corps’ heavy casualties are usually blamed on Sickle’s poor positioning, his corps did not suffer the highest Union casualties during the battle. That honor belonged to John Reynolds’ First Corps which suffered 6,059 casualties for a 49.6% loss. See Busey and Martin, 270.
36. Ladd, The Bachelder Papers, 1:194; Haynes, A History of the Second Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry, 184; Craft, History of the 141st Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, 125.
37. New York at Gettysburg, 2:873–874.
38. De Trobriand, Four Years with the Army of the Potomac, 505–506; OR 27/1: 484–485.
39. De Trobriand, Four Years with the Army of the Potomac, 507.
40. Ladd, The Bachelder Papers, 2:775; Law, “The Struggle for ‘Round Top’, in Battles and Leaders, 3: 326. The story that Longstreet had been captured, or worse, was replayed in several Northern newspapers following the battle
41. Gibbon, “The Council of War on the Second Day,” in Battles and Leaders, 3: 313; OR 27/1: 73; Styple, Generals in Bronze, 66, 116.
42. Gibbon, “The Council of War on the Second Day,” in Battles and Leaders, 3: 313–314; OR 27/1:73.
43. Meade, Life and Letters, 2: 95–96; OR 27/1: 73–74; Gibbon, “The Council of War on the Second Day,” in Battles and Leaders, 3: 313–314; Doubleday, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, 184–185; Styple, Generals in Bronze, 66; George Meade to Margaret Meade, July 3, 1863, George Meade Collection, HSP. Hancock’s allegation that Meade did not like his Gettysburg position was related to sculptor James Kelly in 1880. As William Styple noted, “General Hancock had always been cited by Meade’s friends as a supporter of their claim, but his statements to Kelly suggest otherwise.” See Styple, 66–67. As will be noted later, the same can also be said of Hancock’s Committee on the Conduct of the War testimony.
44. Tremain, Two Days of War, 93, 103–105; Brown, History of the Third Regiment, Excelsior Brigade, 105; “Affairs at Gettysburgh,” New York Times, July 18, 1863; Detroit Free Press, July 10, 1863; Account of James Rusling, “Misc. Info—Gen. Daniel Sickles,” Box B-36, GNMP; “Sued by a Snap-Shot Man,” New York Times, July 4, 1893.
45. OR 27/2:308, 320, 359, 447; Longstreet, “Lee’s Right Wing at Gettysburg,” in Battles and Leaders, 3: 341–343.
46. OR 27/2: 434; Alexander, “Letter From General E. P. Alexander, March 17th 1877,” in SHSP, 4: 103–104; Harman, Cemetery Hill, 44, 107, 150–151; Hartwig, “Was Dan Sickles the Savior of the Union Left on July 2,” in North & South, 59; Georg, “The Sherfy Farm and the Battle of Gettysburg,” 26. Harman argued persuasively that not only did Sickles prevent Lee from enfilading Cemetery Hill on July 2, but his move also allowed Cemetery Hill artillery to concentrate on destroying Latimer’s Battalion on Benner’s Hill. See Harman, p 151.
47. Fremantle, Three Months in the Southern States, 262; Pennsylvania at Gettysburg, 2; 606–607, 612; Georg, “The Sherfy Farm and the Battle of Gettysburg,” 25.
48. Craft, History of the 141st Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, 125; Scott, History of the One Hundred and Fifth Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 83; Diary of Lewis Schaeffer, July 4, 1863 entry, West Virginia University Libraries; Byrne and Weaver, Haskell of Gettysburg, 140.
49. Craft, History of 141st PA, pg 125; Scott, History of the One Hundred and Fifth Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 83; Styple, Generals in Bronze, 77–78; Gottfried, Brigades of Gettysburg, 193; Diary of Lewis Schaeffer, July 4, 1863 entry, West Virginia University Libraries. Tippin, in his report, wrote only that in the evening “I was relieved of the command.” See OR 27/1: 499.
50. Butterfield,ABiographical Memorial, 116, 125–126; Dedication of the New York Auxiliary State Monument, 118; Hyde, The Union Generals Speak, 239, 258–259; Robert L. Brake Collection, Northern Commanders and Staff Officers Box 4, USAMHI. Washington Roebling’s hand-written note is in the margin of 126 of his personal copy of Butterfield’s Biographical Memorial, housed in the Special Collections of Gettysburg College.
51. OR 27/1: 654, 943; 27/2:360; “Letter From General E. P. Alexander, March 17th 1877,” in SHSP, 4:109; Longstreet, “Lee’s Right Wing at Gettysburg,” in Battles and Leaders, 3:347; Biddle, “General Meade at Gettysburg,” in The Annals of the War, 215; Coddington, The Gettysburg Campaign, 532–534; Wert, Gettysburg: Day Three, 253–254; Brown, Retreat From Gettysburg, 10.
52. OR 27/2: 309, 360–361, 370, 373, 376, 430, 448, 608–609; Longstreet, “Lee’s Right Wing at Gettysburg,” in Battles and Leaders, 3:349; Georg, “The Sherfy Farm and the Battle of Gettysburg,” 26–27; Brown, Retreat From Gettysburg, 73, 75, 93; George Meade to Margaret Meade, July 5, 1863, George Meade Collection, HSP.
Chapter 13: He has Redeemed his Reputation Fully
1. “The Great Battles,” The New York Times, July 4, 1863; “Latest News From the North,” Weekly Standard (Raleigh N.C.), July 15, 1863.
2. Tremain, Two Days of War, 99–100, 103–104; Rusling, Lincoln and Sickles; Swanberg, Sickles the Incredible, 221.
3. Rusling, Lincoln and Sickles, Daniel E. Sickles Papers, LOC. Pages are not numbered.
4. Ibid. Both Lincoln and Fry were deceased when Rusling reprinted the story.
5. Ibid.; Peatman, “General Sickles, President Lincoln, and the Aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg,” Gettysburg Magazine 28, 117.
6. Rusling, Lincoln and Sickles.
7. Quoted in Pfanz, Gettysburg: The Second Day, 437; Peatman, “General Sickles, President Lincoln, and the Aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg,” Gettysburg Magazine 28, 117.
8. Rusling, Lincoln and Sickles.
9. Pfanz, Gettysburg: The Second Day, 437; Peatman, “General Sickles, President Lincoln, and the Aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg,” Gettysburg Magazine 28, 117–120.
10. Peatman, “General Sickles, President Lincoln, and the Aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg,” Gettysburg Magazine 28, 120. Dr. Richard Sauers correctly wrote: “The extant references…do not mention exactly what Sickles told Lincoln or any of his other visitors about Meade.” See Sauers, Meade-Sickles Controversy, 49.
11. Peatman, “General Sickles, President Lincoln, and the Aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg,” Gettysburg Magazine 28, 122–123.
12. OR 27/3: 519, Basler, The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, 6:318; Peatman, “General Sickles, President Lincoln, and the Aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg,” Gettysburg Magazine 28, 121; Williams, Lincoln and His Generals, 265–266; Goodwin, Team of Rivals, 533–536.
13. Hyde, The Union Generals Speak, 259–260; Brown, Retreat from Gettysburg, 262; Coddington, Gettysburg Campaign, 540, 544, 812, (n. 56, n. 60); OR 27/3: 532–533; Peatman, “General Sickles, President Linc
oln, and the Aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg,” Gettysburg Magazine 28, 120.
14. Peatman, “General Sickles, President Lincoln, and the Aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg,” Gettysburg Magazine 28, 120–122.
15. OR 27/1:82–83; Meade, Life and Letters, 2:307.
16. OR 27/1:83–85, 88–89.
17. Ibid., 27/1: 193.
18. Humphreys, Andrew Atkinson Humphreys, 198–202; Butterfield, A Biographical Memorial, 125–126. Less than one year later, in the spring of 1864, Humphreys wrote, “I made a mistake in accepting this position of Chief of Staff and I am vexed at myself for doing it. I have not had a cheerful professional feeling since, except when the Army got into tight places. It has been almost unendurable to me at times.” Humphreys’ field ambitions were finally realized in 1864 when he received command of the Second Corps. See Humphreys, 218.
19. Coddington, The Gettysburg Campaign, 565–566; Allan, “Memoranda of Conversations with Lee,” in Lee the Soldier, 14; Trudeau, Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage, 549.
20. George Meade to Margaret Meade, July 12, 1863, George Meade Collection, HSP; OR 27/3: 669; Brown, Retreat from Gettysburg, 318–319, 326; Coddington, The Gettysburg Campaign, 567–568; Hyde, The Union Generals Speak, 175, 199–200, 234 .
21. OR 27/3: 675, 27/2: 323; Coddington, The Gettysburg Campaign, 567–570; Longstreet, “Lee in Pennsylvania,” in Lee the Soldier, 410; Hyde, The Union Generals Speak, 200.
22. OR 27/1: 93, 27/3: 675, 683–684; Coddington, The Gettysburg Campaign, 568–570; Brown, Retreat from Gettysburg, 353.
23. OR 27/1: 93–94; Meade, Life and Letters, 2:312, Cleaves, Meade of Gettysburg, 178, 184; Tremain, Two Days of War, 100–102; Williams, Lincoln and His Generals, 268; Trudeau, Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage, 549. Simon Cameron had visited Meade’s army and wired Lincoln on the 14th “that the decision of General Meade’s council of war on Saturday night, not to attack the rebels, would allow them to escape. His army is in fine spirits and eager for battle. They will win, if they get a chance.” Lincoln wanted, in reply, “much to be relieved of the impression that Meade, Couch, Smith, and all, since the battle of Gettysburg, have striven only to get Lee over the river, without another fight.” See OR 27/3: 700, 703.
24. OR 27/1:106–110; Hyde, The Union Generals Speak, 200–201; Coddington, The Gettysburg Campaign, 568–569.
25. OR 27/1: 106–110; Coughenour, “Assessing the Generalship of George G. Meade During the Gettysburg Campaign,” Gettysburg Magazine 28, 37; Biddle, “General Meade at Gettysburg,” in The Annals of the War, 216; Trudeau, Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage, 549; Hyde, The Union Generals Speak, 200–201. As an additional example, Peatman wrote: “Attacking Lee’s entrenched army was a move that a general like Dan Sickles might have advocated, and no doubt did advocate to Lincoln on July 5, but was not one that a trained soldier like George Meade would be so foolish as to undertake.” See Peatman, “General Sickles, President Lincoln, and the Aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg,” Gettysburg Magazine 28, 122–123. This rationale ignores the fact that Meade delayed his attack because he was essentially talked out of it, not because he believed it the correct course of action, and that “trained soldiers” Meade and Humphreys still intended to proceed with the plan after spending the 13th reconnoitering. The only accomplishment that we can ultimately be certain of is that the extra day bought Lee time to escape without another battle.
26. Peatman, “General Sickles, President Lincoln, and the Aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg,” Gettysburg Magazine 28, 122–123.
27. Tremain, Two Days of War, 100, 104; Basler, The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, 6:322.
28. Tremain, Two Days of War, 105–107.
29. New York Times, July 6, 1863.
30. “Affairs at Gettysburgh,” New York Times, July 18, 1863; War Brevities,” The Hornellsville Tribune, July 23, 1863. Even long-time detractor George Templeton Strong restrained himself from criticism in his diary, recording simply on July 4, “It would seem that General Daniel Sickles has lost a leg.” See Strong, Diary of the Civil War, 328.
31. Swanberg, Sickles the Incredible, 225; “The Health of Gen. Sickles,” New York Times, July 25, 1863.
32. “Board of Councilmen,” New York Times, July 29, 1863; “Movements of Maj. Gen. Sickles,” New York Times, August 12 and August 16, 1863; The Gettysburg Compiler, August 10, 1863; Strong, Diary of the Civil War, 350–351, 353.
33. Messent and Courtney, Civil War Letters of Joseph Hopkins Twichell, 257–258; “Movements of Maj. Gen. Sickles,” New York Times, August 12 and 16, 1863; Basler, The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, 6: 402.
34. Army Navy Journal, August 29, 1863.
35. “A Letter from Gen. Sickles,” New York Times, August 13, 1863.
36. Strong, Diary of the Civil War, 350–351; Swanberg, Sickles the Incredible, 225–226.
37. Charles Graham account, February 16, 1865, Participant Accounts File 5, GNMP; Dedication of the New York Auxiliary State Monument, 146–147; Swanberg, Sickles the Incredible, 230, 405 (n. 31); Warner, Generals in Blue, 179; Tagg, The Generals of Gettysburg, 69.
38. Swanberg, Sickles the Incredible, 231; Lash, “The Congressional Resolution of Thanks for the Federal Victory at Gettysburg,” Gettysburg Magazine 12, 90.
39. OR 27/1: 116.
40. Miller, Photographic History of the Civil War, 10:290; Davis, Life of David Bell Birney, 111–112; “The Third Army Corps Union,” New York Times, May 4, 1890; Dedication of the New York Auxiliary State Monument, 109.
41. Styple, Our Noble Blood, 130–132, 136.
42. “Another Battle on the Bull Run Battle Ground—Gen. Meade succeeded Gen. Sickles,” Burlington Weekly Hawkeye, October 17, 1863; Swanberg, Sickles the Incredible, 405 (n. 38).
43. Styple, Our Noble Blood, 140; De Trobriand, Four Years With the Army of the Potomac, 545–546; Messent and Courtney, Civil War Letters of Joseph Hopkins Twichell, 269–270.
44. Styple, Our Noble Blood, 140; De Trobriand, Four Years With the Army of the Potomac, 545–546.
45. CCW, 303.
46. George Meade to Margaret Meade, October 17, 1863, George Meade Collection, HSP; Swanberg, Sickles the Incredible, 232; De Trobriand, Four Years With the Army of the Potomac, 545.
47. CCW, 304.
48. De Trobriand, Four Years With the Army of the Potomac, 545; David Birney to George Gross, October 28, 1863, David B. Birney Papers, USAMHI.
49. CCW, 304.
50. Lash, “The Congressional Resolution of Thanks for the Federal Victory at Gettysburg,” Gettysburg Magazine 12, 91; Swanberg, Sickles the Incredible, 236; Desjardin, These Honored Dead, 66.
51. Quoted in Swanberg, Sickles the Incredible, 236; Desjardin, These Honored Dead, 66; Lash, “The Congressional Resolution of Thanks for the Federal Victory at Gettysburg,” Gettysburg Magazine 12, p 91.
52. Meade, Life and Letters, 2: 147, 150, 316; David Birney to George Gross, November 5, 1863, David B. Birney Papers, USAMHI; George Meade to Margaret Meade, October 21 and 23, 1863, George Meade Collection, HSP.
53. Lash, “The Congressional Resolution of Thanks for the Federal Victory at Gettysburg.” Gettysburg Magazine 12, p 92; CCW, 474; Biddle, George Gordon Meade: An Address, 8; “Rumored Removal of Gen. Meade, The Adams Sentinel, December 8, 1863.
54. OR 27/1: 16.
55. Ibid., 27/1: 16–17.
56. David Birney to George Gross, November 16, 1863, David B. Birney Papers, USAMHI.
57. Meade, Life and Letters, 2: 147, 159–160, 318–319; Styple, Our Noble Blood, 149–150; Lash, “The Congressional Resolution of Thanks for the Federal Victory at Gettysburg,” Gettysburg Magazine 12, p 92.
58. Quoted in Swanberg, Sickles the Incredible, 238; Desjardin, These Honored Dead, 67.
59. “Third Corps Reunion,” Undated newspaper clipping, GNMP Vertical File 4–10K; Byrne and Weaver, Haskell of Gettysburg, 188.
60. Meade, Life and Letters 2:164; Swanberg, Sickles the Incredible, 238; Desjardin, Thes
e Honored Dead, 67; Lash, “The Congressional Resolution of Thanks for the Federal Victory at Gettysburg,” Gettysburg Magazine 12, p 92.
Chapter 14: Subsequent Events Proved My Judgment Correct
1. Meade, Life and Letters,2: 161; Lash, “The Congressional Resolution of Thanks for the Federal Victory at Gettysburg,” Gettysburg Magazine12, 92. Butterfield had written to Wilson as his “friend” in December 1862 when Meade replaced him as commander of Fifth Corps. See Butterfield, A Biographical Memorial, 112.
2. OR27/1: 140.
3. Meade, Life and Letters,2: 161; Lash, “The Congressional Resolution of Thanks for the Federal Victory at Gettysburg,” Gettysburg Magazine12, 92, 94–95; Jordan, Winfield Scott Hancock, 105–107. On February 20, a letter signed “Truth” appeared in the Army and Navy Journal wondering “by what strange process or reasoning or distortion of facts is the name of Major General Howard placed in this resolution?” It stated, probably accurately, that Hancock was (after Meade) the most prominent Union general at Gettysburg. Howard wrote Hancock assuring him that he did not “want to enter into a newspaper controversy” and that Hancock also deserved the thanks of Congress. Hancock replied, “I do consider that an act of injustice was done by Congress, in singling out any corps commander at Gettysburg for his services there…” See Jordan, 105–106. Further proof that newspaper, ego, and battles for recognition within the Army of the Potomac were not limited to Dan Sickles.
4. Lash, “The Congressional Resolution of Thanks for the Federal Victory at Gettysburg,” Gettysburg Magazine12, 93–94.
5. “List of General Officers Without Commands,” New York Times,January 15, 1864; Swanberg, Sickles the Incredible, 243–244; Basler, The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, 7:160.
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