I finally read "Killer Angels." I can see why it won awards and is so popular. But I did get annoyed every time some Confederate commanders complained about "why all these Yankees say the war is about slavery. It's not!" A more updated version would show the Confederates kidnapping African_Americans around the area to bring back to sell into slavery.
I finally read "Killer Angels." I can see why it won awards and is so popular. But I did get annoyed every time some Confederate commanders complained about "why all these Yankees say the war is about slavery. It's not!" A more updated version would show the Confederates kidnapping African_Americans around the area to bring back to sell into slavery.
It's a wonderful work of historical fiction. A more updated version of KA would also need to show units from the Army of the Potomac being ordered to New York City to help put down the draft riots.
No argument, but also: it's my understanding that Sec War Stanton stipulated that the four regiments from the AoP sent to NYC all had to have been raised in NEW YORK CITY.
That made sense, Copperheads would have been the first to claim it was an invasion force. (Plus, troops from NYC didn't need maps and all spoke the local dialects.)
It would also be fun to insert Ltc Arthur Fremantle into the production. The CW's most famous war tourist, he got a platinum ticket to see the PA Invasion. After catching a lift with Dorsey Pender he caught up with Lee just as Heth's division incited the battle. Incomprehensibly, he missed Pickett's Charge! But unable to resist the adventure, he talked his way into the Union and decided (like any tourist) to visit Manhattan.
Yep, Fremantle blundered into the Draft Riot! He wandered around completely unmolested, getting more entries for his war diary, which made him an international best-selling author.
During his 3 months in the Confederacy and NYC, he was a combination of 'Zelig' and Chauncey Gardiner (Peter Sellers in 'Being There'). All the rebel politicians and generals assumed he was there as an unofficial (wink, wink) representative of the British Government.
Just from what I read, in Lee's retreat, Cavalry general Kilpatrick was sent to raid one of the CSA wagon trains. I'm not certain which train it was. Two accounts overlap: one says Kilpatrick recaptured about 1000 POWs, the other account says 1300 mostly enslaved workers, free blacks (I am guessing these were freed persons captured by Lee's army), and a few wounded ANV troops were captured; no mention of Union captives there.
The CSA army's trains were spilt into three columns. Pickett's tattered division was assigned to guard the Union POWs at the end of the train passing through Monterrey Pass, 4 miles into South Mountain. Apparently behind Pickett, Grumble (he had that kind of personality) Jones' small brigade was the rear of the rear guard.
A tip given to Custer by a civilian indicated that the ANV wagon train had passed that way. Custer's Michigan division became the advance force against the ANV rear guard. Kilpatrick pressed forward to take advantage of this intel coup.
In the dark and rain it became impossible to know how large the opposing force was, or even if it was an opposing force. Custer's division charged into the rear of Jones' brigade; a mere eight troopers held them off for awhile. Seven other divisions under Kilpatrick then charged and the brigades got so intermixed the numerous Federals fired at each other several times. At one point, now according to the other version, Kilpatrick's divisions found Pickett and rescued 1000 Union POWs.
Lee's final report said 4000, not including the wounded POWs left on the field. Also, he noted 2000 paroled POWs, probably Milroy's defeated forces at Winchester captured either in Early's battle or rounded up in the drive towards the Susquehanna River. Lee's 4000 number was inexact and the two reports (three now counting Lee's) don't say anything about the 1000 lost POWs being counted in the 4000 or not.
And that's all I know, with a little knitting together of the two accounts.
I finally read "Killer Angels." I can see why it won awards and is so popular. But I did get annoyed every time some Confederate commanders complained about "why all these Yankees say the war is about slavery. It's not!" A more updated version would show the Confederates kidnapping African_Americans around the area to bring back to sell into slavery.
It's a wonderful work of historical fiction. A more updated version of KA would also need to show units from the Army of the Potomac being ordered to New York City to help put down the draft riots.
No argument, but also: it's my understanding that Sec War Stanton stipulated that the four regiments from the AoP sent to NYC all had to have been raised in NEW YORK CITY.
That made sense, Copperheads would have been the first to claim it was an invasion force. (Plus, troops from NYC didn't need maps and all spoke the local dialects.)
It would also be fun to insert Ltc Arthur Fremantle into the production. The CW's most famous war tourist, he got a platinum ticket to see the PA Invasion. After catching a lift with Dorsey Pender he caught up with Lee just as Heth's division incited the battle. Incomprehensibly, he missed Pickett's Charge! But unable to resist the adventure, he talked his way into the Union and decided (like any tourist) to visit Manhattan.
Yep, Fremantle blundered into the Draft Riot! He wandered around completely unmolested, getting more entries for his war diary, which made him an international best-selling author.
During his 3 months in the Confederacy and NYC, he was a combination of 'Zelig' and Chauncey Gardiner (Peter Sellers in 'Being There'). All the rebel politicians and generals assumed he was there as an unofficial (wink, wink) representative of the British Government.
Be great if it could refute the lies of Gangs of New York, but that would probably be too much to include.
Good point. That would add quite a lot to the context.
BTW, what happened to the Union POWs captured at Gettysburg? Were they herded south under guard as well?
Just from what I read, in Lee's retreat, Cavalry general Kilpatrick was sent to raid one of the CSA wagon trains. I'm not certain which train it was. Two accounts overlap: one says Kilpatrick recaptured about 1000 POWs, the other account says 1300 mostly enslaved workers, free blacks (I am guessing these were freed persons captured by Lee's army), and a few wounded ANV troops were captured; no mention of Union captives there.
The CSA army's trains were spilt into three columns. Pickett's tattered division was assigned to guard the Union POWs at the end of the train passing through Monterrey Pass, 4 miles into South Mountain. Apparently behind Pickett, Grumble (he had that kind of personality) Jones' small brigade was the rear of the rear guard.
A tip given to Custer by a civilian indicated that the ANV wagon train had passed that way. Custer's Michigan division became the advance force against the ANV rear guard. Kilpatrick pressed forward to take advantage of this intel coup.
In the dark and rain it became impossible to know how large the opposing force was, or even if it was an opposing force. Custer's division charged into the rear of Jones' brigade; a mere eight troopers held them off for awhile. Seven other divisions under Kilpatrick then charged and the brigades got so intermixed the numerous Federals fired at each other several times. At one point, now according to the other version, Kilpatrick's divisions found Pickett and rescued 1000 Union POWs.
Lee's final report said 4000, not including the wounded POWs left on the field. Also, he noted 2000 paroled POWs, probably Milroy's defeated forces at Winchester captured either in Early's battle or rounded up in the drive towards the Susquehanna River. Lee's 4000 number was inexact and the two reports (three now counting Lee's) don't say anything about the 1000 lost POWs being counted in the 4000 or not.
And that's all I know, with a little knitting together of the two accounts.