In his note number 26, Dr. Gottfried states that Homer Musselman's and my reference to the delay in the advance of Davis's Brigade “appears to be false”. The evidence for Davis's failure to advance on time comes from an address delivered by Louis G. Young, who was an officer on the staff of General Pettigrew (Davis's divisional commander). Young states:

“General Davis – who afterwards told me he had been indignant with General Pettigrew for cautioning him so frequently to conform promptly to the movement of Pettigrew's brigade on his right – mistook other troops for Pettigrew's and did not discover his mistake until the two right brigades had advanced some distance. When we emerged from the wood into the plain, the absence of the two left brigades was discovered, and General Pettigrew instructed me to go for them with all speed, but I had scarcely turned to do so, when out came Davis from the woods with a rush, but not Brockinborough's brigade, and I asked General Pettigrew if I should go for it. He replied no, that it might follow, and if it failed to do so it would not matter.”1

It seems odd that Dr. Gottfried should quote from the third sentence of this statement to back up his contentions, while suggesting Musselman and I are mistaken when we quote from the first two.

Colonel Sawyer of the 8th Ohio says he dispersed the extreme left of the Confederate line (Brockenbrough) with rifle fire and then outflanked the next unit in line (Davis) which was the one receiving the concentrated artillery fire [11]. If this is true (and Sawyer was there) then Dr. Gottfried's assumption that Brockenbrough's Brigade was the unit on the receiving end of the destructive artillery and flanking fire is a mistake. The casualty figures for Davis' and Brockenbrough's Brigades – very heavy and very light respectively – suggest he is mistaken.

Colonel Mayo did not state “the brigade did not number more than two hundred”. On the contrary, his official report, dated August 13th, 1863 states the brigade went into action with 800 muskets on July 1st and 500 muskets on July 3rd (about 880 and 550 officers and men respectively)2.

Notes

1   Address of Louis G. Young delivered before the Confederate Veterans' Association of Savannah, Ga. on April 3rd, 1900.

2   Report of Lt. Col. Sawyer of the 8th Ohio, dated July 5th, 1863. O.R. Series 1, Vol. 27, Part 1, pages 461-462.