Friday, August 3, 2007

The Gap - part 5

Also that morning Thomas ordered Brigadier General John Brannan's division to the left. Brannan decided not to obey the order and showed it to Reynolds, a senior officer. Reynolds told him not to obey it and Brannan said "I am not going [to], but who will take the responsibility if there should be a hereafter to this apparent disobedience of orders, for that is what it amounts to?" Reynolds replied "Of course, I will take the responsibility. You send word to Thomas what the state of affairs is here and we need have no anxiety as to any 'hereafter' to your not moving now." Brannan did send Colonel Ferdinand Van Derveer's brigade to Thomas and its a good thing that he did as Van Derveer was of great help to Thomas. Brannan and Reynolds had not been the victim of a recent Rosecrans tirade and that may be why they were willing to disobey an order.

Monday starts the discussion of Dyer Ridge, the counter factual you've all been waiting for.

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