tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635716295852047938.post1488417678242564319..comments2023-10-22T08:15:21.109-07:00Comments on Battlefield Wanderings: Historic Photos of Gettysburg by John S SalmonNickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08528725361910007225noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635716295852047938.post-16855237941689962112007-06-27T06:52:00.000-07:002007-06-27T06:52:00.000-07:00Harry,I was always under the impression that Howar...Harry,<BR/>I was always under the impression that Howard communicated little with the 1st Corps and never told them how to conduct the fight over there, when to retreat, etc. <BR/><BR/>I think Buford and Reynolds never left troops on Cemetery Hill because they didn't have the extra troops to leave behind. Part of the reason to fight so far west of town is to be able to fall back to the hill. Buford and Reynolds couldn't leave men on the hill so they fought far to the west so that they could fall back to it.<BR/><BR/>My point was just that Howard shouldn't get credit for picking the fall back site when two others also recognized its value. I think the caption should have included the info that Buford and Reynolds also saw the value, that they fought so that they could fall back to it and that Howard did put the first troops there. To claim that Howard directed the first day's fighting and selected the hill seemed too much of a generalization. He did do a lot, but he was not the only one and the caption made it sound like he was the main force.<BR/>--NickNickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08528725361910007225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635716295852047938.post-87987398529016825952007-06-26T19:40:00.000-07:002007-06-26T19:40:00.000-07:00I received this book for review as well and will b...I received this book for review as well and will be posting my thoughts tomorrow.<BR/><BR/>I think some folks are hard on Howard because he was an unfortunate and a probably not very good general, and also because he was a devout Christian. Some people, and I'm not saying you, really have a bug up their butt about religious people and automatically assume they are hypocrites.<BR/><BR/>Like how he did it or not, there is no doubt that Howard directed much of the action on the field from the time of his arrival until Hancock superceded him. He may not have done a great job, but it was he who directed the actions of First and Eleventh Corps. Also, he did in fact select Cemetery Hill as the fall back position for the army. Reynolds and Buford may have recognized the value of the position as well (it's value is as plain as the nose on your face), but there is absolutely no reliable evidence that they communicated anything about this to Howard. Howard was the only one to place troops there. Just because Howard received the thanks of Congress for selecting the position does not mean he did not do so.<BR/><BR/>But Howard will continue to be derided mostly because some people, and some people with considerable influence, continue to insist that he intentionally misrepresented the performance of Abner Doubleday. Again, there is no evidence to support this, and no evidence to support the notion that Meade removed Doubleday from command as a result of said misrepresentation. I've had debates with various Howard Haters over the years on this topic, and it always - always - comes down to what they believe, not what the evidence tells them. But this is one of those legends of Gettysburg that will never die.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com