1.For an interesting exploration of the merits and weaknesses of
this theory, the author recommends Alan T. Nolan's essay, "R.E.
Lee and July 1 at Gettysburg," in Gary W. Gallagher, ed., The
First Day at Gettysburg: Essays on Confederate and Union
Leadership (Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 1992).
Nolan does a good job of explaining the reasons why the Battle
of Gettysburg was inevitable, and why the town of Gettysburg
was the inevitable site for the battle.
2. Marcus Bainbridge Buford, History and Genealogy of the Buford Family in America (LaBelle, Missouri, 1903), P. 307.
Ironically, Simeon Buford served under the command of Robert
E. Lee's father, Light Horse Harry Lee. "Oration of Maj. Gen.
James H. Wilson", July 1. 1895, at dedication of Buford monument at Gettysburg," Journal of the United States Cavalry
Association, vol. 8, no. 30 (September 1895):174. (Hereafter
cited as Wilson oration.)
3. George W. Cullum, Biographical Register of the Officers and
Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy, 2 vols. (New York: D.
Van Nostrand. 1868), 1:310 - 11. Buford, Genealogy of the Buford Family, p. 311.
4. Cullum, Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy,
2:37; Buford, Genealogy of the Buford Family, pp. 329-31.
5. U.S. Census, Rock Island County, Illinois, p. 254.
6. Election Papers, Illinois State Archives.
7. Thomas Ford letter of recommendation to Representative J. C.
Spencer, February 16, 1843, from the cadet records, United
States Military Academy.
8. Napoleon B. Buford to Representative J. C. Spencer. January 14,
1863, from the cadet records, United States Military Academy.
9. Catalogue of the Corporation, Officers, and Students of Knox
Manual Labor College, July 1842 (Peoria, Iowa: William E.
Butler & Co. Printers, 1843). P. 6.
10. Napoleon B. Buford to J. C. Spencer, January 14. 1863.
11. John Buford, Jr. to W. Wilkins, Secretary of War. April 20, 1844,
Microfilm M1064, Letters received by the Commissions Branch
of the Adjutant General's Office, 1863-1870, roll 9, file no.
B 1115 CB 1863, National Archives.
12. Wilson oration, p. 174.
13. Buford. Genealogy of the Buford Family, p. 212.
14. Cullum, Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy,
2:215; Brian C. Pohanka, "Unsurpassed in Dash": Keogh in the
American Civil War," in John P. Langellier, Hamilton Cox and
Brian C. Pohanka, eds., Myles Keogh: The Life and Legend of an"Irish Dragoon" in the Seventh Cavalry. Montana and the West Series, vol. 9 (El Segundo, California: Upton & Sons, 1991), p.
70.
15. Frank Moore, ed., The Civil War in Song and Story (New York: P. F. Collier, 1889), p. 254, quoted in Pohanka, "Keogh in the
American Civil War," p. 70.
16. See Buford's service record from the National Archives. It is
interesting to note that the first entries in the service record are
from May 1862, leading to the conclusion that Buford did little
of note during the opening phases of the war.
17. Maj. Gen. John Pope, 'The Second Battle of Bull Run," in
Robert U. Johnson and C. C. Buel. eds., Battles and Leaders of
the Civil War, 4 vols. (New York, 1884-88). 2:491.
18. Buford's service record.
19. Much of the discussion of Buford's role in the Second Manassas
Campaign goes well beyond the scope of this article and will not
be addressed here. If the reader desires more information on
Buford's role at Second Manassas, the author recommends John
J. Hennessy's Return to Bull Run (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992), particularly pp. 430-34.
20. Hennessy, Return to Bull Run, pp. 233-34.
21. Myles Keogh, 'Etat de Service of Major Gen. Jno. Buford from
his promotion to Brig. Gen'l. to his death,' United States Military Academy, manuscript collection, Cullum, Officers and
Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy, 2:354.
22. Cullum, Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy ,
2:354.
23. See Buford's service record for references to his various commands and postings with the Army of the Potomac. The service
record indicates his two brief stints as cavalry chief for the Army
of the Potomac, but this service was limited by the promotion of
Stoneman to command of the Army of Potomac's Cavalry
Corps, as well as by the nature of the Fredericksburg Campaign
and the fact that the Army of the Potomac went into its winter
quarters shortly after completion of the campaign.
24. Ibid.
25. Pohanka, 'Keogh in the American Civil War," P. 70; Allan
Nevins. ed.. A Diary of Battle, The Personal Journals of Colonel
Charles S. Wainwright, 1861-1865 (New York: Harcourt, Brace
& World, 1962), P. 258.
26. Stephen Z. Starr, The Union Cavalry in the Civil War , 2 vols.
(Baton Rouge: Louisiana state University Press, 1985). 1:77.
27. Edward G. Longacre, The Cavalry at Gettysburg (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1986), P. 51.
28. Ibid. Some of the commendations sent Buford's way include
'General Buford . . . many of us claim, was the best cavalry
officer ever produced on this continent.' Another called him the
" model commander." See James A. Bell to Gusta Ann Halluck.
July 11, 1863, Bell Papers, Huntington Library, San Marino,
California, and Theodore Lyman, Meade's Headquarters 1863-
1865: Letters of Colonel Theodore Lyman from the Wilderness
to Appomatox , ed. George R. Agasziz (Boston, 1922; reprint.
Salem, New Hampshire: Ayer Co. Publishers. Inc., 1997). P.21.
29. Buford, Genealogy of the Buford Family , P. 313.
30. The units of Gamble's brigade have some of the most interesting
regimental histories of the Civil War. The 8th Illinois, for example, produced four general officers of cavalry and fired the
first shots of three major engagements of the Eastern Theatre of
the Civil War: the Seven Days, Gettysburg. and Monocacy. See
Abner Hard, History of the Eighth Cavalry Regiment, Illinois
Volunteers (Aurora, 1868; reprint, Dayton Ohio: Morningside,
1984). The remaining companies of the 3rd Indiana saw distinguished service in most of the major engagements of the western
theater. See W. N. Pickrell, History of the Third Indiana Cavalry
(Indianapolis: Aetna Printing Co., 1906). The 8th New York was
the regiment that led the Union cavalry's daring escape from
Harpers Ferry just before the town was captured by Maj. Gen. T.
J. "Stonewall" Jackson during the 1862 Maryland Campaign.
See Henry Nonon, Deeds of Daring: or History of the Eighth
New York Volunteer Cavalry (Norwich, New York: Chenango
Telegraph Printing House, 1889), and Henry Norton. A Sketch of the Eighth New York Cavalry (Norwich. New York: Chenango Telegraph Printing House, 1888).
31. Hard, Eighth Cavalry Regiment, p. v. Gamble rose to division
command, a remarkable feat for a man who started the war as a
drill sergeant. As pointed out, Gamble was one of four officers
of the 8th Illinois to achieve the rank of general. Talent ran deep
in this regiment.
32. Order no. 14, November 11, 1861, in 8th Illinois Order and Log
Books, RG94, National Archives.
33. Longacre, The Cavalry at Gettysburg , P. 5 1. For further reading on the cavalry's role at Chancellorsville. see Ernest B. Furgurson,
Chancellorsville 1863: The Souls of the Brave (New York:
Alfred A. Knopf, 1992).
34. Henry P. Moyer, History of the 17th Regiment Pennsylvania
Volunteer Cavalry (Lebanon, Pennsylvania, 1911), p. 25.
35. Merritt was promoted to brigadier general during the Gettysburg
Campaign as a result of his performances at Brandy Station and
Upperville. The specifics of his role on these two fights will be
addressed later in this article. At the outset of the campaign, the
Reserve Brigade was commanded by a Maj. Charles J. Whiling,
who was relieved of command by Maj. Samuci Starr, who in turn
was replaced when Merritt was promoted.
36. Samuel L. Gracey, Annals of the Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry (Philadelphia, 1868), pp. 34-35.
37. Ibid. The lancers certainly did not miss their cumbersome lances.
One wrote, 'the officers like it, but the men do not, and the
officers wouldn't if they had to use [it]." T. F. Thiele, 'The Evolution of Cavalry in the American Civil War. 1861-63 (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Michigan, 1951). Major Morris, another of the many blue bloods affiliated with the 6th Pennsylvania, was the grandson of Robert Morris, the financier of the American Revolution.
38. Edwin B. Coddington, The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in
Command (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1968; reprint,
Dayton, Ohio: Morningside, 1979). p. 49.
39. Clark B. Hall, "The Battle of Brandy Station", Civil War Times Illustrated , vol. 29, no. 2 (May/June 1990):33.
40. Ibid.
41. Ibid., p. 54.
42. All of Hood's division attended one of Stuart's Grand Reviews.
Instead of bringing a few select officers as he had been invited
to do, Hood brought his division to watch the merriment. See
Fairfax Downey, Clash of Cavalry: The Battle of Brandy Station
(New York: David McKay Co.. 1959). p. 82.
43. Heros von Borke and Justus Scibert, The Great Cavalry Battle of
Brandy Station , trans. Stuart T. Wright and F. D. Bridgewater
(1893: reprint, Gaithersburg, Maryland: Olde Soldier Books,
Inc.. 1976). p. 35.
44. Downey, Clash of Cavalry , pp. 165-66. It was well-known that Jones and Stuart did not like each other. Jones felt he had been
unfairly passed over for high command by Stuart. it was also
well-known that Jones was an irascible sort and that the nickname 'Grumble" suited his personality well.
45. Coddington, The Gettysburg Campaign , p. 63.
46. See Norton, Deeds of Daring . pp. 30-33. Davis earned the undying respect of his command as a result of this feat, and they remained extremely loyal to him throughout the remainder of Davis' tenure with the Army of the Potomac.
47. Coddington, The Gettysburg Campaign , p. 56; Downey, Clash of Cavalry , p. 92.
48. Norton, Deeds of Daring , p. 65. According to Norton's regimental history, the surprise in the Confederate camps was complete, and mass confusion resulted from the Rebels being caught unaware.
49. Maj. James F. Hart, in the Philadelphia Weekly Times , June 26,
1880, quoted in H. B. McClellan. The Life and Campaigns of
Major-General J.E.B. Stuart (Boston: Houghton. Miflin and
Company, 1885; reprint, Secaucus, New Jersey: Blue & Grey
Press, 1993), P. 266.
50. Ibid. See also Longacre, The Gettysburg Campaign , p. 67.
51. Longacre, The Cavalry at Gettysburg , p. 67.
52. United States War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A
Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies . 70 vols. in 128 parts (Washington D.C.: Government
Printing Office, 1880-1901). series 1. vol. 27, pt. 2. P. 748.
(Hereafter cited as OR. All subsequent references are from
series 1 unless otherwise noted.)
53. Ibid. , pp. 772-73.
54. OR , vol. 27, pt. 3, p. 902.
55. OR , vol. 27, pt. 2, p. 749.
56. Ibid. , pp. 772-73. See also Longacre, The Cavalry at Gettysburg , p. 69.
57. Longacre, The Cavalry at Gettysburg , p. 69. Col. A. W. Harmon, commander of the 12th Virginia, whose command played a
major role in the fighting, wrote only the most cursory of
reports. Without giving any details of the fight and without
going into detail as to his level of casualties. Harmon merely
stated that '[m]y loss in both officers and men was quite severe." See OR , vol. 27, pt. 2, p. 766.
58. OR , vol. 27, pt. 2. P. 769.
59. Ibid .,
60. Von Borcke. Battle of Brandy Station . p. 88.
61. Longacre, The Cavalry at Gettysburg , p. 71.
62. McClellan, Life and Campaigns of J.E.B. Stuart , P. 267.
63. Ibid.
64. Richard L. T. Beale. History of the Ninth Virginia Cavalry in the
War Between the States (Richmond, Virginia: B. F. Johnion
Publishing, 1899), p. 85.
65. Downey, Clash of Cavalry , P. 103.
66. John N. Opic, A Rebel Cavalryman with Lee. Stuart, and Jackson (Chicago, 1899: reprint, Dayton, Ohio: Morningside, 1972),
P. 157-
67. J. I. Lambert. One Hundred Years, with the Second Cavalry
(Topeka, Kansas, 1939), p. 70.
68. Longacre, The Cavalry at Gettysburg, p. 73. Major Morris,
captured during the charge, would die of malnutrition while a
prisoner at Richmond's Libby Prison.
69. Pohanka, "Keogh in the American Civil War," P. 75; Buford's
report on the Battle of Brandy Station, June 13, 1863, General
Joseph Hooker Papers. Huntington Library, San Marino. California.
70. OR, vol. 27, pt. 1, P. 903.
71. Ibid.
72. Books have been written about Brandy Station, such as the
Fairfax Downey book cited herein. The fighting on the southern
front of the battle was fierce, and is interesting. However much
of its description ranges far afield of the scope of this article. As
such, it will only be dealt with in the most cursory of fashions.
For those interested in further reading on Gregg's fight, refer to
Downey's, Clash of Cavalry. which gives a detailed description of Gregg's fight.
73. McClellan, Life and Campaigns of J.E.B. Stuart. p. 282.
74. Longacre, The Cavalry at Gettysburg, p. 84.
75. Ibid.
76. Ibid. Rooney Lee also was wounded at Brandy Station, probably at Merritt's hands. His saber wound eventually landed him in a
Union prison camp, as he was captured during his recovery from
the wound suffered at Brandy Station.
77. Roben J. Driver, Jr., Tenth Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Virginia: H. E. Howard, Inc., 1992), p. 37.
78. Von Borke, Battle of Brandy Station. p. 98.
79. OR. vol. 27, pt. 1. pp. 903-4. Coddington. however, points out that Pleasonton's report is inaccurate. None of the captured
documents were orders for the invasion of Maryland. See Coddington, The Gettysburg Campaign, pp. 62-63. see also Hall.
"The Battle of Brandy Station." p. 45.
80. OR, vol. 27, pt. 1, p. 905.
81. McClellan, Life and Campaigns of J.E.B. Stuart, p. 295.
82. William W. Blackford, War Years with Jeb Stuart (New York,
1945), p. 215.
83. Charles Francis Adams, A Cycle of Adams Letters 1861-1865,
ed., Worthington C. Ford, 2 vols. (Boston: Houghton-Mifflin,
1920). 2:32. Despite this sentiment. which was not uncommon
among the members of the Cavalry Corps, the army's commander, General Hooker, did not agree. Nine days after the
battle, Hooker recommended Pleasonton be promoted to major
general. and he be appointed to permanent command of the
Cavalry Corps. OR, vol. 27, pt. 1, p. 56.
84. One of the great debates that has arisen is whether Buford's men were armed primarily with the Sharps or the Spencer carbine.
Legend has it that they were primarily armed with the seven-shot
Spencers. Historical evidence indicates that none of Buford'&
men was armed with Spencers. Neither the Ordnance Returns of
the Army of the Potomac nor the official reports of Buford or his
brigade commanders support this contention. As such. the author agrees with the conclusions drawn by William G. Adams,
Jr., that none of Buford's men were armed with Spencer repeating carbines during the Gcttysburg Campaign. See for a more
detailed analysis, William G. Adams, Jr., "Spencers at Gettysburg: Fact or Fiction",Military Affairs,vol.29.no. l,pp.41-43.
The evidence indicates that only two regiments of Custer's
brigade of Kilpatrick's division, the 5th and 6th Michigan. were
issued Spencer repeating rifles by the time of the Battle of
Gettysburg. The myth that Buford's men were armed with Spencers is without foundation.
85. OR, vol. 27, pt. 1, pp. 906-8. This figure is understated by at least half. The 1st Massachusetts Cavalry, for example, was so depleted by its heavy losses at Aldie that it was no longer an
effective fighting force. One company of the 1st Massachusetts
suffered more than 50 percent casualties at Aldie.
86. As the fights at Middleburg and Aldie did not directly involve
either Buford or his command, they will not be addressed here in
detail. For those interested in a more detailed description,
Longacre devotes in entire chapter to Aldie and Middleburg,
while W. S. Nye, in his masterful Here Come the Rebels, has a
chapter each focusing on the fights at Aldie and Middleburg.
87. OR, vol. 27, pt. 1, pp. 908-9.
88. Ibid., p. 909.
8 9. Ibid.
The Cavalry at Gettysburg
91. OR, vol. 27, pt. 2. p. 759; Richard L. Armstrong, Seventh Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Virginia: H. E. Howard, Inc., 1992),
P. 55.
92. OR, vol. 27, pt. 1. pp. 920-21.
93. OR, vol. 27, pt. 2. p. 751.
94. Diary of Edward F. Reid, 3rd Indiana, June 21. 1863, Illinois
State Library.
95. See Gamble's official report, OR. vol. 27, pt. 1, pp. 932-33 and Buford's official report; Ibid., p. 920.
96. Ibid., p. 921.
97. Ibid.
98. Ibid., p. 913.
99. William F. Blackford War Years with Jeb Stuart (New York,. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1945). p. 221.
100. OR,vol. 27, pt. 1. p. 913. Pleasonton praised Merritt lavishly: "It is necessary that I have a good commander for the regular
brigade of cavalry, and I earnestly recommend Capt. Wesley
Merritt to be made a brigadier-general for that purpose. He has
all the qualifications for it. and has distinguished himself by his
gallantry and daring. Give me good commanders and I will give
you good results."
101. Farnsworth was given command of a brigade. previously part of
Stahel's division of cavalry. Unfortunately for Farnsworth, his
commanding officer ordered a charge on the Confederate infantry holding Lee's right flank soon after the repulse of the Pickett-Pettigrew attack on July 3, and Farnsworth was killed
leading the charge. He was only able to enjoy the fruits of being
a general officer for five days. Custer's accomplishments are
well known.
102. OR, vol. 27, Pt. 1, p. 913.
103. Ibid., p. 926. Kilpatrick, known to his troops by the unflattering
nickname of -Killcavalry,- was another of Pleasonton's favorites. See note 58.
104. Ibid. See also Norton, Deeds of Daring, p. 68. Middletown was familiar ground for the troopers of Gamble's brigade which had
been involved in the fighting there during the Battle of South
Mountain in September 1862. Elements of Gamble's brigade
had been engaged in the little-known cavalry clash at the Quebec
School House, near Middletown. One of the few accounts of
this little battle may be found in Pickrell, Third Indiana Cavalry,
pp. 24-29. There is also a brief mention of this fight in Hard,
Eighth Cavalry Regiment, pp. 176-77.
105. H. P. Moyer, History of the Seventeenth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry (Lebanon. Pennsylvania, 191 1). p. 58. Presumably Buford was firing jabs at Washington over the promotion
of the three 'boy generals," including Wesley Merritt, when he
made this tongue in cheek remark.
106. Pohanka, "Keogh in the American Civil War,' P. 76: Captain
Stephen Minot Weld. July 8. 1863, in War Diary and Letters of
Stephen Minot Weld, 1861-1865 (Cambridge, 1912; reprint,
Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1979). p. 240.
107. OR, vol. 27, pt. 1. P. 926; Norton, Deeds of Daring, p. 68. The author has been unable to identify the specific Mississippi regiments referred to by Buford, but has determined that they were from Heth's division.
108. OR, vol. 27, pt. 3, p. 400.
109. Longacre, The Cavalry at Gettysburg, P. 169.
110. Dr. Walter Kempster, "The Cavalry at Gettysburg,' War Papers Read Before the Commandery of the State of Wisconsin. Mollus. 4 vols. (Milwaukee, 1891-1914). 4:399. For more on the change of command, its circumstances and Reynolds's role in the new command structure, see Coddington, The Gettysburg Campaign. pp. 103-31, 209-41.
111. Moyer, 17th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry,. pp. 57-58.
112. Ibid., p. 48.
113. Kempster, 'The Cavalry at Gettysburg." pp. 399-400.
114. See, for an example of the quality of intelligence being provided
to the Union high command. the dispatch of Maj. Gen. Darius N.
Couch, commanding the Department of Pennsylvania, of June
29, which provides solid intelligence about the whereabouts and
disposition of Lee's army. See OR, vol. 27, pt. 3. p. 407.
115. Wilson oration, p. 177.
116. OR, vol. 27, pt. 1, p. 923.
117. OR, vol. 27, pt. 3, p. 414.
118. "John Buford at Gettysburg Wednesday July 1st ,1863," unpublished manuscript written by an unknown member of Buford's staff and signed "Anchor."
119. Coddington, The Gettysburg Campaign, P. 263.
120. OR, vol. 27, pt, 3, P. 417.
121. Ibid., pp. 419-20.
122. Coddington, The Gettysburg Campaign, P. 264; OR, series 1,
vol. 27, pt. 2, pp. 607, 637; Douglas Southall Freeman, Lee's
Lieutenants: A Study in Command, 3 vols. (New York: Charles
Scribner's Sons, 1944), 3:78; and Martin Schenck, Up Came
Hill: The Story of the Light Division and its Leaders (Harris-
burg, Pennsylvania: The Stackpole Co., 1958), P. 274.
123. Alan Nolan makes a compelling argument that Lee had knowledge of the presence of Union troops in Gettysburg and that Lee
knew of Hill's grant of permission to Heth to advance on the
town the next day. Nolan argues Lee alone was responsible for
bringing on the general engagement that became the Battle of
Gettysburg, because Lee failed to issue orders to resist bringing
on a general engagement. This, in Nolan's opinion, is evidence
that Lee knew the Army of the Potomac was nearby, that he was
spoiling for a decisive fight in Pennsylvania, and that he did not
care where it took place. See Alan T. Nolan, "R. E. Lee on July
1 at Gettysburg," in Gallagher, The First Day at Gettysburg.
124. Coddington, The Gettysburg Campaign, P. 266.
125. Again, the conventional wisdom is that Gamble's men were
deployed along McPherson's Ridge at the outset of the battle.
Such a theory is inconsistent with Buford's plans for a defense
in depth. Instead, the evidence indicates that the first line of
resistance was located along Herr Ridge, to the west of
McPherson's Ridge, but more than a mile east of the present
first-shot marker along the Chambersburg Pike.
126. OR, vol. 27, pt. 1. P. 938.