Posts Tagged ‘Hunterstown’

Tate Farm - Today

I was on my way early Thursday morning to ride “Sunny” at my stable in Hunterstown, looking forward to a cool morning’s horse ride.  I passed the Tate Farm, at the old square in Hunterstown, and saw that there was an encampment and lecture tent set up in the yard.  I had forgotten about this neat program.  Last year The Gettysburg Conspiracy was not published in July, and I missed out on this event.  I decided to try to set up an impromptu book signing, because the Battle of Hunterstown figures prominently in the novel. The folks there from the Hunterstown Historical Society welcomed me, and my riding went by the wayside.

Friday through Sunday is the annual Gettysburg Reenactment of the major battle, and folks here tend to forget that there were engagements outside the town of importance (Ref my blog:  http://willhutchison.com/blog/2010/01/24/custers-unknown-and-ill-fated-charge-in-the-gettysburg-campaign-2-july-1863-part-ii/ ).  It was a beautiful sunny, yet coolish day, and quite enjoyable meeting and talking to folks about the battle.

Beautiful Horse (Root Beer) and a good authentic cavalryman

Captain Henry Thompson, commanding A Company, 6th Michigan Cavalry, I’m sure, felt that the charge General Custer ordered at Hunterstown was too brash a move.  Because of a bend in the road and a ridge behind the initial Confederate line, they had no idea how many of the enemy were in their front. Further, the road had a strong fence on both sides, which meant they could not deploy, but had to charge in a tight and vulnerable column.  Lastly, Custer’s artillery was plainly already deploying by the time the order was given, thus negating its purpose.

Whether Custer observed Thompson dragging his feet to obey the order, or saw that the men of A Company were skittish in their saddles, he sprang into action.  Telling his staff to remain behind, he rode in front of A Company, drew his saber, and said something like, “I’ll lead you today, boys!”  With that he was off, a Brigadier General leading Thompson and his 50 odd men into the unknown – talk about high-priced help.

Hunterstown Battle

It looked promising at first, with the enemy skirmish line broken and withdrawing as the cavalrymen charged on.  Things went rapidly wrong.  As they passed the Gilbert Farm on their right, and pressed deeper into the Confederates, they basically entered a kill zone.  They took severe fire from the farm buildings and fields on their right, as well as suffering sustained fire from their front.

Then it really went bad.  Almost instantaneously their entire officer command structure disappeared.  Custer was unhorsed, Thompson was wounded and unhorsed, and their third, and only other officer, was thrown to the ground by his mount.  Having now had time to react, other elements from the Confederate rear guard hidden from sight over the ridge came into view charging down on the now confusing melee.

Custer was saved only by the quick and gallant actions of one of the troopers, who carried him on the back of his horse through the Confederates to Federal lines.  Thompson was also carried back, but the third officer was apparently captured.

This incident was overshadowed by Custer’s heroic charge the very next day (3 July 1863) with the entire Michigan Wolverine Brigade, and very little has been mentioned of this debacle in basic history books.  It does, however, remind one of a similar futile and ill-fated charge under another flamboyant commander not so many years before in the Crimea – “The Charge of the Light Brigade.”

Custer’s actions, although not inconsistent with what I’ve read about him, were rash to say the least.  To this writer, he wasted his men’s lives.  On the other hand, although you might fault him for his judgement, you certainly can’t argue with his courage.

I won’t bore you with the details leading up to the engagement at Hunterstown (referred to often as the Battle of North Cavalry Field) on 2 July 1863, during the Gettysburg campaign.  There are those who have done a much better job of it, such as Eric Wittenberg and J. David Petruzzi, in their recently published, Plenty of Blame to Go Around; Rummel’s Cavalry on the Roads to Gettysburg; and Longacre’s The Cavalry at Gettysburg. It even played a significant role in my most recent novel, The Gettysburg Conspiracy.

Suffice to say, in the vicinity of Gettysburg, two Federal cavalry brigades were in search of the anchor of the Confederate left flank.  Between Hunterstown and Gettysburg, these brigades found their prey.  They engaged the former Cobb’s Legion, led at Gettysburg by Confederate Brigadier General Wade Hampton, supported by other elements of Stuart’s rear guard.

Custer wearing Maj Gen straps, but in approximately the same uniform as at Hunterstown. Note the one star on his collar.

What struck me about all this, and why I find research so fascinating, was that a certain well-known Union general led a tiny part of one of these brigades in a very strange and rather foolhardy charge against the Confederate rear guard.  It was the unknown first stab at glory of Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer – before real fame took a hand.

The first amazing fact is that Custer, a junior staff officer (Lieutenant, then Captain), was promoted all the way to Brigadier General of Volunteers only days before this engagement (29 June 1863), by Major General Alfred Pleasanton, as part of his shake up of the cavalry corps when he took command.  He was given command of  2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, Federal Cavalry Corps – The Michigan Brigade. He wore an improvised uniform, and I’m certain had to be somewhat overwhelmed by his sudden rise – his ego notwithstanding.

As his brigade left Hunterstown swinging south toward Gettysburg, they saw a significant Confederate force taking positions about a mile ahead.  It was, indeed, the Confederate rear guard.  Custer was first to arrive.  He dismounted his cavalry troops, deployed them on both sides of the road, then instructed his artillery onto a ridge.

This is about when things went a bit offish.  Custer ordered Captain Henry Thompson, commanding Company A, 6^th Michigan Cavalry, with his approximately 50 cavalrymen to charge down the road into the Confederates.  His stated reason was to give time for his artillery to properly deploy. Thompson and his men were seasoned troopers, they must have seen the artillery already taking position, and the prospect of this mad charge wasn’t greeted with great joy.

The crossroads known as Hunterstown, 1863

Battle of Huntertown, along the Hunterstown - Gettysburg Road

Sunny, before his winter coat

Today, I went to our stables, the wonderful Saw Horse Farm, run by Wendy Dutterer, in Hunterstown, Pennsylvania, to ride my horse, Sunny.  He is taken excellent care of there, and has grown his own lush winter coat.  It was a great ride, but a searing cold day.  When I ride and see the horses on brisk days like this, I am reminded of the plight of the horses in the Crimean War.

Numerous horses were required by a mid-19th century army.  Not merely for the cavalry and horse artillery, but for all the senior officers of infantry regiments, and the many staff officers.  Some wealthier officers brought several horses.  All of these animals had to be transported by water from England to the Crimea in sailing or steam-driven ships.  This could take anywhere from weeks to months, depending on the speed of the ships.

Over 150 horses of the Cavalry Division were lost during deployment to the Crimea.  In one bad storm, it was necessary to shoot injured horses, who became wild and uncontrollable below decks.

Many horses were rendered unserviceable by the rigors of the voyage.  These losses had a near crippling effect on the cavalry.  Those that made it intact, had to face severe climate changes, and one of the worst winters recorded in Crimean history.

It had been planned that remounts would be purchased from various local horse traders, but like so many plans for this badly mismanaged war, this one fell apart quickly and drastically.  Captain Louis Nolan, the famous staff officer who brought the order to Lord Lucan prompting the ill-fated “Charge of the Light Brigade,” was even tasked to travel across Syria and overland to the staging area at Varna on the Black Sea, with the mission of purchasing remounts and transport horses along the way.  He was only modestly successful.  There were insufficient horses for sale anywhere enroute, at the staging area, or in the Crimea.  Those horses that were available were smaller, often weak, and frequently unserviceable for cavalry, artillery, or even transport requirements.

Not long after landing on the Crimean coast, the savage winter set in and took its toll.  The horses brought from England were hardly used to the unbearable Crimean temperatures or conditions – colic and death were everywhere among these unfortunate animals.

By far the most disastrous loss of horses, however, was a direct result of that unhappy charge by the Light Brigade into a gauntlet of Russian guns.  The charge, in about 25 minutes, cost the British army over 100 men killed, but perhaps the most telling catastrophe was the loss of horses.  Around 400 were killed and many more put out of service.  It was the loss of horses which left the Light Brigade unfit for further action as a unit.

Two horses of particular note were in the Light Brigade’s charge: the mount of Captain Nolan, the first casualty of the affair, and, Ronald, Lord Cardigan’s horse.  I will tell their tale tomorrow.

Officers, 39th Regiment, with a horse not unlike Sunny

Captain Halford, 5th Dragoon Guards

Captain Heneage, Coldstream Guards

Captain Wilkinson, 9th Regiment

Lieutenant Yates, 11th Hussars

Officers, 39th Regiment