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Larry Purtell
Little Meadows
PA USA
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Posts: 1545
Joined: 2004
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An Incident At Gettysburg.
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from the National Tribune. Washington D.C. June 10, 1866.
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"My goal is to live forever. So far, so good.
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Phil Andrade
London
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Posts: 5909
Joined: 2004
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An Incident At Gettysburg.
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Good to see you back in situ, Larry !
This story demands research.
I’ll look up this Lt Sheldon in my Busey volume.
I’m guessing he must have been in Berdan’s elite sharpshooter unit and come to grief in the fierce skirmishing that developed as the rebels deployed for their big attack in the Emmitsburg Road sector on Day Two.
Regards, Phil
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"Egad, sir, I do not know whether you will die on the gallows or of the pox!"
"That will depend, my Lord, on whether I embrace your principles or your mistress."
Earl of Sandwich and John Wilkes
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Michigan Dave
Muskegon
MI USA
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Posts: 7418
Joined: 2006
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An Incident At Gettysburg.
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Hi Larry,
Interesting article in that it reflects how soldiers ( especially under equiped Confederates) would strip equipment, & clothing off enemy dead! One wonders if sharp shooters could lay in wait & let the theif's feel the lead!?
Any records of this happening??
Thanks,
MD
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"The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract."
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Larry Purtell
Little Meadows
PA USA
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Posts: 1545
Joined: 2004
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An Incident At Gettysburg.
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Quote: Hi Larry,
Interesting article in that it reflects how soldiers ( especially under equipped Confederates) would strip equipment, & clothing off enemy dead! One wonders if sharp shooters could lay in wait & let the theif's feel the lead!?
Any records of this happening??
Thanks,
MD
One thing the dead of photos of Gettysburg dead show is that by 1863 the Union in most cases weren't being stripped naked. Shoes were a prize, but uniforms were no longer needed.
Larry.
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"My goal is to live forever. So far, so good.
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Phil Andrade
London
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Posts: 5909
Joined: 2004
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An Incident At Gettysburg.
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Larry and Dave,
The fact that Sheldon was an officer might account for the stripping of his body : richer pickings, literally ?
The most notorious episode of large numbers of naked Yankee dead was Fredericksburg : hardly surprising considering the freezing temperatures that afflicted the living.
Gettysburg was fought in sultry heat, with the quickly bloating corpses hardly inviting the attention of scavengers. Shoes were probably sought after, but the jackets and pants would have been problematic and posed a revolting task.
Then, of course, the rebels were better clothed and armed at Gettysburg than they had been previously.
Chancellorsville had yielded enormous material booty.
Editing : it’s important to remember that this incident reflects war on the skirmish line. We think of Gettysburg as the titanic clash of big infantry units, with the regiments, brigades and divisions slamming head on into each other and strewing the ground with thousands of bleeding and dying men. But a surprisingly large part of this battle’s appalling bloodshed was attributable to the relentless toll of sharpshooting that sputtered away even when the tempo of the fighting died down between the epic attacks. In this skirmish line activity, I suppose the contact between small and isolated groups imparted a “ personal “ nature to the killing, especially when the sharpshooters were selecting and dispatching their victims. A Yankee lieutenant was a conspicuous presence, and his fate exposed him to the curiosity and plunder of enemies, who, in the carnage and chaos of the big unit actions, would not have had the chance to focus on individual corpses.
Regards, Phil
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"Egad, sir, I do not know whether you will die on the gallows or of the pox!"
"That will depend, my Lord, on whether I embrace your principles or your mistress."
Earl of Sandwich and John Wilkes
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theREALplm
Pennsylvania
PA USA
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Posts: 3
Joined: 2023
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An Incident At Gettysburg.
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The 1st USS Sharpshooters were sent with a regiment of infantry on a reconnaissance in woods in front of the Peach Orchard area Sickles salient would creep into. They ran into infantry of Hills Corps prior to the point Longstreet's flanking columns were in position.
They would have worn different (green) uniforms than normal infantry and you can see how it would make a tempting trophy well within Confederate lines.
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Phil Andrade
London
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Posts: 5909
Joined: 2004
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An Incident At Gettysburg.
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Quote:
They would have worn different (green) uniforms than normal infantry and you can see how it would make a tempting trophy well within Confederate lines.
Well spotted !
Why didn’t I think of that ?
Of course, green jackets are synonymous with riflemen.
The Jaegers; the Royal Greenjackets ; and Hiram Berdan liked the tradition .
In the ancient English folklore, even Robin Hood wore Lincoln Green when he drew his longbow !
Great to have you here.
Regards, Phil
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"Egad, sir, I do not know whether you will die on the gallows or of the pox!"
"That will depend, my Lord, on whether I embrace your principles or your mistress."
Earl of Sandwich and John Wilkes
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Larry Purtell
Little Meadows
PA USA
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Posts: 1545
Joined: 2004
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An Incident At Gettysburg.
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I wondered if the distinctive green uniform attracted extra attention and could account for his cloths being stolen. Not sure what an Alabama infantryman would want with green pants and jacket.
Larry.
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"My goal is to live forever. So far, so good.
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Phil Andrade
London
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Posts: 5909
Joined: 2004
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An Incident At Gettysburg.
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Battlefield trophy ?
Maybe the uniform was sought after because it offered better camouflage.
Could even have been an attempt to find intelligence in the form of documents in pockets ?
Officers were trusted to carry these, and in an elite unit like this one the information was bound to be significant.
Just guessing.
Regards, Phil
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"Egad, sir, I do not know whether you will die on the gallows or of the pox!"
"That will depend, my Lord, on whether I embrace your principles or your mistress."
Earl of Sandwich and John Wilkes
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