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Brooks1863
Wilton
NH USA
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Posts: 1
Joined: 2023
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19th Maine on July 2
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Hello all, I am trying to determine exactly who the 19th Maine Infantry was fighting against on July 2nd. My 3rd Great Grandfather served with the 19th and was wounded on July 2. I have read that it was possibly the Florida Brigade or one of the Alabama regiments, but didn’t know if anyone had any more specifics. Thank you!
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mikecmaps
CAMARILLO
CA USA
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Posts: 213
Joined: 2020
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19th Maine on July 2
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Dear Brooks,
19th Maine just south of the Cordori farm on 2 July faced off vs the Langs Fla Brigade 2, 5, 8 FLA.
Yours, Mike_C.
mikecmaps
edit
19th Maine July 2 Gettysburg
Perry’s[Lang]
Engd loss
2fla 242 106
5fla 321 129
8fla 176 108
Tt 742 455
Trudeau/Busey
Vanderslice p216
K&w
2fla 81
5fla 75
8fla 94
Total 250 mia 205 total 455
Note says 155 lost on the 3rd
19ME engd 439 loss 203
[1st bg/2nd div/2nd corps
Fox p221
“the greatest percentage loss in any brigade in any one action in the war occurred at Gettysburg in Harrow’s 1st brigade, Gibbons 2nd Div, Second corps”
Killed wounded missing total
19ME 29 166 4 199
15MA 23 97 28 148
1MN 50 173 1 224
82NY 45 132 15 192
TOTAL 147 568 48 763
includes mortally wounded
Four regiments took 1276 men into action – a loss of 61%#
#The Iron Brigade also lost 61% but includes 267 captured or missing.
[Trudeau gives 1366/ 768 = 59%]
yours
Mike_C
mikecmaps
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Phil Andrade
London
UK
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Posts: 6378
Joined: 2004
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19th Maine on July 2
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Brooks,
Heartiest of welcomes to you !
May we assume that your existence is attributable to your greatx3 grandfather surviving his wound ?
Incidentally, and pertinent to my question, the regiment he served in suffered a dreadful mortality amongst its wounded, losing 26 killed outright and 39 died of wounds, a reversal of the normal ratio of killed to mortally wounded.
Talking of this , Mike, the figures you cite for killed in those Union regiments do not include the vast majority of the mortally wounded. Apologies if I’ve misunderstood your statement: the died of wounds are indeed included , but they are left numbered among the wounded.
On an anecdotal note, Brooks,it’s a quirk of fate that your ancestor might well have encountered, and maybe even been wounded by, Lewis Powell of the 2nd Florida. Powell was wounded and captured, and two years later was hanged for his prominent role in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Powell attacked Secretary of State Seward, and knifed him within an inch of his life.
This war is full of extraordinary coincidences !
Lang’s Florida Brigade also took a casualty rate of 61 percent. Its losses included 71 killed in action and 250 wounded. Of those wounded, 39 died of their wounds, 27 of them in enemy hands. Another 161 were captured unwounded, and 41 of them did not survive their captivity. As for Lewis Powell, he was wounded in the right wrist and captured on 2 July. Two thirds of the brigade’s casualties of the battle were incurred on that day. Powell’s life and fate would make a fascinating theme for a book or even a movie. He met his death on the scaffold with grace and courage, to the extent that he proclaimed that while he deserved his fate, Mary Surratt was innocent and should be spared. Echoes of The Good Thief on the Cross , on the right hand side of Jesus ?
Moved by this, the executioner expressed his hope that Powell’s death would be swift, but, harrowing to relate, he suffered for several minutes. He was the last of the condemned to die, drawing his legs up into the foetal position in his last moments.
Editing: Powell was a conspicuously powerful man, and I suppose the musculature of his neck prevented the drop from breaking it.
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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Phil Andrade
London
UK
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Posts: 6378
Joined: 2004
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19th Maine on July 2
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Mike_C,
Those four regiments of Harrow’s Brigade officially returned the total of 768 casualties, of whom 147 were posted as killed.
Let this reconfiguration of the fatalities throw some light on the experience of those regiments.
19th Maine, 26 killed and 39 mortally wounded.
15th Massachusetts, 26 killed and 9 mortally wounded.
1st Minnesota, 42 killed and 37 mortally wounded.
82nd New York, 36 killed and 22 mortally wounded.
Total: 130 killed and 107 mortally wounded.
There are implications here that I’d like to discuss.
Source: John Busey, These Honored Dead, 1988 edition.
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: 8063
Joined: 2006
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19th Maine on July 2
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Phil,
Just curious how many Maine boys were killed on Little Round Top, on July the 2nd, 1863??
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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Michigan Dave
Muskegon
MI USA
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Posts: 8063
Joined: 2006
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19th Maine on July 2
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Quote: Phil,
Just curious how many Maine boys were killed on Little Round Top, on July the 2nd, 1863??
Thanks,
MD
Also in the movie Gettysburg, Col. Joshua Chamberlain tells the new Maine troops about the massive losses of the 20th Maine!
Was it close to the truth??
Regards,
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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Phil Andrade
London
UK
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Posts: 6378
Joined: 2004
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19th Maine on July 2
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Dave,
On LRT the 20th Maine suffered 125 casualties from the 386 officers and men in the regiment. That’s one third of the complement. These were severe casualties, but quite acceptable compared with the experience of other units, and certainly not too bad considering the length and intensity of the fight, especially in view of the desperate predicament that faced Chamberlain and his men. Of the casualties , 21 were killed outright and another 21 died from their wounds, the total of 42 representing one third of the casualty total.
If memory serves me, in the movie, one of Chamberlain’s officers reported that half of his men were down, and most of the rest were suffering from head wounds . That seems like a bit of an exaggeration, but a forgivable one in the stress and chaos of battle.
Interestingly, the regiment’s confederate counterpart, the 15th Alabama, also lost one third of its men. Busey
records it’s loss as 23 killed in action and 11 died from wounds among its 171 casualties.
Attacking uphill the rebels had a tough time, tired by marching and stricken with the heat, they were also desperately thirsty. But they enjoyed a significant advantage: the yankees were outlined on the crest and silhouetted by the sun that was sinking behind them. They presented a good target, and in this sense the rebels had a kind of firepower advantage.
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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