Hill, Anderson and Mahone on July 2, 1863

When I started exploring this subject, I was probably unfair to Maj. Gen. Richard Heron Anderson. I think I made it seem as if he had gotten a pass for his failure to lead his division from the front rather than recline at his headquarters during the critical evening of July 2, 1863. Of course the elephant in the room was Brig. Gen. William Mahone, who refused an order from Anderson to advance that evening because he had previously been directed to stay put on Seminary Ridge in support of some artillery and the right of Pender's division. Practically every account of his brigade at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863 ends with this refusal. If the authors of the principal books on the battle had done their homework, however, they'd have known that Mahone's brigade moved around dark, which occurred about 8:45 p.m. that night, the end of nautical twilight. Good accounts of this movement have been in publication since 2012, when Civil War Talks: Further Reminiscences of George S. Bernard & His Fellow Veterans appeared. What may have occasioned even more delay that evening were the wanderings of Lt. Gen. A. P. Hill, the corps commander. He was at Gen. R. E. Lee's headquarters when Longstreet's flank attack began, then meandered down to a post behind McLaws' division. Meanwhile, Anderson was seeking authority from Hill to countermand his previous orders for Mahone to stay put. It is very likely that Anderson spent more time looking for Hill than correcting Mahone. If so, that provides the answer to the question of why Mahone wasn't disciplined for his refusal to comply with Anderson's order to advance. If Mahone had required discipline, the whole chain of command up from Mahone through Anderson to Hill would have required discipline. My much more detailed article on this subject is due out in Gettysburg Magazine next July.

Mahone's brigade, 8:45-9:15 p.m. July 2, 1863

Lieutenant General Ambrose Powell Hill