Question of the Week: 7/1-7/7/19

In your opinion, who was the best brigade commander at Gettysburg? Why?



13 Responses to Question of the Week: 7/1-7/7/19

  1. George S. Greene. Culp’s Hill – ’nuff said.

    Honorable mention to Lysander Cutler.

  2. I agree with Chris. Greene’s courage and leadership was critical to holding Culp’s Hill. His actions there were arguably as important to the preservation of the Federal line as those of J.L. Chamberlain.

    1. I agree – in fact, his actions were more important in my opinion than were Chamberlain’s (who commanded only one regiment – and apologies to the myth-making by Shaara, Burns, and Maxwell). . Greene took brigade-level action to hold on to significant terrain.

  3. For the South: Barksdale. He wrecked havoc with the 2nd and 3rd Corps.
    For the North: Stannard of Vermont seemed to be everywhere, wrecking more havoc.

  4. Strong Vincent on the federal left, George Green on the right and Buford on the first day.

  5. Although I agree with Greene on the right flank, and Vincent on the left, along with Stannard’s initiative wrecking “Pickett’s” (Longstreet’s) charge, both Colonels Edward Cross and Samuel Zook took mortal wounds leading their brigades, Cross in the Wheat Field and Zook at the Stony Hill, along with Vincent on Little Round Top, all on the second day. Those sacrifices entitle Cross and Zook to be noted along with Vincent’s. However, Colonel Charles Coster’s brigade taking a stand at the Brickyard preventing Early’s Rebels from clearing the town Gettysburg and assaulting Cemetery Hill assured that the “fishhook” would be formed on the first day rather than bent and/or broken beyond repair on the second and third days.

  6. I’ll go with Custer. He took on a much larger enemy force and stopped them. Not too shabby…

  7. My choice for best brigade commander at Gettysburg is Solomon Meredith of the famed Iron Brigade. He was head and shoulders over all other brigade commanders at Gettysburg. Maybe, it was he because six foot seven inches tall. The Black Hat brigade made quite a stand on day one and paid dearly for it, never recovered.

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