Alan Pitts
Re: Heth's (3rd Corps) Missisippi Brigade
Wed Jan 31 12:43:19 2001


For anyone else who may be interested, Morningside has a new book on the brigade Joe Davis led in the ANV by T. P. Williams. Check the Morningside site for this title.

I assumed your reply had to do with the 11th Mississippi which Jim had mentioned in his earlier post. Obviously the 42nd Mississippi and 55th North Carolina had no combat experience prior to 07-01-63. The same is true for Joe Davis. However, the 2nd and 11th Mississippi were not withdrawn from the ANV due to excessive losses in action.

President Davis favored reorganization of all brigades on a state-by-state basis. That meant breaking up veteran brigades like Law's, Trimble's Taliaferreo's and others in the ANV. The new military policy also entailed having brigadiers from the same state as their troops, which meant that General Law would command Alabama troops, and someone else (Davis) would command Mississippi troops. Lee opposed this policy but always followed orders.

To summarize, Davis led a brigade at Gettysburg created by design of his uncle, the President. Davis and two of his regiments were inexperienced. On the other hand, the "University Grays" and other companies of the 2nd and 11th Mississippi were veterans, as good as any men who marched into Pennsylvania with Lee.








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