Jim Martin
This happens too often.
Mon Apr 9 15:07:36 2001


It is my understanding that Gordon C. Rhea is an award winning author and attorney who lives in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. In my research, I've got several of these unsourced references to the 5th Alabama Bttn. Most recently, I had communication with the author of "Morning at Willoughby Run" and one of the park historians at Gettysburg. Both of them, gave a specific location in the line of Archer's Brigade for the 5th Alabama Battalion at the time they made contact with the "Iron Brigade" in McPherson's (Herbst's) Woods. The "5th" had been acting as skirmishers up until this time and the only reference I've ever seen as to their specific location was that the main line overtook them. From my reading this would mean the men of the 5th were interspersed along the main line and did not occupy a specific position in line.

I've asked both authors their respective sources for this information and neither has one, in fact, they agreed that the 5th was "probably" interspersed along the entire front of the brigade. My problem is why did they have to make any statement as to the location of the battalion? I think this was done to make a neater map. Rather than just presenting the information they knew to be factual they created a map and a few lines which were inaccurate or at the very least, conjecture.

In the case of Mr. Rhea's reference to the 5th Alabama Battalion at the battle of the Wilderness, it sounds like a valid story. I just want to know where he got it and do not understand why it is not sourced.

I intend to "track-down" Mr. Rhea and hopefully find out the source of this information.

Don't worry about not looking in the file. It appears to be a privately published book and is available from the author in Midlothian, VA a suburb of Richmond.

Jim