Way back in the year 2000, he wrote an article in the North&South magazine (January 2000, Vol.3, Number 2, Pages 48/49) on "Union Artillery Captured by the Army of Northern Virginia." It was a horrible, non-researched article and I did not even want to know where is sources even came from. It was clear to me he did little to no research in the Official Records.
Here is an example: He had the Confederates at First Bull Run, capturing "Nine 12-Pound Napoleons". No other artillery is shown in his "Circle Chart".
The Confederates did NOT capture a single "12-Pound Napoleon" at 1st Manassas. Only Captain Henry J. Hunt's battery (2nd US, "M") did. Captain Hunt lost no artillery pieces and he had Four 12-Pound Napoleons.
His "Circle Chart" and battles:
Peninsula Campaign: 18 Napoleons
Vally Campaign: 6 Napoleons and 2 Parrott Rifles
Second Manassas: 5 Napoleons, 5 Parrott Rifles and 5 Ordnance Rifles
Harper's Ferry: 14 Napoleons, 3 Parrott Rifles and 13 Ordnance Rifles
Second Winchester: 4 Parrott Rifles, 22 Ordnance Rifles
Chancellorsville: 7 Napoleons, 6 Parrott Rifles
Brandy Station: 2 Parrott Rifles
"In the upper left hand side, he has a drawing, "In the Battle of Glendale, men of the 55th and 60th Virginia overrun Battery E of the 1st U.S. Artillery." That is wrong, because the 55th and 60th Va were to the right of the Long Bridge Road and they captured Captain Cooper's (1st Pennsylvania, Battery "A")
The 47th Virginia Infantry along with the Second Virginia Battalion captured, (1st US Artillery, Battery "E") Captain Randol's battery.
On the bottom left on page 48, he claimed "Those captured at Harper's Ferry included at least nine modern but "Otherwise unidentified weapons".
*Reality*
1st Manassas= O.R 1, Vol 2, pages 570-571
1----30-Pound Parrott Rifle
9----10-Pound Parrott Rifles
3---- 6-Pound Smooth-Bores
3----12-Pound Brass Howitzers
2----12-Pound Boat Howitzers
9----13-Pound James Rifles
Total: 27 (Anyone read of a 12-Pound Napoleon on that list???) lol
Well, I could go on and on, but I will stop. But you get the point of his "Research". I can only blame him to an extent, I have found hundreds of errors in the North&South Magazine and Keith Poulter is the "Founder and Chief Editor".
Just the last issue of the North&South (Volume 13, Number 3) turn to pages 8-9-10. Bottom right on page 8 "Incident of the War". "A fight for the Colors, Gettysburg, July 1st, 1863". (2nd Mississippi Infantry Regiment, Railroad Cut).
Page 9, Bill Speer (Wrote the article) claimed "Only the 11th Mississippi and a few hundred stragglers from the other regiments escaped back across McPherson's Ridge".
That is very odd, the 11th Miss did not even fight on July 1st, they were all the way back at Cashtown, PA, guarding the divisional wagon train, "Heth's.
This was even better, "The Second Mississippi was captured whole, the first regiment from the Army of Northern Virginia ever to surrender."
To end this "Myth" here is the truth.
The Second Miss was in Pickett's Charge with "60 Muskets", Lt. Col. David Humphries in command (He was also at Cashtown, PA). I also found 7-8 line/junior officers in Pickett's Charge as well. Colonel Stone has been wounded early in the battle and Major Blair was next in command. Since Major Blair was the highest ranking officer, the Union troops believed he commanded ALL the Confederates in the R&R cut. Now "Seven Officers and 225 enlisted men" total were captured and turned over to the cavalry provost. So, how could just the 2nd Miss have all of those officers and enlisted captured and what none from the 42nd MS and 55th NC? So as you can read, no they came from all three regiments.
Major Blair and 86/87 Enlisted men surrendered from the 2nd MS. Sergeant Varain wrote "The remnant of our regiment 60 guns strong". Sergeant Varain was wounded and captured and sent to a New York hospital and recovered. Only one enlisted solider was not wounded and made it back to the Confederate lines.
I believe the Second Miss and Eleventh Miss had detachments from their large regiments. The Eleventh Miss went in with "350 men" and lost 103 Killed, 166 Wounded and 41 Captured. Only 40 escaped unwounded. The Official Records list the Eleventh Miss losing "32 Killed and 170 Wounded, 202 total". As you can see their is a discrepancy.
Lets move forward to "Falling Waters", the Second Miss had "One enlisted soldier mortally wounded and captured, one wounded and one slightly wounded." So how did we go from only one soldier left after Pickett's Charge? Hence detachments, I believe 85-100 men in the rear performing non-combative roles.
Well let me end this post on that note.
Have a good day, everyone
Shawn Prouty
The Official Records only listed BG.Archer's brigade "Captured and Missing" at Pickett's Charge. So Davis, Pettigrew/Marshall and Brockenbrough were not put in the Official Records. Their losses would have been higher.