The Mississippi in the Civil War Message Board

Re: Isaac H. Allen, 13th Mississippi

According to Jess N. McLean's book on the 13th, Isaac H. Allen had his right thigh fractured in the upper third at Gettysburg, and later recounted his experience for his younger step-brother, as follows. // Isaac said the color bearer was shot and he went back and picked up the flag. The General in command [note: this would have to be Barksdale] told Isaac to go forward. Isaac passed back through the lines and was 10 to 15 feet in front of the main line. He turned to encourage his comrades to come on, and as he turned a minie ball struck him in the hip and he fell. While lying there wounded, bullets flew past just above him. Isaac put his knapsack under his head, and had just straightened up when a ball entered his knapsack and went through his folded blanket, putting a lot of holes in it. // Isaac was probably carried back by his comrades to a field hospital after the fight was over that day (2 July 1863). His wound would have been too serious for him to be transported back to Virginia, so he would have been taken prisoner on or about 5 July. I have recently mapped the area of this encounter, and the likelihood is that Isaac was wounded near the Emmitsburg Road and close on the south side of the Sherfy barn (which was later burned) by the 73rd New York or perhaps the 57th Pennsylvania, or maybe further on by the 120th New York. But Isaac infers the 13th's line was still strong and intact when he went down, so that leads me to conclude that he was wounded early in the action, and if I was forced to pick the most likely opponent opposite the center of the regiment at that point, where the 13th's flag was located, I would go with the 73rd New York, which was in line about 300 feet east of the Emmitsburg Road. If that's the case, you can read about the Yankee viewpoint in an account by Frank Moran of the 73rd NY in the National Tribune of 31 October, 6 and 13 November 1890. You are fortunate to have had an ancestor whose action in that battle can be so well documented; there are very few, especially Confederates, whose location can be pinpointed with such accuracy. I'm still working on the timelines of the battle, but I would guess that Isaac was wounded about 6:00 pm.

Messages In This Thread

Wounded of Barksdale's brigade at Gettysburg
Re: Wounded of Barksdale's brigade at Gettysburg
Re: Wounded of Barksdale's brigade at Gettysburg
Re: Wounded of Barksdale's brigade at Gettysburg
Re: Isaac H. Allen, 13th Mississippi
Re: Isaac H. Allen, 13th Mississippi
Re: Isaac H. Allen, 13th Mississippi
Re: Isaac H. Allen, 13th Mississippi
Capt. Montgomery Carleton
Capt. Carleton's Company
Re: Wounded of Barksdale's brigade at Gettysburg
Re: Other opponents of the 13th Mississippi
Re: Other opponents of the 13th Mississippi
Re: Other opponents of the 13th Mississippi
Re: Wounded of Barksdale's brigade at Gettysburg
Re: Wounded of Barksdale's brigade at Gettysburg
Re: Wounded of Barksdale's brigade at Gettysburg
Re: Wounded of Barksdale's brigade at Gettysburg
Re: Wounded of Barksdale's brigade at Gettysburg
Maybe some unusual info on James Fletcher
Re: Maybe some unusual info on James Fletcher
Re: Maybe some unusual info on James Fletcher
Re: Wounded of Barksdale's brigade at Gettysburg
Re: Wounded of Barksdale's brigade at Gettysburg