Thomas Ward Osborne (1833-1898) commanded the 11th Corps Artillery Brigade at Gettysburg. Following the war, Osborne lived in Florida during the period of Reconstruction. He represented Florida in the United States Senate from 1868-1873. He served as the United States Commissioner at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876. Osborne was an attorney when he died in New York City. This image is circa the 1860s.
Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey is our host for a series on the Eleventh Army Corps during the Battle of Gettysburg. Stuart had two relatives in the Eleventh Corps (73rd Ohio Infantry Regiment) and both were killed/mortally wounded at Gettysburg. They are both buried in the National Cemetery. Stuart has been a Licensed Battlefield Guide since 2004.
In addition to tours at Gettysburg National Military Park, Stuart also conducts tours at other historic sites in North America and Europe. He invites you to have a look at his website: www.battlegroundhistorytours.com.
Previous entries in the Eleventh Corps series can be found here.
In today’s Eleventh Corps post, Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey discusses some of the Eleventh Corps artillery under Thomas W. Osborne especially Wiedrich’s New York Battery.
To email Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey, please click here to reveal his address.
This map shows the location of where our Eleventh Corps at Gettysburg videos were produced. Videos #1-#107 were shown on other maps on our previous posts. Videos #108-109 were taken on East Cemetery Hill near the area of Wiedrich’s New York Battery. This map was created facing north at approximately 2:30 PM on Sunday, May 1, 2011.
In Video #108 (Videos #1-#107 were shown in our previous Eleventh Corps posts) Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey is standing on East Cemetery Hill. He provides some background on Major Thomas W. Osborne and his artillery brigade in the Eleventh Corps. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 5:00 PM on Tuesday, April 26, 2011.
Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey is the host for our Eleventh Corps series. He is standing at the monument for Battery I, 1st New York Artillery, commanded by Captain Michael Wiedrich. The equestrian monument to Major General Oliver O. Howard is in the right background. This view was taken facing east at approximately 5:00 PM on Tuesday, April 26, 2011.
A detail from the monument to Wiedrich’s Battery which was dedicated on May 20, 1889. This view was taken facing east at approximately 5:00 PM on Tuesday, April 26, 2011.
Captain Michael Wiedrich (1820-1899) commanded Battery I, 1st New York Artillery at Gettysburg. On February 6, 1864, he was commissioned Lieutenant-Colonel of the newly organized 15th NY Heavy Artillery. By June, 1864 his regiment was serving as infantry. He was wounded at the Battle of Globe Tavern on August 18, 1864. The wound occurred while he was passing down the line on horseback, encouraging the regiment. Wiedrich was struck by a rifle ball on the back, below the right shoulder, the ball glancing off and inflicting a flesh wound. At the Battle of Five Forks on April 1, 1865 he was wounded in action a second time, suffering a gun shot wound to his right arm above the elbow. Following the war, Wiedrich became a prominent citizen of Buffalo, New York. He was co-publisher of the “Buffalo Freie Presse”, a daily Republican German language newspaper. He worked for the City of Buffalo as receiver of taxes and would also served as an attorney, real estate agent and fire insurance agent. This image was created circa the 1860s.
In Video #109 Stuart Dempsey is standing by Wiedrich’s Battery. He describes their activities during the battle. This view was taken facing northeast to northwest to northeast at approximately 5:00 PM on Tuesday, April 26, 2011.
The artillery pieces with the black barrels are 3″ ordnance rifles, the same type of weapon used by Wiedrich’s New York Battery, and they are marking the position of Wiedrich’s Battery. The monument in the left background is to Rickett’s Pennsylvania Battery. To its right is a monument to Cooper’s Pennsylvania Battery. To its right is an upturned cannon tube representing the headquarters of Major General Oliver O. Howard. The Hancock equestrian statue is in the right background. To the left of the Hancock statue, part of the monument to the 4th Ohio Infantry Regiment is available. In front of the Hancock statue is the monument to the 14th Indiana. To the right of the 14th Indiana is the monument to the 7th West Virginia. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 5:00 PM on Tuesday, April 26, 2011.
If you want to get an idea of what the fighting looked like around Wiedrich’s Battery the evening of July 2, 1863, one of the best places to look is on the monument to the 73rd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. This view was taken facing east at approximately 5:00 PM on Tuesday, April 26, 2011.
This image shows the hand to hand fighting around the battery that evening. This view was taken facing east at approximately 5:00 PM on Tuesday, April 26, 2011.
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