Gettysburg Daily

Eleventh Corps at Gettysburg Part 12 With Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey



Lieutenant Colonel Edward Selig Salomon of the 82nd Illinois Infantry Regiment. In the Battle of Gettysburg, Salomon had two horses shot out from under him. HeĀ  assumed command of the regiment following the wounding of the regiment’s Colonel, Friedrich Franz Karl Hecker, at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Fellow-immigrant German immigrant, Major General Carl Schurz, described him during the battle: “He was the only soldier at Gettysburg who did not dodge when Lee’s guns thundered; he stood up, smoked his cigar and faced the cannon balls with the sang froid of a Saladin.” This view was taken 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 in our first post, Stuart introduced himself and showed us some of the routes that the 11th Corps took as they approached the Gettysburg Battlefield.

In our second post he brought Major-General Howard to the Peach Orchard, and showed the route that two of Howard’s divisions took to get to Gettysburg.

In our third post he described the reasons Howard found Cemetery Hill and thought it was an important position. Howard also wanted to get a closer look at the fighting to the west and north of town. He moved into the town for that look.

In our fourth post, Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey showed us the view from the top of the Fahnestock Building on an overcast day.

In our fifth post, Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey showed us that after his visit to the Fahnestock Building, Major-General Howard returned to Cemetery Hill and issued orders for other units to come to Gettysburg. Stuart also introduced us to the positioning of the Eleventh Corps on the fields north of town.

In our sixth post, Stuart gave some background about the men who made up the Eleventh Corps, and their desire to perform well after the Battle of Chancellorsville in May, 1863.

In our seventh post, Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey described command changes in the corps on July 1, 1863, and when the first units of the Eleventh Corps arrived on the field.

In our eighth post, Stuart Dempsey showed us the advance of four companies of the 45th New York Infantry Regiment towards the McClean Barn on July 1, 1863.

In the ninth post, Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey showed us the fighting around the McLean Farm and the position of monuments of the First Brigade of the Third Division of the Eleventh Corps.

In our tenth post, Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey described the arrival of artillery on the Eleventh Corps line and the initial position of the Second Brigade of the Third Division of the Eleventh Corps.

In our eleventh post, Stuart Dempsey gives brief sketches of some Third Division units of the Eleventh Corps including the 74th Pennsylvania, the 61st Ohio, and Wheeler’s 13th New York Battery.

In today’s post, Stuart presents stories of the 82nd Illinois Infantry Regiment, the 157th New York Infantry Regiment, and the 119th New York Infantry Regiment.



This map shows the location of where our Eleventh Corps at Gettysburg videos were produced. Videos #1-#34 were shown on other maps on our previous posts. Video #35 was taken by the monument to the 74th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. Video #36 was taken at the monument to the 61st Ohio Infantry. Video #37 was taken by the monument to Wheeler’s 13th New York Independent Battery. Video #38 was taken at the monument to the 82nd Illinois Infantry. Video #39 was taken at the monument to the 157th New York Infantry located at the intersection of West Howard Avenue and the Carlisle Road. Video #40 was taken at the monument to the 119th New York Infantry Regiment on East Howard Avenue. This map was created facing north at approximately 6:00 PM on Tuesday, November 3, 2009.



Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey is standing near the monument to the 82nd Illinois Infantry Regiment on West Howard Avenue. It was one of the three “German” regiments furnished to the Union by Illinois. Approximately two-thirds of its members were German immigrants and most of the other third was composed of immigrants from various countries including Scandinavians, Irish and Swiss. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 4:45 PM on Wednesday, October 28, 2009.
In Video #38 (Videos #1-#37 were shown in our previous Eleventh Corps posts) Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey is standing by the monument to the 82nd Illinois Infantry Regiment. He provides some background on the unit. This view was taken facing south to southeast at approximately 4:45 PM on Wednesday, October 28, 2009.



Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey is standing near the monument to the 157th New York Infantry Regiment at the intersection of West Howard Avenue and the Carlisle Road. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 4:45 PM on Wednesday, October 28, 2009.
In Video #39 Licensed Battlefield Guide Stuart Dempsey is standing near the monument to the 157th New York Infantry Regiment. He provides a brief sketch of the unit. This view was taken facing southeast to northeast at approximately 4:45 PM on Wednesday, October 28, 2009.



Stuart Dempsey is standing near the monument to the 119th New York Infantry Regiment at the intersection of East Howard Avenue and the Carlisle Road. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 4:45 PM on Wednesday, October 28, 2009.
In Video #40 Stuart Dempsey is standing by the monument to the 119th New York Infantry Regiment. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 4:45 PM on Wednesday, October 28, 2009.

To see other posts by Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guides, click here.