Who ordered the charge?

One of the people who fought at Gettysburg that really fascinates me is Rufus R. Dawes. I'm not sure why he fascinates me so much....up until a few months ago, I didn't even know what he looked like, but he does. I guess you could say that I admire this man....especially after I read his book "Service with the 6th Wisconsin". If you haven't read this book, I HIGHLY recommend it. This book is a blend of his diary, letters, memories and such. It's a great source of information on the average life of a Civil War soldier.

But on to Rufus Dawes. A little background information: he was born on July 4, 1838 and died August 2, 1899 in Marietta, Ohio, where he was buried. He was a businessman and Congressman. His four sons came to be known nationally (and I find it ironic that he was born on July 4th and his four sons were great patriots). His one son, Charles, actually became Vice President of the United States. His grandfather, William Dawes, rode with Paul Revere in his famous ride. This is a family who has played an important role in American History.

At Gettysburg, he was a Lieutenant Colonel, commanding the 6th Wisconsin. Now the 6th Wisconsin was one of the regiments in the famed Iron Brigade and because of his brigade, his regiment is one of the better known. But what the 6th did at Gettysburg is cause enough for them to be well known.

On July 1, 1863, the Iron Brigade was led into action at Herbst Woods...to fight off the advances of the Confederate forces under the command of James J. Archer. As the regiments were put in place, the 6th was told to hold back as their reserve unit. Dawes wasn't sure where to hold his men at, so he went up to the McPherson farm and held his men there. Its a good thing that he was in the area. As the rest of his brigade were in a hellacious fight, Dawes and his men plus the regiments of the 84th NY (14th Brooklyn) and the 95th NY had their own struggles. The Confederate Brigade of Joseph R. Davis (a nephew of Jefferson Davis) came towards them and threatened to flank the Iron Brigade. These three regiments fought hard against this brigade and they were holding their own. What these men didn't know was that just on the other side of the road, there was a railroad cut. This cut was unfinished and no tracks were laid, but the cut existed. Suddenly the Confederates disappeared into the cut. Dawes and the commander of the 95th NY talked for a bit and they decided to make a charge. Both Dawes and the commander of the other units claimed that they were the ones to order the charge. But it doesn't really matter who ordered it, the fact is, it took place. They went across Chambersburg Pike and headed towards where the Confederates had disappeared. Here they found the Railroad Cut. Dawes looked down into the opening, saw that the Confederates wouldn't be able to get anywhere and asked who was in charge. The commander who was down in the cut with his men answered the call and was ordered to surrender. In the meantime, some of his men went to the eastern end of the cut, which was fairly level to the ground, and covered it so that no one could escape. Some of the Confederates were able to sneak out the western end of the cut....but not many. Dawes and his men captured around 200 of the enemy's soldiers!

By July 2nd, the 6th Wisconsin was placed on Culp's Hill. Although there are no monuments in the area, they fought alongside the 95th NY on Culp's Hill for a bit. Then they were eventually placed on the summit and western side of the hill along with the rest of the brigade in time for the fighting on July 3 (where there is a marker).

The stories of these individual men and how they affected the outcome of the battle is extremely intriguing. Each person played a role and if they hadn't done what they did, would the battle have ended the same way? This is a question I ask myself often. But its the individual regiments and their stories that I like to learn. Rufus Dawes may not have been a very important person prior to this battle....but for the students of the Civil War, especially Gettysburg, he was very important.