Map of The Battle of Liberty Gap?
- Thread starter armchairQB30
- Start date
Rebel - KGC
Gold Member
- Jun 15, 2007
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Liberty Gap? What state? NEVER heard of it... Rebel - KGC
Gold Member
- Jun 15, 2007
- 21,680
- 14,739
HA! NO wonder that I had NEVER heard of it... MY knowledge of the Civil War is limited to Virginia; MAINLY, the Shenandoah Valley, where I was born & raised; even did re-enactments there as part of REBELS... Co. I, 10th Virginia Cav. (Stonewall Jackson is all ya need to know). 
ANYWAY, you want info on Mid-Tenn. TULLAHOMA CAMPAIGN @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tullahoma_Campaign... VERY nice battle map is on that "site". ONE "left click" on the map will "enlarge" it. HH! ENJOY! 
John A. Morrow
Jr. Member
Liberty Gap:very significant action as repeating rifles were used here for the first time in a large scale action.
The main highway into Murfreesboro & Nashville bi-sects the battlefield .
Wilder's (Union)"Lightening Brigade" decimated several Confederate units here with their repeating rifles;the first time Confederate troops experienced such firepower.This site is little changed from the 186o's,including a two story home that was there during the action;also Confederates killed here are buried just off the highway(last time I was there the local folk had a Confederate Battle Flag flying over the cemetery visible from the HWY.)
The main highway into Murfreesboro & Nashville bi-sects the battlefield .
Wilder's (Union)"Lightening Brigade" decimated several Confederate units here with their repeating rifles;the first time Confederate troops experienced such firepower.This site is little changed from the 186o's,including a two story home that was there during the action;also Confederates killed here are buried just off the highway(last time I was there the local folk had a Confederate Battle Flag flying over the cemetery visible from the HWY.)
John A. Morrow
Jr. Member
OOps.
Just realized I was describing the Battle At Hoover's Gap(above),not Liberty Gap.
With apologies...
austin
Gold Member
Don't know where you are, but Special Collections at your main University's library should have it. That or the state historical society.
John A. Morrow
Jr. Member
Liberty Gap(Tennessee) battle:
(Quoting from The CONFEDERATE WHITWORTH SHARPSHOOTERS:"In the Liberty Gap fight,an entire Union division of three brigades supported by artillery opposed Liddell's Arkansas Brigade,the only part of Cleburne's division that was engaged.The Confederates held the gap and by the afternoon of the 25th.(June,1863)the Federals were reinforced by two
additional brigades.One of the Union generals thought they were fighting 'the whole of Cleburne's division',and a Federal colonel thought that the Federals were 'stubbornly opposed by by a force much larger than ours'.
Another Federal colonel said:'When we were within one-half or three-forths of a mile of the enemy,the effect of their (Whitworth) sharpshooters was terrible'
The commander of the Union division reported:'The affair at Liberty Gap will always be considered a skirmish,but few skirmishes ever equaled it in severity.'
Yankee casualties were given at at 267." (Purdue,Howell & Elizabeth,PAT CLEBURNE,CONFEDERATE GENERAL,pub. Hillsboro,Texas,1973.)
Federal commander General Rosecrans,"alarmed by heavy losses among his officers due to the 'rectangle of the shoulder strap being too conspicuous",in battle,authorized the wearing of smaller badges of rank on each shoulder to avoid his officers"being picked off by enemy sharpshooters."(Wiley Sword,FIREPOWER FROM ABROAD,pub. Lincoln,Rhode Island,
Mowbray Inc.,1986,pg.32)
In an after action report(Aug.3,1863)General Cleburne wrote of the deadly effectiveness of his Whitworth sharpshooters at Liberty Gap:"The enemy kept up a constant firing all day the 26th.,and advanced twice with double lines of skirmishers.They were driven back and at night both parties held their former positions.I had no ammunition to spare,and did not reply to the continual fire of the enemy except with five Whitworth rifles,which appeared to do good service.Mounted men were struck at distances ranging from 700 to 1,300 yards."(Buck,CLBURNE AND HIS COMMAND,Pg.324;also O.R.,vol.XXIII,part 1,pp.586-587.)
Both Liberty Gap and Hoover's Gap,fought almost at the SAME TIME and a few miles apart-were significant as to the large scale employment of repeating rifles at Hoover's Gap AND Whitworth sharpshooters(actual "snipers")at Liberty Gap...
(Quoting from The CONFEDERATE WHITWORTH SHARPSHOOTERS:"In the Liberty Gap fight,an entire Union division of three brigades supported by artillery opposed Liddell's Arkansas Brigade,the only part of Cleburne's division that was engaged.The Confederates held the gap and by the afternoon of the 25th.(June,1863)the Federals were reinforced by two
additional brigades.One of the Union generals thought they were fighting 'the whole of Cleburne's division',and a Federal colonel thought that the Federals were 'stubbornly opposed by by a force much larger than ours'.
Another Federal colonel said:'When we were within one-half or three-forths of a mile of the enemy,the effect of their (Whitworth) sharpshooters was terrible'
The commander of the Union division reported:'The affair at Liberty Gap will always be considered a skirmish,but few skirmishes ever equaled it in severity.'
Yankee casualties were given at at 267." (Purdue,Howell & Elizabeth,PAT CLEBURNE,CONFEDERATE GENERAL,pub. Hillsboro,Texas,1973.)
Federal commander General Rosecrans,"alarmed by heavy losses among his officers due to the 'rectangle of the shoulder strap being too conspicuous",in battle,authorized the wearing of smaller badges of rank on each shoulder to avoid his officers"being picked off by enemy sharpshooters."(Wiley Sword,FIREPOWER FROM ABROAD,pub. Lincoln,Rhode Island,
Mowbray Inc.,1986,pg.32)
In an after action report(Aug.3,1863)General Cleburne wrote of the deadly effectiveness of his Whitworth sharpshooters at Liberty Gap:"The enemy kept up a constant firing all day the 26th.,and advanced twice with double lines of skirmishers.They were driven back and at night both parties held their former positions.I had no ammunition to spare,and did not reply to the continual fire of the enemy except with five Whitworth rifles,which appeared to do good service.Mounted men were struck at distances ranging from 700 to 1,300 yards."(Buck,CLBURNE AND HIS COMMAND,Pg.324;also O.R.,vol.XXIII,part 1,pp.586-587.)
Both Liberty Gap and Hoover's Gap,fought almost at the SAME TIME and a few miles apart-were significant as to the large scale employment of repeating rifles at Hoover's Gap AND Whitworth sharpshooters(actual "snipers")at Liberty Gap...
