On Nov 21, 2005, at 11:57 AM, [log in to unmask] wrote:

> Ok, I'll ask the question ...
>
> (1) You know that they were fired from Spencers, (2) you know when 
> they were
> used, and (3) you know why they were used.  Respectfully, what is the 
> point of
> your research?

At the concept level, one would see the recreation of the order of 
battle.

Using the precept that a battle plan never survives contact with the 
enemy, it should be possible to work out where individual gunners 
fired, and assuming they moved, work out what went on during the "fog 
of war".

Having said that, the NPS tried to recreate the order of battle for 
Civil War battles here in VA in the 1930's. Detailed accounts of troop 
movements from the Official Record of the War of the Rebellion (OR) 
were matched with terrain and maps were made at 30 minute increments.

With the advent of metal detectors, the relic hunters vacuum cleaned 
large numbers of sites leaving behind percussion caps and the odd item. 
Now, using metal detectors for the greater good, it is possible to find 
the lines where troops volleyed and fill in details, flesh out 
narratives and in some cases, prove the post-war histories wrong.

Stephen Potter has shown the benefits in his work at Sharpsburg.

I think it would be fascinating to see where an individual soldier 
moved through a battle, and then combine that with group movements.


Lyle Browning