Kentucky and is a 1971 graduate of Center College where he was later named a distinguished graduate. In 1974. He received his juris doctor degree from washington and Lee University school of law. He has practiced constitutional and Administrative Law for 45 years in lexington, kentucky and 26 years as council to webster chamberlain being and in washington, dc. Throughout his career as a constitutional attorney kenneth cultivated his advocation in history as a battlefield preservationist. He helped form the Perryville Battlefield Association and served as chairman of the perryville battlefield commission. He had a president ial appointment as chairman of the Gettysburg National military Parks Advisory Commission and served on the board of directors of the gettysburg foundation. He has spent time researching American History writing books and articles for scholarly presentations and giving towards of Civil War Battlefields to the avid American Civil War audience. All of kents books have been selections of the History Book Club and military book club and have received Numerous National awards. In addition in 2007 kent extended his historical pursuits to writing hosting and producing eight awardwinning documentary films. He is the president and content Development Developer of the nonprofit witnessing History Education foundation whose sole mission is to produce high quality documentary films on also aspects of American History for the purposes of broadcast on public and cable television. Cant currently serve as a member of the kentucky american independence semiquincentennial commission. I think i said that word right, correct. Thats right and the Kentucky Film Commission and is a life member of the board of directors of the Smithfield Plantation located in blacksburg, virginia without any further introduction. I would like to present to you Kent Masterson brown and his presentation on me at gettysburg. Well, thank you. Its its a fun to be back in gettysburg. I love this place. Ive been bringing my family here for so many years my kids who are now all grown still refer to the angle as their second backyard. And so that shows you just how much they they were here with me. Um the my topics that id of course is is on george made it gettysburg. And the book that has just come out about that. Obviously is going to contain far more things that im going to be able to say tonight in the 45 minutes. Thats given me. But what i would like to do is present a couple of major themes of that book. And have you contemplate those . You know george mead. Was never asked to become would he become commander of the army of the potomac . Like other generals were who preceded him . General meade was simply ordered. To become commander of the army of the potomac by orders from the president of the United States dated, june 27 1863 and the reason for that was that nobody wanted to become commander of the army of the potomac. And it is true on june 2nd to John Reynolds met. With henry hallick and the president of the United States as well as his secretary of war about the object or about the prospects of he becoming commander of the army of the potomac and he candidly said to george meade later that he declined. Because he didnt want to pick up after burnsides and hookers leaving. Now that pretty well expresses the opinions of lots of the high command of the army of the potomac. And when you stop and think about it. That poor army from the Peninsula Campaign in june of in july of 1862 to second, manassas to antietam to fredericksburg and to chancellorsville had not won an engagement against that enemy of theirs in any of those. Nothing and yet the casualties in those campaigns continued to climb. He mcclellan lost some 16,000 on the peninsula. There were at least 16,000 casualties in the army of the potomac alone at fredericksburg and a similar number in chancellorsville. And as we all know by march the Lincoln Administration and Congress Managed to get through a draft why because who would want to join the army . Nobody it has been nothing but a slaughterhouse. And theres been nothing gained. And so on the eve of gettysburg the white house was concerned about riots breaking out in the streets. And then suddenly a victory is given to them in the largest land engagement ever fought on the north american continent. And yet and yet after that. What happens . George meade is accused of not following the enemy. George meads accused of not having the moral courage to make decisions himself. George meade is accused of not attacking the enemy along the downsville line near hagerstown on the 12th and 13th of july. Lacking the moral courage to do that instead. He called a council of war. And thats how mead has been remembered. I remember early on working on this book. That someone came up and asked me. You know, what are you working on now brown, you know and i go well, were gonna george me. Oh, hes the guy that didnt pursue lee. Thats how hes remembered and by everybody. And i say all these nods youve heard all of you have heard that. Oh, hes the guy that just didnt pursue lee. Well, let me let me give you again. Ive got it. We got a we got this within 45 minutes, but let me give you some some thoughts about all this. All this has revealed in the book, but its just fun to talk about. Um again mead was ordered to be commander on june 28 accepted command on june 28th after being ordered to do so and to show you how this poor man was introduced to command of the army the potomac the minute he accepted command and and became commander and hooker left. He learned that jeb stuarts three brigades of cavalry it come across seneca falls the Potomac River and had destroyed two bridges on the baltimore and Ohio Railroad and cut all the telegraph wires to baltimore from it certainly to relay just east of baltimore along the baltimore and Ohio Railroad. So mead had no way to communicate with his government. And he couldnt get any supplies in from baltimore for his army because the bridges were knocked out of the baltimore and Ohio Railroad. That was his supply line. At the time one half of meads army was shoeless. One half and on on june on july 1 mead will actually finish ordering 50,000 pair of shoes for that army. But theyll never arrive. And youll see why. Theyll never arrive. So during the during the pursuit of lee after the fighting was over. What is lee . What is meade say in response to one of Henry Hallocks missives that was sent to him about he not pursuing mead says half my army doesnt have any shoes. Is that like its that light still nothing still nothing . And so you wonder how did we get . How did he get into this kind of a of a predicament where his army has no supplies nothing. Well, lets go back to the beginning of the campaign real quickly. He accepts command on june 28th. On june 29 he moves the army. And not after a heck of a lot of examination of maps intelligence reports from various elements of the army both cavalry as well as civilian reports. Showing that lees army which has been in pennsylvania for some time now foraging lees army is stretched out between chambersburg and york, pennsylvania and theres a road that runs between chambersburg and york and you can see it on the on the map right above the word long straight you see chambersburg. The Chambersburg Pike runs from chambersburg to cashtown pass than to gettysburg and on to york and notice that map you see troops along the the Chambersburg Pike you see longstreet at chambersburg you see hill at at the cashtown pass you see early over here near york. Which is probably all need new. From the time he took command until july 1st was what you see on that map. Thats it. No other intelligence, could we find other than this there was a one one piece of intelligence that indicated that long streets that chambersburg ap hill is at cache town. They both have a quote disposition to move to gettysburg. Now what the hell does that mean . I have no earthly idea. Um, but thats the only intelligence meat has you know, one thing about civil history is that we particularly military history is we can we were always trying to look at through our lens. And our lens is so different than theirs. A confederate core may move 20 miles on one day. And it may be spotted the next day. But it may take another day and a half for that information to even reach Army Headquarters. And by the time it reaches Army Headquarters, then whats happened . Have they continued to move there, or are they going somewhere else . You have absolutely no way of knowing. So mead what he does is on on the 29th of june after looking at that map and looking at that Chambersburg Pike. To chambersburg to york pike determines that that must be and i this is a word i use the axis on which all of lees army is moving. And if i can get im pretending on me if i can get as close as possible to that axis. Then maybe we can do something about these people. And so the object here is to get as close to that axis as he can and then try to find out with more specificity where this enemy is. Because he cant do a thing unless he knows where that enemy is. So what he does on june 29, he moves the army of the potomac north and you can see all the arrows from frederick all the way up through Carroll County to taneytown to frizzleburg to near union mills new windsor these this these troops marched in one day 30 miles. To get to that point now this is a half shoeless army. But imagine they marching after they have marched from falmouth, virginia all the way to frederick. And now theyre going another 30 miles to to Carroll County, maryland and as mead gets there. He sees the the layout sees the a Big Pipe Creek in fact, his headquarters tents are are pitched at middleburg and you can see middleburg. Right here in in the middle right there in the middle and you can go visit middleburg today. It looks like it did in 1863. You can go to visit uniontown and its exactly like it wasnt 1863 union mills is the same. I mean the park would expand down that way if you ask me, but anyway, he he goes he reaches middleburg. They pitches tents on the farm and the s farm overlooked big, pipe creek. And he saw the bluffs behind him and that triggered had to think that triggered him to say what else is on this will he finds it down toward union mills . Those bluffs are like a hundred feet above this this creek. And it they taper down to 50 as you get past you middleburg, but still 25 feet is fine if youre if youre on the 25 foot and the others the other guys are below it then youre in better shape, right . So the object now is should i form a defense line along pipe creek, which he answers . Of course . Yes. And take the next line. There you can see in bold black Big Pipe Creek. It runs from manchester following the creek through union mills. To just above taneytown then to then to middleburg on the on the left. Now this this setup here of meades is designed to do. One thing for sure and that is the orders that were given to him by Henry Hallock were that among other things you are to protect baltimore and washington. Now you can do anything else you want and but youre going to protect baltimore and those guys were paranoid in in washington. They act like they were almost paranoid. So look at look at what the pipe creek line. Does it it covers road literally from harrisburg. To baltimore from gettysburg to baltimore, right . It covers all the roads. So in terms of obeying the orders of the general in chief. Made shows the proper position now the question is do you do you sit simply sit behind a defensive position and wait for the enemy, of course not. Of course not the enemy is not going to come to you lees out there foraging he you sit behind your battlements. All you want leo just continue to forge. And then finally he gets enough and hell go to a little well see you later. Well go down to virginia and talk about it. But but so what do you do okay, you want to fight a battle along that pipe creek line . So what do you do . Well mead answers that question. On on june 30 he issues a series of orders. And one of the orders is to is for all the core in the army to move. From where they are right now and you can see where they are right now along the pipe creek line. The first core he ordered to move to gettysburg. Its rentals to gettysburg. The 11th corps was to move in supporting distance. Of the first core okay. The fifth core was ordered to move to hanover. See hanover just north of see littlestown and then hanover the 12th corps was to move to two taverns near littlestown. The six core was to move to manchester over here on the far, right . And the third core was to move to emmitsburg. The second core was to move from uniontown to taneytown. Now think about it for a minute. Here you want to hear youre forming up the pipe creek line. And now mead has ordered all the core of the army to move except. Sickles and and hancock third and second core hes ordered all five other core to move north. Of the pipe creek line you go. Why is he doing that . Well lets explore first of all. The first core meet has ordered reynolds to gettysburg. Does that mean hes ordered the rentals to go to gettysburg to open a general engagement . No, not anymore than he ordered general sikes to go to hanover and open a general engagement. Or he ordered general cedric to go to manchester. To open a general engagement see all those core are north of the pipe creek line. So what what what is what is happening . Well on the next morning interestingly. Mead determines a base of supply of the army. Now remember, you know an operational commander of an army is not just a fellow who orders troops around. He has to keep them fed. And he also has to keep his animals fed. The army of the potomac has 60,000 horses in that army. Has 91,000 troops . But 60,000 horses. Its supply trains are 50 miles long. Coming into, pennsylvania and those supply trains are you are largely mule driven, so you got the mules now, too to consider. If you look at the Army Regulations of 1861. A horse to keep it in the field is required to receive 14 pounds of oats and 14 pounds of hay a day. Its makes you almost shudder to say how do you do that . How does he do that . A mule is required to receive 15 pounds of hay and 15 pounds of a combination of oats. A day i come from horse country. If you i dont know if any of you raised a horse. If you raise one horse. You know all about it. I mean it only takes as one. In in kentucky again, were its horse country and if you dont if you dont feed a horse. Its required food. Forage regularly he goes lame. And then breaks down. Particularly if youre requiring that animal to do with these armies are requiring them to do. Pull the guns wagons all that stuff. It takes an enormous amount of forage to keep an army alive. Keep it moving. But if you dont feed that horse what hes required, he goes lame in about three days. A man can withstand no food for 10 days. So they say however, he becomes weak. As you could only imagine. So even though it sounds boring to talk about logistics. It is what keeps an army moving. And if you cant keep up with that. Then you may as well give it up. Because your army cant move. And its men wont move. So his supply base . Was set up at westminster. On july 1 he gets confirmation from the quartermaster general of the Army Montgomery migs that his supply base will be at westminster. And theyre going to employ henry herman helped. Brigadier general herman helped to open the railroad, which is the western Maryland Railroad between baltimore and westminster. Its one track. For no two tracks, there are no sidings. Theres no turntable. And that railroad goes to westminster and then also goes to union bridge. A little town just to the west of westminster. Those two would be the base of supply of the army and all the supplies would come from washington to Baltimore Baltimore to westminster and union bridge. And heres how they get there herman helped would take he commandeered a trains. For the us military railroad, they would he would run five trains one behind the other since there were no turntables anything like this. He wanted to get the maximum load to westminster and union bridges. He could he would he would run him in convoys of five trains one behind the other. So that every time those five trains got to westminster and union bridge, they could unload 2,000 tons. Of supplies then back all the way back down the tracks to baltimore pick up more than come back and he do that five times a day. This is what it takes to keep an army alive. So and i i cannot emphasize this stuff more. So that that system was set up on july 1. So this army could be supplied at that moment now. Pipe creek is made. Preferred position to defend he wants to defend if he can let lee do the attacking. And at pipe creek that means his line of supply is only seven miles long. To westminster and union bridge easy, thats good. Its close. It works. You can see his you can see what kind of a head this man has now. So that works. Now, okay, weve set up the supply base. Um going back to these core moving ahead of the pipe creek line. Lets first look at at the first core on the far left. Mead has given kind of special orders over there one. He wants reynolds to move to gettysburg and he wants howards 11th corps to follow him. And form a as a support. System support core and the the military theo