Armistead’s Brigade Ancestors Survivors Reading

Originally published October 2016 · p. 15

GETTYSBURG, Pa.—On July 3, 2016, ancestors of survivors read the names of 287 members of Brigadier General Lewis Addison Armistead’s Brigade who perished 153 years ago as a result of Pickett’s Charge against the Union forces’ defenses on Cemetery Hill at Gettysburg. Armistead’s Brigade penetrated the Federal line farther than any other Confederate unit that day. Armistead was mortally wounded and died two days later.

Carl Sell reads names from the Fifth-Seventh Virginia list. The ancestors of those who read the names all survived. And one, Lieutenant James Whitehead Sr., of the Fifty-Third Virginia Infantry, later wrote of it in a letter that identified others who were with Armistead when he was mortally wounded. Among the readers were James Whitehead IV and James Whitehead V, who was joined by his daughter, Sara. The Whiteheads were involved in reading the names of members of the Ninth, Fourteenth, and Fifty-Third Virginia. Whitehead Sr., was wounded, captured and lay on the battlefield two nights. He remained a prisoner until the war ended. Among the names of members of the Fifty-Third read by Whitehead IV was his great uncle, Sergeant Thomas Booker Tredway, who was mortally wounded at the High Water Mark and died ten days later. Tredway’s brother, Captain William Marshall Tredway, was wounded but escaped capture and survived. Carl L. Sell Jr., and his granddaughter, Danielle Clarke, read the names of the members of the Thirty-Eighth and Fifty-Seventh Virginia from Armistead’s Brigade. Sell’s great grandfather, Private James Farthing, was a member of the Thirty-Eighth Virginia. He was wounded before the Confederates reached the stone wall and survived. Among those identified by Whitehead as having been standing with Armistead was Private George White of the Fifty-Third, Sell’s great uncle, who also was wounded. Both Farthing and White made it back to Confederate lines. Danielle Clarke also has a greatgreat-grandfather who fought for the Union. Private Timothy Sullivan of the Sixteenth Massachusetts was not at Gettysburg because he had been wounded in November of 1862. He returned to duty later and saw action at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania and

Cold Harbor. Joining the group for the ceremony were James Palmisano, Bob Doerr and Rich Mayesky of the J.W. Culp Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp, located in Gettysburg. The participants were greeted by a beautiful sunny day that served a perfect backdrop for the emotional reading of the names of those who died, either that day or as a result of their wounds. At the end, organizer Carl Sell reiterated the importance of recognizing the members of Armistead’s Brigade. He said he hoped the effort would lead to ancestors of other brigades, on both sides, honoring others who died at Gettysburg. “The research takes time, but the effort is fulfilling,” Sell said. The group was issued a permit for the event by the National Park Service.

Sara Whitehead reads the names of the Ninth Virginia with an assist from her mother, Anita Whitehead. Vin Caponi, Jr.

Sara Whitehead and her father, James Whitehead V, along with Carl Sell, James Palmisano, Bob Doerr, Rich Mayesky and James Whitehead IV, at Gettysburg where Brigadier General Lewis Addison Armistead was mortally wounded on July 3, 1863. Armistead’s Brigade penetrated the Union lines farther than any Confederate unit during Pickett’s Charge. The Whiteheads are direct descendants of Lieutenant James Whitehead, Sr., of the Fifty-Third Virginia, who, although wounded, survived the charge. Sell’s great grandfather, James Farthing of the Thirty-Eighth Virginia, also was wounded but escaped capture, along with his great uncle, George White of the Fifty-Third. Palmisano, Doerr and Mayesky are members of the Gettysburg Culp SCV Camp. The occasion was the reading of 287 members of Armistead’s Brigade who perished at Gettysburg.